Tim McAfee, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer, Senior Vice President, Clinical and Behavioral Sciences:   As a family physician dedicated to helping people quit tobacco, I am deeply concerned about the 35% cut to state tobacco programs in the current Washington Senate budget bill. Last year, the state tobacco program was cut 43%, far deeper than most other programs. This year’s original proposal for a $1.00/pack tax increase devoted 20% of the tax revenue to the State Tobacco Prevention an... [More]

Tim McAfee, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer; Jennifer Lovejoy, PhD, Vice President Clinical Development & Support; Marie Gahler, Senior Manager, Weight Programs & Education:   New Years Day is just passed, a time when many people resolved to change their behavior. The process of examining our lives and resolving to make positive changes can be an important step towards improving our circumstances. Unfortunately, only a small fraction of those who resolve to change behaviors will still be ... [More]

Tim McAfee, Chief Medical Officer, Clinical Behavioral Sciences:   The federal panel that recommends what immunizations Americans should get has determined that all adult smokers should be immunized against a bacteria that causes pneumonia and meningitis (the pneumococcal vaccine). I have two, somewhat contradictory, reactions to this news. First, vaccinating smokers makes a lot of sense. Pneumococcal pneumonia is a big killer. It’s the most common serious complication of th... [More]

Tim McAfee, Chief Medical Officer:   I just put my wife on a plane to Amsterdam today. I’ll be a single parent for a week, and it's all because of smoking. She is going for a last visit with her Aunt Gerda, who at the age of 75, was recently diagnosed with Stage-4 lung cancer, which is basically a death sentence. Aunt Gerda is a wonderful person, married to a charming man, whom I had the pleasure of visiting a few years ago in her small apartment outside Amsterdam. She is about to lose ... [More]

Tim McAfee, Chief Medical Officer:    We are bombarded by information every day about things in modern life that are “bad” for us. Often a year later, we hear that what was “bad” is now “good,” or at least not as “bad” as we thought. Cholesterol, artificial sweeteners, sunlight, and birth control pills to name a few. We also are told about new ways we can change our lives to live longer, avoid cancer, and stay healthy. But these too may change. Take beta-carotene to avoid lung cancer! N... [More]