Most Supportive Public Health Professional/Researcher Award
Posted on November 14, 2023 By Colin
WITH THE GREATEST OF HUMILITY, I would like to announce that I have won the UK Vaping Industry Association’s Most Supportive Public Health Professional/Researcher Award for 2023.
The award was announced at the annual UKVIA Forum and Industry Recognition Awards ceremony in London on Friday 10 November 2023.
Most Supportive Public Health Professional/Researcher
This category
“Recognises the contribution that a public health professional has made to speaking up for vaping. The judges will be looking for the actions taken to promote vaping in a public health capacity. This could include, but is not limited to, challenging and/or correcting misinformation, helping educate colleagues or the public about the relative health risks associated with smoking and vaping, being involved in vaping initiatives in a healthcare environment, or speaking about vaping at events and conferences"
I was especially honoured as the other two finalists were the Office Of Health Improvement and Disparities team who produced the extraordinary 2022 evidence update on nicotine vaping in England for the England Government, and an eminent English physician Dr Sudhanshu Patwardhan.
Dr Patwardhan established and is Medical Director of the Centre for Health Research and Education. This global organisation works to find and develop innovative solutions for cancer prevention.
The UK Vaping Industry Association
The UKVIA is a non-profit organisation which represents vape manufacturers, retailers wholesalers, distributors and compliance service providers in the UK. Tobacco companies are not eligible for the membership and it does not accept funding from tobacco companies. The awards are voted for by the members of association.
The association aims to responsibly promote vaping as a lifesaving alternative for addicted adult smokers. It works closely with "policy makers, parliamentarians, regulators, the public health community and some 7m smokers across the UK”.
UKVIA helps develop evidenced-based policy to optimise the public health benefit of nicotine vaping, educates the public and shares the latest research with industry and consumers. The UKVIA has a special Youth Access Prevention Committee to ensure to enforce the ban on underage sales and conducts test purchasing program to ensure that members are not selling to minors. It also has a Standards Committee to assist with setting high standards for quality and safety of vaping products.
The UKVIA has played a major role in the rapid decline in smoking rates in the UK in recent years, as smoking has become replaced by smoking and should be congratulated for its ongoing public health success and leadership.