THE 2018 ALTON OCHSNER AWARD RELATING SMOKING AND DISEASE
The Selection Committee for the 2018 Alton Ochsner Award Relating Tobacco Smoking and Diseases is pleased to present its 33rd Annual Award to Professor Geoffrey T. Fong, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology and Public Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada, and to Eric A. Hoffman, Ph.D., Professor of Radiology, Medicine, and Biomedical Engineering, University of Iowa School of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa. Both scientists independently have made major contributions that will significantly impact their areas of research through their work and the training of other investigators. Their work related the effects of prolonged consumption of tobacco smoke on the development of malignant disease in patients.
Doctor Fong, Senior Investigator of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research and Principal Investigator of the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation (ITC Project) Waterloo, Canada, is an incredible role model and mentor for his colleagues of the ITC Project and created a network of over 150 tobacco control investigators globally. In brief, Doctor Fong’s broad ITC Research Project conducted longitudinal nationally representative surveys assessing all major dimensions of tobacco use and control policies in 28 countries, covering over one-half of the world's population and over 70% of the world's tobacco users; they also cover a broad mix of low, middle, and high income countries across every continent.
Doctor Fong’s team of tobacco control researchers have provided evidence-based action globally to combat the number one preventable cause of death and disease in the world.
The Ochsner Award is named in honour of Doctor Alton Ochsner, co-founder of the Ochsner Clinic, in New Orleans. In 1939 Doctor Ochsner published the first evidence relating tobacco smoking as the major cause of lung cancer. The award acknowledges Doctor Geoffrey Fong and Doctor Eric Hoffman for their contributions that clarify the relationship of tobacco smoking with public health and lead to tobacco-related disease prevention and control.