Center for Tobacco Treatment Research and Training (CTTRT) Blog

Tobacco use causes over 6 million deaths per year worldwide and leads to hundreds of billions of dollars spent for medical costs and lost productivity. Effective, evidence-based treatment services for tobacco dependence such as those recommended by US Public Health Service's Clinical Guidelines: Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence: 2008 Update exist but are not always accessible to tobacco users. While many factors impact the availability and accessibility of treatment, one important factor needed to provide such services is the presence of skilled tobacco treatment professionals/Tobacco Treatment Specialist (TTS). Read more >> 

Since 2016, Tobacco Treatment Specialist (TTS) training program offered by Center for Tobacco Treatment Research and Training has been sponsored and conducted by OneBreath and Society for Respiratory Care in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  The TTS training is offered to all health care providers who work with smokers or those seeking a career in tobacco treatment specialty.  UMass TTS program trained more than 13 Saudi tobacco program directors who conduct TTS trainings in different health care sectors and regions of Saudi Arabia. Read more >>

With today’s busy schedules, a lot of professionals are opting to attend online or distance learning courses for professional development. Online learning offers the flexibility and convenience that most professionals find helpful as they try to juggle their busy schedules. To fill the need for online courses, institutions and organizations are now using online platforms to create courses that address various topics that are of interest and useful to their workforce.  One such topic is tobacco treatment. Read more >>

CTTRT focus on how to help people end tobacco use has been a natural fit for the Division of Preventive Medicine for nearly 40 years, and we have contributed to much of the research and development of best practices in tobacco treatment. When the Massachusetts Department of Public Health/Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program (MTCP) was established in 1992, we were awarded the first contract to provide statewide tobacco treatment training and technical assistance, supporting one of the most progressive tobacco control programs in the US. Read more >>