Ribisl receives American Society of Preventive Oncology award for efforts to reduce tobacco use
March 16, 2017
Dr. Kurt Ribisl
Kurt Ribisl, PhD, professor of health behavior at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, has received the American Society of Preventive Oncology (ASPO) 2017 Joseph W. Cullen Memorial Award. He accepted the award at the Society’s annual meeting in Seattle on March 13, where he presented a talk on finding solutions for tobacco-related health disparities.
Ribisl, who is co-leader of the program in cancer prevention and control at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, recently completed a term as member of the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee for the United States Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products.
His research focuses upon evaluating and improving the reach of population-level efforts to reduce tobacco use, with particular emphasis upon policy and information technology. He studies policy issues related to the sale and marketing of various tobacco products in brick-and-mortar stores and online, including pricing and promotions, youth access and the use of geographic information systems in tobacco control.
“We are so proud that Kurt won this prestigious award,” said Leslie Lytle, PhD, professor and chair of health behavior at the Gillings School. “The department, school and university are so fortunate to have Kurt as a researcher, teacher, mentor and valued colleague.”
ASPO, a multidisciplinary society founded in 1976, aims to foster the continuing development of investigators and other professionals involved in cancer prevention and control and to promote the exchange and translation of scientific information to reduce the cancer burden.
The Society established the Cullen Memorial Award in 1992 to recognize distinguished achievement in continued national tobacco control efforts through research, development of prevention and cessation programs with wide-reaching public health impact, or public policy and advocacy initiatives. It also honors individuals committed to fostering collaboration among basic and behavioral scientists, health-care professionals and public health advocates involved in the fight against tobacco and tobacco-related disease.
Cullen, who served as program coordinator for the National Cancer Institute’s Smoking Tobacco and Cancer Program from 1982 to 1989, was the architect of the world’s largest tobacco intervention and control program. He died of brain cancer in 1990.
A version of this article originally appeared on the UNC Lineberger website.
Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: David Pesci, director of communications, (919) 962-2600 or dpesci@unc.edu
