Children and teens across the nation will rally against the tobacco industry on Wednesday, March 25th during the 14th annual Kick Butts Day, sponsored by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. According to the American Lung Association, 90 percent of smokers pick up the habit before the age of 21. That is why teachers, youth leaders, and health advocates throughout the country will organize thousands of events that day and mobilize students to raise awareness about tobacco use.

Experts at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) are available for comment on the development of lung cancer and other related effects of smoking, which are being addressed by this unique day of youth activism. CINJ is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

CINJ experts available for comment include:

Jonathan Foulds, PhD, is a CINJ member, a professor at UMDNJ-School of Public Health and director of its Tobacco Dependence Program. This multidisciplinary program specializes in helping smokers to quit, both at its Tobacco Dependence Clinic and via school-based tobacco cessation. He has published over 70 papers on tobacco addiction and does research on tobacco products (including smokeless) and helping people to beat their addiction to nicotine.

Salma Jabbour, MD, is a radiation oncologist at CINJ and an assistant professor of radiation oncology at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Dr. Jabbour is a member of the Thoracic Oncology Program at CINJ and can discuss the benefits of and advances in combined treatments in lung malignancies. Her research interests include identifying genetic markers of recurrence in lung cancer as well as combining antibodies with current standards of lung cancer treatment to stimulate immune response in the body.

Peggy Joyce, PhD(c), RN, AOCN, is CINJ’s interim chief nursing officer, who was a long-time member of the Thoracic Oncology Program. She currently is researching the effects of shortness of breath in those with lung cancer.

Biren Saraiya, MD, is a medical oncologist at CINJ and an assistant professor of medicine at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Dr. Saraiya, whose specialty lies in the area of lung cancer, is currently building CINJ’s Palliative Care Program and can discuss comfort care needs as they relate to lung cancer. He also is building a clinical practice in genitourinary and lung cancers and is a member of CINJ’s Thoracic Oncology Program.

Source: Cancer Institute of New Jersey