Dr. Ovide Pomerleau, professor emeritus of the University of Michigan Department of Psychiatry, was the first president of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT).
Written in conjunction with other past presidents, the new article describes the formative years of SRNT from the perspective of researchers who were in leadership positions during that time, documenting how biobehavioral and clinical research in the first ten years was a continuation of the scientific mission of the 1988 United States Surgeon General’s Report on Nicotine Addiction. “We wanted to summarize organizational innovations during each president’s term of office and to describe how SRNT came into being as a scientific organization due to funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse—and to a lesser extent from the National Cancer Institute—that allowed research to be conducted without interference from the tobacco industry.” said Dr. Pomerleau.
The Society began in the United States as a scientific organization ‘to stimulate the generation and dissemination of new knowledge concerning nicotine and tobacco in all its manifestations.’ Now in its 30th year, the Society is taking on new challenges in tobacco control, nicotine vaping, product regulation, and public policy.
The Society’s promotion of scientific research served as a catalyst for funding, policy, and regulation, setting the stage for its influence and credibility. “Biobehavioral research provided the scientific foundation for the current inclusion of broader public health issues," says Dr. Pomerleau.
