Silver Spring, Maryland (June 15, 2009) – Danya International, Inc. (Danya), a communications, research, and technology firm, hosted 2,500 national tobacco research experts in Phoenix, Arizona, June 10–12, 2009, to discuss issues for reducing tobacco-related disease and death. The 2009 National Conference on Tobacco or Health (NCTOH) brought together tobacco prevention, cessation, and research experts from around the country to help improve and sustain the effectiveness and reach of tobacco control programs and activities in the United States.

Among the highlights of the conference:

• Opening plenary presentation by University of Colorado Professor Patricia Nez Henderson, vice president of the Black Hills Center for American Indian Health, who enumerated the challenges to banning smoking in public places in the Navajo Nation
• A summary of legislation passed by Congress granting the Federal Drug Administration authority to regulate the manufacture, marketing, and sale of tobacco products

Conference attendees had the opportunity to hear from more than 750 speakers in 15 plenary and sub-plenary sessions and learn from more than 350 poster presentations and 100-plus breakout sessions. In addition, NCTOH offered:

• The Pioneers of Health awards, recognizing businesses that have gone smoke-free voluntarily, as well as political and other leaders making a positive change to reduce tobacco use
• A youth advocacy and education event
• Exhibits featuring latest products and services from leading health and tobacco control service providers, as well as examples of cutting-edge state, regional, and priority population tobacco use prevention and cessation programs
• Numerous networking opportunities

“This powerful gathering of tobacco control experts, researchers, and advocates meets biennially to hear about emerging research and best practices in tobacco control, share lessons learned, and discuss strategies for continuing forward momentum in preventing and reducing the leading cause of death and disease in the United States,” explained Dr. Jeffrey Hoffman, Chief Executive Officer of Danya. “Firmly committed to the tobacco control movement, this group is tireless in trying to identify new approaches to achieve the goal of drastically reducing illness and death attributable to tobacco use.”

Support for the 2009 NCTOH was provided through sponsorships from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Cancer Institute, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Pfizer, Inc., the American Legacy Foundation, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration/Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, the American Heart Association, Arizonans Concerned About Smoking, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the Health Education Council, Dataprise, Inc., and SupremeSoft Corporation.

About Danya International, Inc.