UNC Family Medicine’s Adam Goldstein, MD, MPH, is co-director of the Duke-UNC Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training Program, launched of interactive online training program.
The Duke-UNC Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training Program (Duke-UNC TTS), a nationally accredited tobacco treatment certificate preparation program, today reported the completion of its first fully online interactive training program, held in June 2020. This training represented the complete translation of the organization’s on-site curriculum to purely virtual, while still maintaining a highly interactive, skills-based training experience. The session was comprised of the most geographically diverse audience to date, with participants from 16 US states, including physicians, PAs, nurses, pharmacists, public health managers and more.
“We are thrilled with the success of our first virtual course,” said James Davis, MD, co-director of the Duke-UNC Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training Program. “The course is highly interactive. We provide a comprehensive review of evolving literature in the field and then distill key evidence-based principles that are relevant to clinical decision making. Attendees work through real-world cases and test their ideas to gain the confidence necessary to employ new treatment strategies with their patients.”
Program co-director Adam Goldstein, MD, MPH, professor of family medicine and UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center member, added, “The popularity of tobacco treatment specialist training indicates the broad recognition of the importance of smoking cessation for a healthy population, and the need for proven methods to affect positive change. With our expertise in both medical and behavioral health approaches and addressing disparities in tobacco use treatment in different populations, Duke-UNC TTS is helpful across the broad spectrum of professionals who work with tobacco dependence. In addition to tobacco treatment modalities, we also teach how to develop treatment policies for any healthcare setting. So, expanding our course’s availability nationwide is an important step, and we are very encouraged by the initial results of our virtual training.”
The Duke-UNC TTS Virtual Training Program was held over two consecutive weeks, combining live, half-day sessions with self-paced online coursework both before and between live sessions. Participants earned up to 27.75 hours of Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits and received a comprehensive training manual. “Participants expressed considerable excitement about having access to a course like this without leaving home. The feedback on course content and delivery was outstanding,” Dr. Davis said.
The next virtual training is scheduled to begin on November 30, 2020. For more information and online registration, visit www.dukeunctts.com.
About Duke-UNC Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training Program
Established in 2016, the Duke-UNC Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training Program is a collaboration of three leaders in tobacco treatment, education, and research: Duke Cancer Institute’s Smoking Cessation Program, University of North Carolina Tobacco Treatment Program, and the NC Division of Public Health. Its leadership consists of internationally renowned experts in smoking cessation research and education and trains health professionals to provide evidence-based treatment for tobacco use and dependence to improve the health of individuals and populations. For more information, visit www.dukeunctts.com.