In July, we had announced that Nancy Rigotti would be taking over as director of SCLC beginning January, 2022. Alas, that will not happen. The reasons are stated below by Dr. Rigotti:
“I am sorry to tell you that after much reflection, I’ve decided that I cannot take on the wonderful opportunity of leading the UCSF Smoking Cessation Leadership Center (SCLC). For purely personal reasons, now is not a good time in my life to move to San Francisco. I am very sad to write this, because I believe so fervently in the importance of the SCLC’s mission. I had looked forward to continuing Steve Schroeder’s pioneering work of building the SCLC into a nationally-recognized resource that is helping reduce the enormous toll of tobacco use, the nation’s—and world’s—leading preventable cause of death and disability. Fortunately, the SCLC’s extraordinary staff is well positioned to sustain this critical work. I will remain a huge supporter of SCLC efforts and programs and eager to help as needed.”
While we are obviously disappointed at this news, we respect Dr. Rigotti’s decision and look forward to her continued leadership in the field of smoking cessation. We are pleased to announce that Pamela Ling, MD, Professor of Medicine at UCSF and Director of the UCSF Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education will serve as acting director of the SCLC beginning January, 2022. The SCLC programs will continue as before, in pursuit of our mission to help tobacco users stop smoking.
- Steve Schroeder, MD, Catherine Saucedo and the SCLC team