The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has appointed Professor Linda Bauld as Chair of its Programme Development Group (PDG) on ‘Tobacco - harm reduction approaches to smoking’.
NICE is an independent organisation responsible for providing national guidance on promoting good health and preventing and treating ill health. It makes recommendations to the NHS on new and existing medicines, treatments and procedures and treating and caring for people with specific diseases and conditions. The body works in consultation with independent committees and experts, including, academics, patients and other members of the public with a background or interest in the area.
Speaking of her appointment as Chair, Professor Bauld said: “Tobacco harm reduction is a contentious topic that aims to identify ways to support smokers who are not yet ready to quit. It involves finding ways to help people to cut down before quitting, or to improve the availability of safer forms of nicotine for those smokers who can’t stop. I look forward to working with NICE and members of the programme development group to prepare and consult on this guidance over the next two years, with the hope that this work will contribute to changes in policy and practice on more effective ways of reducing the considerable damage caused by tobacco use in the UK.”
Notes to editors:
- Professor Bauld was previously Professor of Social Policy and Head of Department in the Department of Social and Policy Sciences at the University of Bath. Professor Bauld is an international expert in public health policy. From 2007 she served as the UK government's scientific adviser on tobacco control and as Vice-chair of Cancer Research UK's Tobacco Advisory Group. Her primary research interests are in the field of tobacco control and smoking cessation, and drug and alcohol policy. She has a long standing interest in the relationship between evidence and policy and has worked extensively with central and local government, the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence and PCTS in England as well as Health Boards in Scotland to inform the design and delivery of policies and interventions to improve health. Professor Bauld is a member of the Stirling Institute for Socio-Management and Institute for Social Marketing.
- To arrange an interview with Professor Bauld please contact:
Lisa Campbell
School Marketing Officer
Stirling Management School
University of Stirling
Stirling FK9 4LA
Tel: +44 (0)1786 467312
Email: lisa.campbell2@stir.ac.uk
www.stir.ac.uk/management/ - For more information about NICE visit the website www.nice.org.uk