Background
The ETU Virginia initiative grew out of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Massey Cancer Center’s attendance at the 2018 Texas Eliminate Tobacco Use Summit. VCU approached the University of Virginia Cancer Center to join in their efforts to replicate a summit in Virginia. The first ETU Virginia summit in spring 2019 hosted almost 100 attendees from 18 Virginia colleges and universities and two out-of-state universities.
The ETU Virginia Summit 2021 brought together over 60 institutions and organizations from across the state and focused on providing colleges and universities with best practices in developing tobacco free policies. Presenters, who were all at different points in the policy making process, shared frameworks for building a successful work group, ideas for how to change attitudes around tobacco free policies, and post-policy adoption.
In 2023, ETU Virginia hosted 30 people in-person in Charlottesville, Virginia the week before the National Summit on April 21st. This summit was a workshop style gathering that highlighted the importance of campus and community organizing to achieve a comprehensive tobacco-free campus policy and increase tobacco treatment and cessation efforts.
Virginia Steering Committee
2022-2023 MEMBERS
Roger Anderson, Ph.D.
Associate Director of Population Science
University of Virginia
John Boggess
Communication and Health Promotions Coordinator
Virginia Private Colleges Benefits Consortium
Cynthia Burwell, Ed.D, M.C.H.E.S., R.K.T.
Director, NSU Center of Excellence in Minority Health Disparities
Norfolk State University
Neely Dahl, M.P.H, C.T.T.S.
Chair
Tobacco Free Alliance of Virginia
Elizabeth Do, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Research Manager
Truth Initiative
Jon Fritsch, MS, CTTS
Assistant Director of Hokie Wellness
Virginia Tech
Lindsay Hauser, M.S., M.T.T.S.
Director, Office of Community Outreach and Engagement
University of Virginia
Megan Hill, M.P.H, M.C.H.E.S.
Certified Health Education Specialist
Hampton University
Comprehensive Cancer Center
Andrew Romero, M.Ed.
Director
Geographic Health Equity Alliance
Hannah Sutliff, MPH, CHES
Certified Health Education Specialist
Hampton University
Brad Williams, MSPH
Senior Program Coordinator
Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center
Bernard Fuemmeler, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Associate Director of Population Science
Massive Cancer Center
Virginia Commonwealth University
Carrie Miller, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Virginia Commonwealth University
Gina Roberts
Tobacco Control Lead Regional Coordinator
Virginia Department of Health Tobacco Control Program
Jayne Flowers, M.A., C.P.M.
Tobacco Control Program Manager
Virginia Department of Health Tobacco Control Program
Amy Smith, Ph.D., C.H.E.S.
Assistant Professor
Virginia Tech
Jon Fritsch, M.S., C.T.T.S.
Assistant Director of Hokie Wellness
Virginia Tech