The AAP and Julius B. Richmond Center is dedicated to supporting groundbreaking projects aimed at addressing youth tobacco cessation and reducing secondhand smoke exposure. Through initiatives like our Visiting Lectureship and Implementation Grants, INSPIRE, and the Social Climate Survey, we are dedicated to driving progress in safeguarding the health of our youth. Join us as we work to create smoke-free environments and promote the well-being of generations to come. The awarded programs are designed to promote secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure control and to integrate SHS prevention activities in pediatric education in state AAP Chapters and educational institutions in the United States and internationally or directly address youth tobacco cessation in various settings.
Past Funded Projects
Implementation Grants
2024-2025 Awardees
Grantee: Ashley Politz, MSW
Florida Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics
This project aimed to reach a wide range of professionals who work with families and youth to significantly reduce the number of youth and young adults using tobacco products and minimize the exposure of children to secondhand smoke from tobacco use by caregivers.
Grantee: Loretta Hoepfner, MSOD
Maryland Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics
Susan Walley MD, FAAP
This project intended to educate pediatricians, family physicians, nurse practitioners, school nurses and administrators, health department officers, Maryland Department of Health personnel, and tobacco cessation community organizations involved in protecting the health of children and families by controlling tobacco and nicotine exposure.
Grantee: Melody Petty, MD, FAAP
Alabama Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics
This project focused on equipping pediatricians and other pediatric clinicians with tools to deliver tobacco control anticipatory guidance in the clinical setting, including the use of the Ask-Counsel-Treat model.
2023 Awardees
Grantee: Sara Siddiqui, MD, FAAP; Sajan Shah
New York AAP Chapter II
The goal of this program was to ensure elementary school students receive an adequate education regarding the hazards associated with tobacco use, by developing a curriculum tailored for 5th grade students.
Grantee: Whitney Harmon
Faculty: TBD
Wyoming AAP Chapter
The goal of this program was to provide tobacco prevention and cessation education at the Wyoming Medical Society annual meeting and Specialty Society Summit, ensuring that Wyoming providers have information, resources and promotional material to support their patients.
Grantee: Prof Revenco Ninel, MD, PhD
Moldavian Pediatric Society
The goal of this program was to introduce tobacco control interventions, based on national guidelines, to family doctors to enable them to deliver smoking cessation interventions in clinical practice and community outreach.
School Based Projects
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) with funding from the American Heart Association awarded 8 implementation grants to support local advocacy, educational and implementation initiatives related to youth tobacco cessation within school-based settings. This included school nurse offices, classrooms and district efforts.
Visiting Lectureships
2023 Awardee
Grantee: Prof Revenco Ninel, MD, PhD
Faculty: Jon Klein, MD, MPH, FAAP
Moldavian Pediatric Society
The goal of this program was to convene a two-day conference with national and international participants, with both in person and online participation, focusing on interventions for smoking prevention among children and adolescents.
2022 Awardee
Grantee: Page Pomo, MD, FAAP
Visiting Lecturer: Judith Groner, MD, FAAP / Mark Gottlieb, JD
New Mexico AAP Chapter
The goal of this program was to provide education to local medical providers and community stakeholders, form partnerships with organizations, and collaborate on local advocacy efforts surrounding tobacco control and prevention, as it relates to secondhand smoke and secondhand aerosol exposure in New Mexico’s pediatric population.
INSPIRE (Intervening to Help Smoking Parents of Inpatients Reduce Exposure)
Secondhand smoke harms children and increases the risk of illness and hospitalization. INSPIRE helps parents of hospitalized children reduce tobacco smoke exposure through motivational interviewing and smoking cessation support, helping providers connect caregivers with quit-smoking support during a child’s hospital stay.
A trained tobacco coach begins motivational interviewing with the caregiver during the child’s hospital stay and helps create a plan to quit or reduce smoking.
Before discharge, caregivers receive nicotine replacement therapy and community resources.
After discharge, the tobacco coach follows up with brief motivational interviewing sessions.
Downloadable Resources
Questions? Please feel free to contact us.
Social Climate
The Social Climate Survey of Tobacco Control was developed through the AAP Richmond Center's Data and Datasets project as a methodology to objectively measure the fundamental position of tobacco control in society and thereby provide a data collection system to monitor program impacts. The survey covers items such as policy changes, changes in social norms, reduction of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and a rejection of pro-tobacco influences.
The Social Climate Survey of Tobacco Control was administered annually to a national sample from 2000-2015; at present, the Survey is still active in surveying tobacco use and policies at the state-level in Mississippi. Survey results, dissemination efforts and related analysis are maintained on the survey website.
Last Updated
06/09/2026
Source
American Academy of Pediatrics