New Approaches
Conference  

Harvard Club of New York City – Midtown NY (in person & virtually)
2024 PAST: Monday, September 23 at 8:00am-7:00pm
Saving Lives in the 21st Century
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Session I: Spotlight on the FCTC 20 Years Later – Where Are We Now?

20 years ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) brought together governments, scientists, doctors, and public health experts from across the globe to combat the epidemic of smoking and develop the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC), a comprehensive, global anti-smoking legislation. As the first use of the WHO’s treaty powers, the FCTC changed the ways in which world leaders and their constituents view cigarette smoking, taking on the powerful tobacco industry lobby and challenging the widely held belief that smoking poses little to no risk to one’s health. Guided by sources of international law, the introductory session of the New Approaches Conference will introduce the overall theme of this year’s summit, reflecting upon the progress of the FCTC, and the true intent of nations at the time of its ratification, while further exploring how novel technological innovations such as tobacco-free nicotine fit within the scope of the FCTC.

Session II: Spotlight on Regulatory Approaches and Medicinal Licensing – Synergistic Protection of Public Health

This session will delve into the need for innovation in medicinal nicotine, the promise of treating ENDS as smoking cessation tools, and the considerations for nations to achieve public health gains. Speakers explore the role of regulatory science to create improved long-term public health outcomes and overcome short-term political challenges. Balanced regulation, proportional to risk, might encourage shifts away from combustible tobacco and address health disparities. While innovations can address concerns such as youth access, waste, and illicit trade, challenging the assumption that innovation and regulation conflict. Lastly, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products, endorsed by doctors for smoking cessation and harm reduction, could evolve with technological advancements.

Session III: Spotlight on Sustainability and Innovation - How Sustainable is the Category Really?

This session will explore the forefront of sustainability and innovation in modern nicotine products. As a novel industry, how can lessons from adjacent industries be included in product design and business practices? How can progress be driven by sustainable finance? And how can quantifying carbon emissions create a solution?

Session IV: Spotlight on Finance and Operations –  Reaching and Switching Populations that Smoke

This session will outline the potential of 21st-century technology to address legacy issues, shepherding smokers to cessation or modern alternatives. Keynotes and panels cover market insights, youth access prevention technology in retail, as well as the distribution of products among hard-to-reach populations such as in mental health clinics. The crucial role of retailers in ensuring proper distribution and compliance with regulatory standards in the evolving nicotine industry will be highlighted.

Third Annual New Approaches Summit: Saving Lives in the 21st Century.

Global Experts to Address Smoking Cessation and Harm Reduction Initiatives During UNGA Week

Senior Minister Dr. Douglas Delivers Keynote Address at Third Annual New Approaches Summit in New York

2024 Agenda view here

Select presentations and photos will soon be made available on our website.

SAVE THE DATE to join our 4th Annual Summit on Monday, September 25, 2025.


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This year's 2024 meeting builds on last year's commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), and the inaugural year's UK's smoke-free society case study. The overall focus for 2024 is on how policy, science, innovation, and technological advancements can collectively prevent 1 billion tobacco-related deaths this century.

Together, we will explore strategies to accelerate the end of smoking globally, including:

*Country Experiences Integrating Harm Reduction to End Smoking: Spotlight on successful strategies and areas needing improvement from three countries' policy approaches.

*Research and Science: Updates on latest scientific evidence, research gaps, and collaborative efforts between governmental entities and the research community.

*Investments and Innovation to Achieve Public Health Impact: Learn how emerging technologies, growth investing, and digital therapeutics for addiction treatment are poised to transform tobacco control.

By integrating insights from research, innovation, and government, this event aims to illustrate how progressive approaches can drive tobacco control, policy, and improve global health.

2024 Registration Closed.
The one-day event was held on September 23, 2024 in New York City and virtually.

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New Approaches is an independent global forum on science and policy, held annually in conjunction with the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and adjacent to Climate week in New York City. As a neutral convener, we host programming created by co-chairs and speakers from diverse backgrounds. The views expressed by speakers are their own, and we encourage a variety of perspectives.

The Summit is open to all stakeholders dedicated to ending smoking and achieving a public health impact.

Conference Co-Chairs

Derek Yach, MBChB MPH
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Derek Yach is currently an independent global health consultant who has focused his career on the holistic advancement of public health around the world. He was the founder and president of the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World and a former Executive Director of the Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health at the World Health Organization (WHO) where Dr. Yach led the development of WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
Nataliia Toropova
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Nataliia Toropova is the head of the Healthy Initiatives International Think Tank and a former Program Manager for the World Health Organization (WHO). Previously, she served as an Advocacy Coordinator for Eastern Europe at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Keynote Highlights 2023

Featured Keynote: Tom Miller
Global Lessons from the United States: The State of Tobacco Control and Harm Reduction Today
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Tom Miller will reflect for the first time publicly on the state of tobacco control and harm reduction having left office. His keynote will showcase major achievements over the past two decades and share insights about what needs to be done in order to save future generations from death caused by cigarettes.

Let’s not overreact about e-cigarettes

By Tom Miller
Read the article

2024 Speaker Biographies

 
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​​Dr. Javed Khan OBE is author of the groundbreaking “Khan Review - Making Smoking Obsolete,” examining best practices for a smoke-free UK. He has led the UK's largest children’s charity, Barnardo’s, and serves on several public and private board committees including his role as Chair of the Integrated Care Board of the UK NHS.  Previously, Javed Khan was the chief executive of Victim Support.  He has received honorary doctorate degrees from Birmingham City University as well as the University of Salford, and was appointed Order of The British Empire for services to young people and education. Dr. Khan had received his BSc. in Mathematics from the University of Salford, and is a qualified secondary education teacher.
Dr. Javed Khan, OBE
Author of "The Khan Review - Making Smoking Obsolete"
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Vivien Azer is a Managing Director and senior research analyst specializing in beverages, tobacco, and cannabis sectors. Vivien is the first senior Wall Street analyst to cover the emerging cannabis sector, resulting in notable global press coverage across media outlets such as CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Barron’s and Forbes. Vivien’s coverage of the tobacco and cannabis sectors earned her industry accolades including a spot on Institutional Investor’s All- America Research Team on several occasions. In 2022, Vivien was selected as one of the most influential names in cannabis on Forbes’ “The Cannabis 42.0” list. She was also named to MJBiz Daily’s list of “20 Women to Watch in 2019” and selected by Business Insider as a “Rising Star of Marijuana Investing.” Prior to joining Cowen and Company in 2014, she spent over nine years at Citi covering consumer staples. Vivien holds a BA from the College of William and Mary and an MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business.
Vivien Azer
Managing Director, Cowen
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Jasjit S. Ahluwalia is a physician and public health scientist at Brown University’s Schools of Public Health and Medicine, and is the Associate Director of the Legoretta Cancer Center. He has been in academic medicine since 1992 and has been a practicing physician, faculty member, department chair, associate dean and center director in medical schools, and dean of the School of Public Health. His primary research areas are smoking cessation and nicotine addiction in African American smokers. He has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health for 25 years and has published more than 350 manuscripts. Ahluwalia has served on the U.S. government’s National Advisory Council on Minority Health and Health Disparities, on the SRNT board of directors and just completed a 3 year term on the federal government’s Interagency Committee on Smoking and Health chaired by the U.S. Surgeon General. Ahluwalia trained at New York University, received a Doctor of Medicine degree and a Master of Public Health degree at Tulane University, a medical residency at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a clinical epidemiology fellowship at Harvard Medical School, where he received a master’s degree in health policy.
Dr. Jasjit S. Ahluwalia, MD MPH MS
Professor of Medicine, Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University
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Jasjit S Ahluwalia, MD, MPH, MS
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Professor at Brown University School of Public Health
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Indrani Pal-Chaudhury is a global human rights activist who focuses much of her career on human trafficking and environmental sustainability. She teaches at Princeton University.
Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri
Social Justice Activist and Celebrity Film Maker

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“Described by Rolling Stone as "the point man" for drug policy reform efforts and “the real drug czar,” Ethan Nadelmann is widely regarded as the outstanding proponent of drug policy reform both in the United States and abroad. He founded and directed first The Lindesmith Center and then the Drug Policy Alliance from 1994 to 2017, during which time he and his colleagues were at the forefront of dozens of successful campaigns to legalize marijuana and advance harm reduction alternatives to the war on drugs.  Ethan currently hosts the leading podcast on all things drugs: PSYCHOACTIVE.”
Dr. Ethan Nadelmann
Co-Founder of the Drug Policy Alliance

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Sammi Toorish is a highly motivated cannabis enthusiast with a deep passion for science, the cannabis plant, and the people both can serve. Sammi is a Colgate University alumna where her focus on International Relations prompted a dedicated interest in issue-based politics, particularly public health; human rights; economic development; and community empowerment. Sammi has deep experience in private market due diligence, political and non-profit fundraising, and cannabis-specific market research.Sammi joined Arcadian Capital in 2021, focused on portfolio management, deal origination, and due diligence. Prior to Arcadian, Sammi spent 3+ years supporting 30+ top PE and VC firms in and outside of cannabis. Sammi was most recently at BDSA, a leading market research firm to the cannabis industry, helping investors and operators utilize data for better investment and strategic decision-making. Previously, Sammi spend time at VU Venture Partners, leading four early-stage investments across Consumer and Frontier verticals.
Sammi Toorish
VP, Investments - Arcadian Capital

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Laurent Manca is an innovator, inventor and strategist focused on disrupting mature industries. He holds 40+ US and international patents as the co-inventor of heat-not-burn product IQOS. Previously, Laurent worked at Philip Morris on IQOS as well as multiple other Reduced Risk Products. He is a co-founder of the tobacco-free nicotine vaporizer company SMOOD. SMOOD has grown into a global vaping business built on sustainability, advanced chemistry, and granted and pending hardware patents. Laurent graduated from Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne (Bachelor), HEC Geneva (MBA), and MIT (FinTech).
Laurent Manca
Inventor of IQOS

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Tony Abboud is an attorney, government affairs expert, and regulatory consultant who represents companies in the tobacco and vapor spaces and who serves as the executive director of the Vapor Technology Association (VTA).  VTA is a U.S. trade association representing the alternative nicotine products industry. Abboud was instrumental in founding and growing VTA, which advocates for rational science-based regulations and a well-regulated marketplace for lower risk nicotine products as an alternative to cigarettes.  Abboud has extensive experience in law, public policy, government and politics. He has represented companies on legal and regulatory issues for more than 25 years. Abboud left the international law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP in 2010 to found his consulting firm, Strategic Government Solutions, which focuses on companies and associations in heavily regulated industries, including the tobacco and vapor industries, and has advised such companies for more than a decade.  Abboud is recognized as a leading voice for essential regulations and a balanced discussion of vapor products. He is a frequent speaker at national symposiums and has been extensively quoted in the media, including national print, television and radio.  Tony lives near Chicago with his wife, a former Cook County prosecutor, and their three children.  Tony earned his B.A. in Political Science from Carleton College in 1988 and his J.D. with distinction from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1994.
Tony Abboud
Executive Director, Vapor Technology Association (VTA), President Strategic Government Solutions Inc.



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Jeannie Cameron is an expert on the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control FCTC, including attending its negotiation in Geneva and the development of its subsequent Protocol on Illicit Trade. As part of an LLM in 2007, Jeannie earned a distinction from King’s College University of London for a dissertation on the topic of Emerging International Public Health Issues – Human Rights, Harm Reduction, and the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Jeannie has been a parliamentary advisor, chief of staff as well as a civil servant in the International Legal Section of the Australian Cabinet participating in international forums including the Copenhagen World Summit for Social Development and the Beijing UN Platform for Action on Discrimination Against Women. She has consulted for the OECD and served as Co-Chair of the OECD’s Charting Illicit Trade Taskforce on Environmentally Sensitive Goods and Wildlife. Jeannie is CEO of JCIC International, a UK based strategic advocacy consultancy founded in 2011 focused on strategic advocacy. Jeannie has consulted for PMI on various global initiatives and formerly headed BAT’s International Political and Regulatory Affairs area. Jeannie took an 18-month break from consulting in January 2020 to work as Vice President, International at Juul Labs. Jeannie is an active commentator on tobacco harm reduction, public administration and governance reform.
Jeannie Cameron
Legal and Policy Expert

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Entrepreneur Julien Lacour-Gayet is the CEO of an electronic NRT development company Ventus Medical.  Previously, Lacour-Gayet served as the International Business Developer at Nespresso, and held various senior management roles at Philip Morris. He was founder and CEO of NEXVAP, a global developer of various NRT drug delivery platforms.   Currently, Lacour-Gayet serves on the board of Ventus Medical Ltd, Nexvap SA, and Neia SA.  Lacour-Gayet possesses a scientific background with a B.A.Sc from Ecole Hotelière de Lausanne and an MBA from IMD.
Julien Lacour-Gayet
CEO of Ventus Medical

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John has a strong background and reputation in the European e-cigarette industry having held senior executive positions in some of the US and Europe’s biggest companies. As managing director of Dyflin Group Consulting, he advises many leading industry analysts, financial institutions and media organisations looking at the vaping and CBD sectors. John is also Director-General and one of the founders of the UKVIA, the UK’s largest vaping Industry association and has advised the UK government All Party Parliamentary Group on Vaping as well as giving evidence before the UK Science & Technology Committee investigation into the Vaping industry, the Australian and Irish Parliaments review on vaping. John regularly appears on national television, radio as well as national and international print media. John is a popular guest speaker at many of the world’s leading conventions.
John Dunne
Director-General UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA), Vape & CBD Industry Consultant

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Patricia I. Kovacevic is a global legal and compliance nicotine and cannabis industry expert. She currently serves as General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Head of External Affairs at Cryomass Technologies Inc, and advises clients through her own consulting group, RegulationStrategy. Ms. Kovacevic has over twenty years of experience in the highly regulated nicotine, cannabis and cannabidiol industries. Her career includes leading senior legal and regulatory positions at Philip Morris International and Lorillard, among others.  While at Lorillard, in 2012 she was closely involved with the acquisition of blu, at the time the leading vaping company, which was also the first ever acquisition by a tobacco company of a vaping company. Her team also obtained the first-ever premarket authorization for a new tobacco product issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Tobacco Control Act. At Nicopure Labs as general counsel she spearheaded the litigation challenging the FDA’s so-called “deeming rule.”  Prior to joining Lorillard, Ms. Kovacevic was a partner at Patton Boggs. Her focus includes M&A in highly regulated industries, such as e-cigarette and tobacco, all aspects of nicotine and cannabis regulation in the US and abroad, SOX compliance and all regulatory aspects of marketing/media communications, corporate affairs, criminal investigations, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, trade sanctions, privacy, and product development and launch. Ms. Kovacevic served on the board of directors of the Vapor Technology Association and on the advisory board of the Global Tobacco & Nicotine Forum. She authored several articles on nicotine regulation and is often invited as a keynote speaker and presenter before global conferences and government agencies. She holds a Juris Doctor degree from Columbia Law School and is admitted to practice in New York, before the United States Tax Court, the United States Court of International Trade and the Supreme Court of the United States of America. She speaks fluently seven languages.
Patricia I. Kovacevic
Global Legal and Compliance Expert

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Jordan Nof is a Co-founder and Managing Partner at Tusk Venture Partners L.P. and is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee. He has led many of the firm’s investments including Lemonade, Bird, Coinbase, Alma, Sunday, and Wheel. He currently serves on the board of directors of Alma, Sunday, and Wheel.Prior to Tusk Venture Partners, Jordan spent six years as a Director at Blackstone, where he focused on the development of the firm’s corporate venture capital portfolio. During that time, Jordan focused on investing in early-stage technology companies that could accelerate operations across Blackstone and the firm’s underlying portfolio companies.Before joining Blackstone, Jordan spent four years in the institutional investment management division at AllianceBernstein. During that time, he worked with many of the firm’s largest global institutional sub-advisory relationships.Jordan received an M.B.A. from Rollins Graduate School of Business and is a graduate of Florida State University where he received a B.S. in Finance. He is based out of the firm’s New York office.
Jordan Nof
Co-founder and Managing Partner at Tusk Ventures

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Dr. Raymond Niaura is a psychologist and an expert on tobacco dependence and treatment, as well as substance use and addiction to alcohol. Dr. Niaura researches the biobehavioral substrates of tobacco dependence, including factors that influence adolescent and early adult tobacco use trajectories. He also evaluates behavioral and pharmacological treatments for tobacco cessation, with a particular interest in cessation in disadvantaged population to address public health disparities in tobacco-related burdens of illness and disability.
Dr. Ray Niaura
Professor of Public Health, NYU

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Dr. William Jackson has a background in chemistry from Imperial College, London, where he obtained his undergraduate degree and PhD in chemistry, followed by postdoctoral research at MIT. After 10 years of medicinal research, Dr. Jackson moved into the generic pharmaceutical industry developing novel processes for existing drugs. For the last 20 years he has operated an independent laboratory with his work spanning several areas for various clients. He had been working closely with Zanoprima for several years prior to becoming an employee in 2021.
Dr. William Jackson
Scientific Expert, Zanoprima Lifesciences



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Martin Steinbauer is an entrepreneur and investor focused on medical inhalable devices and aerosolization technology. He co-founded the tobacco-free nicotine vaporizer company SMOOD. SMOOD has grown into a global vaping business built on sustainability, advanced chemistry, and granted and pending hardware patents. Prior to SMOOD, Martin was an investment analyst at BlackRock in New York. Martin graduated from Harvard University with a degree in applied mathematics.
Martin Steinbauer
Founder at SMOOD

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Before Becoming the Co-Founder and President of ANDS. Fadi has reached many milestones in his career, most notably as the GM and Chairman of Philip Morris in Jordan and PAA, global sales strategy at PMI HQ in Switzerland, and the head of commercial deployment in KSA. He also earned well-deserved coveted positions in JUUL labs as the Head of Middle East, Africa & Turkey and the Head of EU Travel Retail. Fadi is an expert in staging, communication, and brand building of Electronic nicotine delivery solutions, from the angles of Harm reduction, regulatory challenges, and product innovation and development.
Fadi Maayta
Co-Founder and President, ANDS

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Dr. John Oyston is a trained anesthesiologist, qualifying as a specialist in both the UK and Canada who has served as Chief of Anesthesiology four times. He was an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto as well as a peer assessor for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. Dr. Oyston has taught anesthesiology in Rwanda and Ethiopia and founded the organization“Stop Smoking for Safer Surgery” in 2007. He retired from anesthesiology in November 2019 to work on smoking cessation and vaping issues. Dr. Oyston graduated from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK, with a medical degree and an additional degree in medical research. He writes about tobacco and other issues on a blog at www.johnoyston.com.
Dr. John Oyston
MB BS, BMedSci, FRCA, FRCP(C)

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Derek Yach is currently an independent global health consultant who has focused his career on the holistic advancement of public health around the world. He was the founder and president of the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World and a former Executive Director of the Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health at the World Health Organization (WHO) where Dr. Yach led the development of WHO’s
Dr. William Jackson HIDE
Zanoprima Lifesciences

Scientific Expert

Derek Yach
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Dr. Derek Yach is an independent global health consultant who has focused his career on advancement of public health around the world. He was the founder and president of the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, former Executive Director at the World Health Organization (WHO) where he led the development of WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), and has held senior positions at Yale, PepsiCo, and the Rockefeller Foundation. He has served on the advisory boards of private, public, and philanthropic organizations and published over two hundred peer review articles.

Derek Yach
MBChB MPH, Global Public Health Expert (Summit Chair)

Dr. Denzil L. Douglas
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The Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Llewellyn Douglas was sworn in as the Second Prime Minister of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis immediately following the St. Kitts and Nevis Labour Party’s impressive election victory in July 1995.

Dr. Douglas was born January 14th, 1953, in the Village of St. Paul’s. Upon the completion of his secondary education, he taught for one year then proceeded to the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus, where he obtained his BSC (Hons) in Natural Sciences in 1977. Dr Douglas returned home and again taught for 2 years, then continued further studies at Mona Campus to obtain a Bachelor of Medicine, and Bachelor of Surgery degrees in 1984. Following a two-year internship in Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Douglas returned to St. Kitts and Nevis and established a private medical practice and served as the President of the St Kitts-Nevis Medical Association for several years.

Denzil Douglas’ political career began at an early age in 1979 when he became the first Young Labour Representative to sit on the National Executive of the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party. In 1987 he was elected Deputy Chairman of the Party.

In March 1989, he was elected as the Parliamentary Representative for St. Christopher 6 (Newton Ground/Harris’) and was appointed Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly. In May that year he was elected National Political Leader of the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party.

Over the next five years, Dr. Douglas restructured and modernized the Labour Party, paving the way for the landslide victory in the 1995 Elections, when the St Kitts-Nevis Labour Party won 7 of the 8 seats on St. Kitts. Dr. Douglas was sworn in as Prime Minister July 4th and set about creating a diversified economy based on agriculture, tourism, international financial services, and information and communication services, and light manufacturing enclave, with a massive land empowerment program and expansion in the housing, education, and health sectors.

In the Election of 2000 Dr. Douglas was re-appointed Prime Minister, winning all eight of the seats on St. Kitts in the 11-seat National Assembly of the Federal Parliament. Calling an early Election in 2004, Dr Denzil Douglas again led the Labour Party to secure a mandate at the Polls, winning seven of the eight seats on St. Kitts, with Dr. Douglas commencing his third term as Prime Minister.

With a fourth consecutive victory at the Polls, winning six of the eight seats on St. Kitts, Denzil Douglas in January 2010, forged a working relationship with Nevis with the Attorney General and Minister of Foreign Affairs serving as a Member of the Federal Cabinet. Dr Douglas then became the longest serving Prime Minister in the English-speaking Caribbean and the 54-member Commonwealth of Nations.

Having skillfully advanced the social, economic, and political interests of St. Kitts and Nevis over the twenty years that he served as Prime Minister, Dr Douglas today remains a popular highly regarded leader. He played an active role in key regional and international organizations, and received awards for outstanding leadership, peacekeeping, and his role in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Prime Minister Douglas was also the spokesman on HIV/AIDS, Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and other health related matters in CARICOM quasi-Cabinet, thus earning him much praise and recognition for his leadership role in the fight against HIV/AIDS from former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton of the Clinton Global Initiative and George Bush.

Rt. Hon. Dr Denzil Douglas served as Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition in the National Assembly from February 2015 to July 2022. Following the General Elections of August 2022, and the victory at the Polls for the St Kitts-Nevis Labour Party, the Right Honourable Dr Denzil L Douglas was sworn in as the Minister of Foreign affairs, International Trade, Industry & Commerce, Consumer Affairs, Economic Development and Investment.

Dr. Denzil L. Douglas
The Right Hon. Foreign Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis

Jindřich Vobořil
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Mgr. Jindřich Vobořil, Pg.Dip. (born 1966) is one of the leading Czech experts on drug issues, which is evidenced by his nearly 30-year experience with the leadership and development of health care and social services and programmes related to the topic. He has systematically worked from the end of the 1980s on the organisation, development and evaluation of community services, especially in the area of drug prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. From 2000 to 2009 he actively took part in projects financed by the European Commission (the Phare LIEN and Partnership, Asia URBs, Access 2000 programmes).

He has also made good use of his extensive experience in the Czech Republic with the development, management and evaluation of community services and health care agencies on an international level: He has lectured and developed community and social advisories as part of projects in Hungary, Afghanistan, Great Britain, Russia, Bolivia, Columbia, Ecuador and Peru; he has also lectured at a number of universities abroad and at numerous international conferences and workshops. He has worked as a consultant for organisations such as the European Union, the UN and the Open Society Institute.

Before taking the position as National Drug Coordinator (2010 – 2018), Jindřich Vobořil served as the chairman and executive director of Association Podané ruce; under his leadership it became the second largest non-governmental organisation in the Czech Republic in the area of drugs. Podané ruce currently provides a comprehensive system of services - from primary prevention, therapeutic community, substitution and psychotherapeutic assistance, to work with drug users in prison - in nearly 40 centers across the Czech Republic.

In February 2022, former National Drug Coordinator resigned and Vobořil became – for the second time -the new National Drug Coordinator.

Jindřich Vobořil studied education and youth work at the J. E. Purkyně University in Olomouc(Mgr.). He graduated with a PG Dip title from John Moores University inLiverpool in the field of Drug Use and Addiction. He received an advisory qualification certificate from Greenwich College, London University in London. In 2006 he was awarded a postgraduate certificate in systematic psychotherapy from the Institute of Systematic Therapy in Prague.

Jindřich Vobořil speaks English, Spanish and Russian.

Jindřich Vobořil
Expert on Drugs Policy & Addictions, Advisor to the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic

Marewa Glover
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Professor Marewa Glover is one of New Zealand’s leading tobacco control researchers. She has worked on reducing smoking-related harm for 31 years. She is recognized internationally for her advocacy on tobacco harm reduction; and locally was a Finalist in the New Zealander of the Year Supreme Award in 2019 recognising her contribution to reducing smoking in NZ. In 2018, Dr Glover was appointed Tobacco Section Editor for the Harm Reduction Journal. In that year she also established the Centre of Research Excellence: Indigenous Sovereignty & Smoking an international program of research aimed at reducing smoking-related harms among Indigenous peoples globally. The Centre’s research was funded through to 1 September 2024 with grants from Global Action to End Smoking (formerly known as Foundation for Smoke-Free World), an independent, U.S. nonprofit 501(c)(3) grant making organization, accelerating science-based efforts worldwide to end the smoking epidemic. Neither Marewa nor the Centre have any commercial interests in any nicotine or tobacco products.

Marewa Glover
Director, Centre of Research Excellence: Indigenous Sovereignty & Smoking

Suely Castro
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Suely Castro is a passionate advocate for harm reduction, who has worked on assessing the impact of international approaches to Tobacco Control, focusing on the experience and real-world effectiveness of alternatives to smoking. She has dedicated nearly two decades to researching and travelling the world advocating for alternative nicotine products to be Accessible, Acceptable, and Affordable to those seeking to quit cigarettes.

Suely works tirelessly to foster collaboration and dialogue across borders. Inspired by her personal experience with the impact that smoking and the absence of alternatives can have on families, she set up Quit Like Sweden after witnessing first-handSweden’s incredible achievement. Her goal is to bring the Swedish Experience to the world to help save and improve the lives of millions of people.

Suely Castro
Founding Director, Quit Like Sweden

Martin Cullip
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Martin Cullip is a former company director and Senior International Fellow of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance Consumer Center, who has written and blogged on free market and lifestyle consumer issues for over a decade. As a user of e-cigarettes and other safer nicotine products, he is a particularly passionate consumer advocate for all forms of tobacco harm reduction and has a keen interest in the rapidly evolving nicotine market and the politics surrounding it. Martin is a former Chair of UK education charity, The New Nicotine Alliance, and has taken part in parliamentary evidence sessions and consumer, industry, and political events on the subject domestically and internationally.

Martin Cullip
Senior International Fellow, Taxpayers Protection Alliance, Washington D.C.

Ethan Nadelmann
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Described by Rolling Stone as "the point man" for drug policy reform efforts and “the real drug czar,” Ethan Nadelmann (BA, JD, PhD Harvard) is widely regarded as the outstanding proponent of drug policy reform in the United States and abroad. After teaching politics and public affairs at Princeton University (1987-1994), he founded and directed first The Lindesmith Center (1994-2000) and then the Drug Policy Alliance (2000-2017). He also co-founded the Open Society Institute’s International Harm Reduction Development program. Ethan has published extensively and spoken publicly in roughly forty states and forty countries. His TED Talk has over two million views. 

Ethan and his colleagues were at the forefront of dozens of successful campaigns to legalize marijuana, reduce the incarceration of drug law offenders, advance harm reduction approaches to drug use and addiction, and otherwise promote alternatives to the war on drugs. 

Ethan hosts the leading podcast about all things drugs: PSYCHOACTIVE, and he has become increasingly engaged in the debate over tobacco harm reduction.

Ethan Nadelmann
Founder & Former Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance

Tom Miller
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Former Attorney General of Iowa,Longest-Serving State Attorney General in US History

Thomas John Miller is an American lawyer and politician who served as Attorney General of Iowa, respectively from 1979 to 1991 and from1995 to 2023. Miller's combined tenure of over 40 years in office makes him the longest-serving State Attorney General in United States history.  AsAttorney General, Miller was instrumental in leading to the creation of theMaster Settlement Agreement (MSA). The MSA’s purpose is to reduce smoking in the U.S., especially in youth. In 1998, 52 state and territory attorneys general signed the agreement to recover billions of dollars in health care costs associated with treating smoking-related illnesses.  Miller chaired The Legacy Foundation, which was created by the MSA and became theTruth Initiative in 2015. He has been a continuous advocate of harm reduction throughout his tenure taking a proactive approach with the FDA as a regulator of global importance. His opinion can be read in the WashingtonPost: Let’s not overreact about e-cigarettes. Miller holds a J.D. degree from Harvard Law School.

Tom Miller
Former US Attorney General of Iowa

Mazen Saleh
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Mazen Saleh, MSc is policy director for the Integrated Harm Reduction program at the R Street Institute where his team produces research and commentary on public policy related to various forms of harm reduction including: tobacco, opioids, and sexual health. Mazen has appeared as a subject matter expert in a variety of national media outlets including CNBC, National Review, the Washington Post, Inside Sources, RealClear Policy, The Hill, USA Today and more. Prior to joining R Street, Mazen served in senior positions at the National League for Nursing as senior business director and the Association of American Medical Colleges as director of business strategy and development. He got his start in healthcare at Health Systems Research, Inc. where he coordinated projects addressing homelessness and various HIV/AIDS initiatives. He holds a M.Sc. in global health from University College London and a B.A. from Georgetown University. He currently serves on the board of directors for HIPS, a harm reduction service provider and syringe service program based in Washington, D.C.

Mazen Saleh
Policy Director, Integrated Harm Reduction, R Street Institute

David Lawson
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David Lawson has spent the past 15 years working within the regulated nicotine containing product space in the areas of innovation, regulation, manufacture, clinical and non-clinical science and is currently an Executive Director at Inter Scientific and Ventus Medical. David was responsible for the development, submission and authorisation of the first medical e-cigarette, e-VOKE in 2015. 9 years later David was responsible for the submission of ENHALE, a next generation e-NRT to aid smokers and vapers to quit. A biochemist by education, David holds a Batchelor of Laws, Master of Business administration, a Post Graduate Diploma in Regulatory affairs and a Post Graduate Diploma in Medical Toxicology. David is a fellow of The Organisation for Professionals in Regulatory Affairs and presents on the MSc Programme for Regulatory Affairs on inhalation medicines at the University of Herefordshire. David is a clinical expert for European medical devices and non-clinical expert for European medicines.

David Lawson
Executive Director, Inter Scientific & Ventus Medical

Samuel Hampsher-Monk
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Samuel C. Hampsher-Monk is the Managing Director of BOTEC Analysis, a consultancy that conducts international policy research on cannabis, tobacco, and nicotine products. BOTEC’s clients have included national and state regulators, municipal agencies, law firms, testing labs, research institutions, and philanthropies including Global Action to End Smoking (formerly the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World). Sam has led international and interdisciplinary research teams working to optimize regulations to promote public health and minimize unintended consequences that threaten social justice and civil liberties. Sam is the lead author of Tobacco Regulation, Economics, and Public Health; Clearing the Air on E-Cigarettes and Harm Reduction (Springer Nature, 2024). He was educated in the UK and now lives in California with his wife and two children.

Samuel Hampsher-Monk
Managing Director, BOTEC Analysis

Tony Abboud
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Tony Abboud is an attorney, government affairs expert, and regulatory consultant who represents companies in the tobacco and vapor spaces and who serves as the executive director of the Vapor Technology Association (VTA). VTA is a U.S. trade association representing the alternative nicotine products industry. Abboud was instrumental in founding and growing VTA, which advocates for rational science-based regulations and a well-regulated marketplace for lower risk nicotine products as an alternative to cigarettes. Abboud has extensive experience in law, public policy, government and politics. He has represented companies on legal and regulatory issues for more than 25 years. Abboud left the international law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP in 2010 to found his consulting firm, Strategic Government Solutions, which focuses on companies and associations in heavily regulated industries, including the tobacco and vapor industries, and has advised such companies for more than a decade. Abboud is recognized as a leading voice for essential regulations and a balanced discussion of vapor products. He is a frequent speaker at national symposiums and has been extensively quoted in the media, including national print, television and radio. Tony lives near Chicago with his wife, a former Cook County prosecutor, and their three children. Tony earned his B.A. in Political Science from Carleton College in 1988 and his J.D. with distinction from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1994.

Tony Abboud
Executive Director, Vapor Technology Association (VTA), President, Strategic Government Solutions Inc.

Mr. Ao, Weinuo
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Mr. Ao, Weinuo is the Secretary-General of the Electronic Cigarette Professional Committee of the China Electronics Chamber of Commerce (ECCC), China’s only vaping industry association, and one of the main founders of ECCC.

During his eight years in office, he has been committed to being the coordinator of the global vaping industry, promoting the regulation, leading the formulation of the industry standards, and sparing no efforts to protecting minors and guiding the standardized development of the vaping industry.

Mr. Ao is one of the founders of the Global Vape Alliance and has been invited on behalf of China’s vaping industry to speak at various international vaping forums.

Mr. Ao, Weinuo
Secretary-General, China Electronics Chamber of Commerce (ECCC)

Matthew Hanson
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Matthew Hanson, CFA began his career in 2001 as a Financial Analyst at Goldman, Sachs & Co. After two years, he moved to Banc of America Securities LLC where he worked as an Analyst in the Global Corporate and Investment Banking division. In 2005, he joined ThinkEquity LLC as an Analyst in Investment Banking, and later became Head of Corporate Finance. In 2011, he became a Partner at GSV Asset Management. In 2016, he moved to Runway Growth Capital as Partner and Head of Origination. In 2018, he joined Best Associates as Managing Director. Since 2019, he has served as the Chief Growth Officer at Black Buffalo Inc.

Matt obtained his AB in Economics, with Honors, from the University of Chicago in 2001. In 2007, he obtained the Chartered Financial Analyst certification from the CFA Institute.

Matt lives in New York City with his wife, Rebecca, and their 5-year-old daughter (Isabel) and 8-month-old son (Leo).

Matthew Hanson
CFA, Chief Growth Officer, Black Buffalo Inc.

William Jackson
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Dr. William Jackson has a background in chemistry from Imperial College, London, where he obtained his undergraduate degree and PhD in chemistry, followed by postdoctoral research at MIT. After 10 years of medicinal research, Dr. Jackson moved into the generic pharmaceutical industry developing novel processes for existing drugs. For the last 20 years he has operated an independent laboratory with his work spanning several areas for various clients. He had been working closely with Zanoprima for several years prior to becoming an employee in 2021.

William Jackson
Scientific Expert, Zanoprima Lifesciences

Frankie Chen
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Frankie Chen is LOST MARY's Head of Communications for the Americas. LOST MARY is a global innovator dedicated to setting the trend and benchmarking the quality for the vaping industry. As a vaper, Frankie is a strong harm reduction advocate who has long championed vaping as an alternative to smoking, giving adults who smoke access to reduced-risk products, amid alignment with regulations and public awareness. Frankie received his B.A. in Communications Arts-Rhetoric from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a M.S. in Public Relations and Corporate Communications from New York University.

Frankie Chen
Head of Communications, Americas, LOST MARY (ECCC Member Company)

Erika Karp
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Erika Karp is the Executive Director of the Finance Leaders Fellowship at The Aspen Institute, where she leads efforts to transform the finance industry through a shared vision of sustainability and impact. With over 25 years in finance, Erika has pioneered the integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into investment strategies. She founded Cornerstone Capital Group, scaling it to $1.3B AUM before its merger with Pathstone, where she served as Executive Managing Director and Chief Impact Officer. Erika has advised the UN Global Compact and the Clinton Global Initiative, advocating for a more regenerative and inclusive global economy. She holds an MBA from Columbia University and resides in Manhattan with her wife and three daughters.

Erika Karp
Executive Director, Finance Leaders Fellowship, The Aspen Institute

Huub Savelkouls
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Huub is an independent consultant on business strategy and public policy. Building on his extensive corporate experience, network, and learnings from external board roles, his advisory work concentrates on (1) Climate change and the energy transition, (2) Public health and nicotine policy, and (3) Fiscal policy for the 21st century. 

Prior to starting his own consultancy, Huub was responsible for leading transformative change at PMI, where he helped steer the company on its path towards a smoke-free future. During his 26 year career at the company, he led PMI’s global product tax strategy and was the architect of the company’s risk-based approach to excise taxation. Following the launch of IQOS in 2014, he initiated a project to evaluate how this new product could change the direction of the company. Early 2016 he recommended company leadership to consider a fundamental change: to see these new, lower risk products not as a line extension to the existing product portfolio, but as a way to strategically disrupt and replace the cigarette market, benefitting consumers and creating long term business value. During his final years at PMI, Huub became the company’s first Chief Sustainability Officer, crafting PMI’s innovative sustainability strategy and purpose.

Following his retirement from PMI in 2020, Huub joined civil society groups concerned about climate change, has been teaching at university and started his own business strategy and public policy consultancy.

Huub is a Dutch national with a degree in Business Econometrics from the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. He is married, has one daughter and lives in Switzerland.

Huub Savelkouls
Founder & Owner, Scope3plus Consulting Sàrl

Douglas Teitelbaum
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Douglas Teitelbaum is the founder of Homewood Capital. Doug is a well-regarded turn-around specialist and serial entrepreneur.Doug previously co-owned and managed Bay Harbour Management, winning the Absolute Return Award as the 2006 Hedge Fund of the Year. Doug’s had significant background in multiple industries. In the telecom arena, his notable investments and turn-around successes include the restructuring of NextWave Telecom, PCTV, and Motient; funding and growing the then startup NextG Networks, which established the DAS industry (a then new way to architect cellular network towers); and the purchase, turn-around and sale of CLEC Telcove (formerly Adelphia Business Solutions.) Other significant successes under Doug’s ownership include Barneys New York, Planet Hollywood and the Planet Hollywood Resort andCasino (formerly the Aladdin), American Banknote, and Island One Int’l.  

Doug founded NJOY, Inc. to purchase and grow the assets of the former NJOY. Serving as the Executive Chairman of the fastest growing independent eCigarette brand, Doug played a key role in the overwhelmingly positive harm-reduction benefits that millions of former smokers have experienced. NJOY was sold in 2023 to Altria and Doug remains focused on future endeavors in the harm reduction field.

Doug is also a philanthropist with a primary focus on health issues. His work has included the fight against the obesity epidemic as a board member of Project Hope (the Harris Obesity Prevention Effort), and he supports ovarian and prostate cancer research. Doug also led a turn-around of the American Jewish Congress, the oldest American charitable organization, as its CFO and Board Member, for which he received their coveted Isaiah Award.  Doug has won a Drama Desk Award for the Gary Sinise revival of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and a Tony Award as a producer of the 2002 Best Musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. In 2023, Doug was awarded a Medallas de Oro Mayte Spinola for his work in harm reduction in tobacco.

Doug and his wife, Agatha Herrero Pidal, live in Madrid with their two daughters, ages 12 and 9. Doug also has three adult children, a 29-year-old and 26-year-old twins.

Douglas Teitelbaum
Founder of Homewood Capital, Executive Chairman of NJOY

Christopher Russell
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Christopher Russell, Ph.D. is a psychologist and Director of Russell Burnett Research and Consultancy Ltd (RBRC), Glasgow, United Kingdom. In his role, Dr. Russell leads the design, conduct, and reporting of perception and behavioral research studies of reduced-risk tobacco and nicotine products, including e-cigarettes/vaping products, heated tobacco products, and modern oral tobacco products. Premarket and post-market studies are designed to yield a range of cross-sectional, experimental, and real-world observational data and information, including but not limited to: (i) the likelihood that tobacco users and non-users will initiate and adopt use of a new product in addition to, in place of, or instead of other, potentially more harmful tobacco/nicotine products; (ii) how adult consumers actually use a new product in their everyday lives in real-world settings; (iii) how cigarette smoking behavior changes following adoption of a new product (e.g., product switching, dual use, use reduction, cessation); (iv) behavioral intentions, appeal, risk perceptions, and subjective effects of a new product; and (v) consumer understanding of product labels, labelling, and marketing materials. These sources of evidence can inform regulatory evaluations of the potential impact of marketing a new tobacco/nicotine product on future tobacco use behavior and population health.

Christopher Russell
PhD, Behavioural Scientist, Director, Russell Burnett Research and Consultancy Ltd

Rachael Trimpert Schmidt
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Rachael Trimpert Schmidt (retired CAPT, USPHS) brings over a decade of experience in regulatory and compliance solutions within the tobacco and nicotine industry. With a distinguished tenure at the FDA, serving as the Assistant Director of Laboratory Compliance & Coordination of the CTP, she spearheaded crucial initiatives to enforce the FSPTCA of 2009. During her tenure at FDA, CAPT Schmidt played a pivotal role in establishing and coordinating FDA tobacco regulatory laboratories, ensuring rigorous adherence to regulatory standards. Her leadership was instrumental in developing and executing comprehensive tobacco product testing programs, encompassing pre-market application reviews, post-market compliance assessments, adverse event evaluations, and the development of tobacco product standards. Schmidt's expertise extends to fostering collaboration with national and international stakeholders to harmonize tobacco enforcement and policy efforts.

Rachael Trimpert Schmidt
Regulatory & Compliance Expert, ALINC Consulting LLC

Ian Jones
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Dr. Ian Jones received his B.S. Psychology from Southeastern University followed by a M.S. Psychology at Oklahoma State University in 2021 and graduated with his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology (Specializing in Cognitive & Social Psychology, with a quantitative concentration) from Oklahoma State University. While at OSU, Ian was awarded the Experimental Research and Scholarship Award for the research he conducted as a Graduate Research Assistant. Ian has academia experiences teaching introductory to psychology and lab courses in statistics at the graduate and undergraduate level.

Ian has worked on several nationally funded projects across multiple psychological disciplines, including developmental, social, and personality psychology. Jones specializes in theoretical psychology / quantitative psychology, and person-centered data analysis techniques. Jones has acquired broad human-focused disciplines including social, personality, developmental, and cognitive psychology, emphasizing a deeper understanding of cause-and-effect in experimental research.

Ian Jones
PhD, Behavioral Scientist / Statistician, Applied Research and Analysis Company (ARAC)

Pete Thurlow
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Pete Thurlow is an accomplished patent attorney with extensive experience in developing strategic frameworks to safeguard intellectual property for inventors, startups, and multinational corporations. His practice encompasses a wide range of services, including patent application preparation, freedom-to-operate analyses, and patent litigation.

In addition to his legal practice, Pete plays an active role in fostering innovation through investor relations. He regularly organizes meetings that connect pioneering companies with family office investors and collaborates with organizations such as the Center for Advancing Innovation to drive investment in transformative technologies.

His leadership experience includes serving as President of the New York Intellectual Property Law Association, and he was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to the Patent Public Advisory Committee at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Furthermore, Pete provides strategic guidance to DARPA on the commercialization of defense technologies and the establishment of strategic partnerships, drawing on his military background and comprehensive legal expertise.

Pete Thurlow
Chair, Medical Device Intellectual Property Practice, Polsinelli PC

Agustin Rodriguez
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With over three decades of experience in-house and in private practice, Agustin provides cross-functional, multidisciplinary counsel to advertising, marketing and consumer goods and services companies. He brings years of previous experience managing in-house legal teams for a Fortune 200 international consumer packaged goods company. Agustin guides clients as they navigate federal, state and local regulation of the marketing, advertising, and sale of products and services, with a special focus on tobacco, cannabis and other highly regulated spaces. He regularly advises on compliance issues related to Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and other product, marketing and advertising regulation, unfair and deceptive trade practices compliance, federal and state excise tax and licensing laws and regulations, and other relevant legislative and rule-making matters. Prior to joining Troutman Pepper, Agustin was a Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Altria Group, Inc.

Agustin Rodriguez
Partner, Troutman Pepper

Azim Chowdhury
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Azim Chowdhury, Partner at Keller and Heckman LLP, is a leading expert on U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory compliance, particularly in the areas of vapor, nicotine, tobacco products, and cannabis/CBD. He advises domestic and international corporations on navigating complex regulatory frameworks, including the FDA's Deeming Rule and the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco ControlAct. Azim counsels manufacturers, distributors, and trade associations on compliance and public policy initiatives. He is a recognized thought leader, frequently speaking at industry conferences and contributing to publications on tobacco regulatory matters. Azim also spearheads his firm’s annual E-Vapor and Tobacco Law Symposium and serves as editor of The Continuum of Risk blog.

Azim Chowdhury
Partner, Keller and Heckman LLP

Tim Andrews
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Tim Andrews is the Director of Consumer Issues at Americans for Tax Reform and the Tholos Foundation. Prior to moving to the United States he was the President of the Australian Taxpayers’ Alliance, and the founder of the Australian “Legalize Vaping” campaign. A graduate of the University of Sydney with degrees in Economics, Law, and a Masters of Public Policy, he has been published throughout the United States and Australia. In 2022 he ran the“We Vape We Vote” bus tour throughout the United States.

Tim Andrews
Director of Consumer Issues, Americans for Tax Reform (ATR)

Roxana Weil
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Dr. Roxana Weil leads the Business Development and Scientific Engagement team and serves as Chief Regulatory Science Officer for McKinney Specialty Labs. Roxana holds a PhD in Pharmacology and Physiology from the University of Florida, a MSc and BSc in Biology from University of Waterloo, Canada. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology (DABT) with specialized expertise in human health risk assessment and toxicology, and extensive experience spanning across U.S. FDA and Global Regulatory Strategy, Organizational Development, Risk Management and Tobacco Regulatory Science and Policy. Prior to joining McKinney Specialty Labs, Roxana successfully lead and implemented JUUL Lab Inc.’s Product Integrity function and Toxicology programs, and served as a Lead Toxicologist at the U.S. FDA Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) where she was responsible for leading an interdisciplinary team of scientists, providing science-policy recommendations and developing the scientific basis to support regulations, guidance and review of tobacco product applications via all regulatory pathways.

Roxana Weil
PhD, DABT, Chief Regulatory Science Officer, McKinney Specialty Labs

Agenda 2023
digital view here



8:00-8:45 AM
45 mins


Breakfast/Registration
Harvard Club Entrance/Harvard Grill (Floor 1)
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Sponsored by Ventus Medical
8:45 – 9:00 AM
15 mins

Welcome Remarks from the Conference Chair
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Dr. Derek Yach, MBChB MPH
Harvard Hall

Session I: Spotlight on the FCTC 20 Years Later - Where Are We Now?
Moderated by Dr. Derek Yach, MBChB MPH, Global Public Health Expert

20 years ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) brought together governments, scientists, doctors, and public health experts from across the globe to combat the epidemic of smoking and develop the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC), a comprehensive, global anti-smoking legislation. As the first use of the WHO’s treaty powers, the FCTC changed how world leaders and their constituents view cigarette smoking. Guided by sources of international law, the introductory session of the New Approaches Conference will introduce the overall theme of this year’s summit, by providing a reflection on the progress of the FCTC, the true intent of nations at the time of its ratification, and further exploring how novel technological innovations fit within the scope of the framework. This session will address the progress of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as they relate to smoking cessation, in particular SDG 3, to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages,” by addressing the rate of mortality and non-communicable disease caused by smoking in the 21st century.  

9:00-9:20 AM
20 mins
Keynote: Global Lessons from the United States - The State of Tobacco Control and Harm Reduction Today

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While the world grapples with the harms of smoking, the United States of America have taken a radically different approach from many other countries. This keynote will illustrate the current state of tobacco control in the US, outlining the various approaches taken to reduce the consumption of cigarettes amongst Americans, while illustrating both the successes and opportunities in the tobacco control space domestically and globally.
Tom Miller,
Former US State Attorney General of Iowa, Longest-Serving State AG in US History
Harvard Hall
9:20-9:35 AM
15 mins
Keynote: 20 Years Later: The FCTC

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As New Approaches honors the 20th anniversary of the ratification of the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC), Dr. Derek Yach, a key player in its ratification as the WHO’s first use of its treaty powers, will reflect on its implementation, progress, and the path forward towards achieving a world without smoking.
Dr. Derek Yach, MBChB MPH
Harvard Hall
9:35 – 9:55 PM
20 mins
Fireside Chat: What Are the Global Implications of US FDA and US-based Tobacco Control Nonprofit Actions?
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What are the implications for what the US does for some of these global treaties? This fireside chat will feature an in-depth conversation between an instrumental voice in the ratification of the FCTC and one of America’s longest-serving tobacco control advocates.
Tom Miller and Dr. Derek Yach
Harvard Club Entrance/Grill
9:55-10:10 AM
15 mins
Keynote: World-Wide Voices: FCTC Then and FCTC Now

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Implemented 20 years ago, the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC) came at a time when little-to-no alternatives were available for cigarette smokers. Shortly after its ratification, nicotine-containing alternatives started to emerge in the form of nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs), implicitly substantiating the reality that the problem with cigarettes was combustion, not nicotine.  This keynote will examine the tobacco product landscape at the time of the FCTC's ratification, contrast it with the world of nicotine today, and unpack whether the applicability of the FCTC, written 20 years ago, still holds relevance for today's nicotine products.
Dr. Kgosi Letlape,
Africa Medical Association, Association of Medical Councils of Africa
Harvard Hall
10:10-10:25 AM
15 mins
Keynote: Roadmap of Actions Advancing the WHO FCTC Implementation in the Caribbean

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Apart from Haiti, all PAHO/WHO Member States from the Caribbean are Parties to the WHO FCTC. This keynote will present the CARICOM regional perspective on the current situation of the WHO FCTC implementation, exploring three main themes: 1) the landscape of tobacco control in the Caribbean, including select country experiences in advancing implementation of the WHO FCTC; (2) the WHO FCTC MPOWER package: monitoring the prevalence of tobacco use and tobacco control policies (M), protection exposure to tobacco smoke (P), offer help to quit, (O), warn about the dangers of tobacco (W), enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship (E), and raise taxes on tobacco products (R), and (3) PAHO/WHO action Plans and Caribbean mandates. 
Shem Baldeosingh,
Nexum Consulting Limited
Harvard Hall
10:25-10:40 AM
15 mins
Keynote: Consumer Advocacy and the FCTC COP 10 

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Consumers are routinely excluded as stakeholders in nicotine policy, despite being the most affected. However, history shows that consumers are a powerful voice and have much to offer policymakers towards framing effective and proportionate regulations. Martin will discuss why consumers should be embraced by public health, not feared.
Martin Cullip,
Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Harvard Hall
10:40-11:05 AM
25 mins
Panel: The Text Matters – Intent of Member States During the Creation of the FCTC and the Ways in Which it Has Been Distorted

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While the FCTC had been ratified 20 years ago, public health leaders today question whether its true essence has been preserved. This panel will feature key voices of international law who were present during the negotiation of the treaty, breaking down the true intent of nations at the time of the treaty’s ratification. Panelists will further outline potential short-fallings in its present-day interpretation, and illustrate a path forward towards maintaining a true good-faith interpretation of the FCTC.
Panelists:
Dr. Kgosi Letlape
Martin Cullip
Jeannie Cameron
Shem Baldeosingh

Moderator:
Derek Yach
Harvard Hall
11:05-11:15 AM
10 mins
Video Keynote: A Message From a Ukrainian Soldier to the UN

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This video keynote will feature a chilling message from a former snus manufacturer turned Ukrainian freedom fighter on a unique use case of tobacco harm-reduction products.
"Charkes" from Kyiv, A Powerful Voice from the Front-Lines of the War

Presented by Dr. Derek Yach

11:15-11:25 AM
10 mins
COFFEE BREAK 1: Networking, Refreshments and Snacks
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Sponsored by Haypp Group
Harvard Hall

Session ll: Spotlight on Finance and Operations – Reaching and Switching Populations that Smoke

This session outlines the potential of 21st-century technology to address legacy issues, shepherding smokers to cessation or modern alternatives. Keynotes and panels cover market insights, youth access prevention technology in retail, as well as the distribution of products among hard-to-reach populations such as in mental health clinics. The crucial role of retailers in ensuring proper distribution and compliance with regulatory standards in the evolving nicotine industry will be highlighted. Session II addresses SDG 3 by outlining key strategies for achieving smoking cessation and tobacco harm reduction on a population level through finance, operations, and retail, and further outline the ENDS industry and other THR products can promote, SDG 5 (gender equality), SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth), and SDG 10 (reduced inequalities).

11:25-11:40 AM
15 mins
Keynote: Opportunities and Challenges - State of the ENDS and Nicotine Market in a Time of Regulatory and Technological Transformation

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This keynote will explore the market dynamics of reduced-risk products and outline what the sector could look like in the next decade. What is the competitive landscape and how it will likely intensify as leading manufacturers seek market share?  And what is the impact of taxes and regulation on converting people who smoke to reduced-risk products?
Bonnie Herzog,
Goldman Sachs
Harvard Hall
11:40-11:55 AM
15 mins
Keynote: Consumer Demand for Innovation in Nicotine
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Haypp is the largest retailer of nicotine pouches globally and the largest provider of insights to brand owners. The presentation walks through data from actual consumer patterns and provides a few contrarian predictions.
Gavin O’Dowd, Haypp Group
Harvard Hall
11:55-12:05 PM
10 mins
Keynote: Next-generation Youth Access Prevention Technologies

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Introducing SAVE: Secure Age Verification Enforcement. A novel technological system for youth access prevention at point of sale, and after-market. Unlike other technologies, SAVE is based on near-field communication (NFC) that is simple, easily accessible, and inexpensive for manufacturers to ensure their products are not accessible to or useable by underage persons, while safeguarding data privacy.
Martin Steinbauer,
SMOOD
Harvard Hall
12:05 - 12:30PM
25 mins
Panel: The Role of the Retailer

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Key wholesale and retail partners are essential in providing access to ENDS for smokers. A critical role in how nicotine products are distributed, marketed, sold, and ensure proper policing and regulatory standards are enforced and upheld at point-of-sale. This session explores the challenges, advocacy wins, and proposed learnings from Key Industry Leaders with shared perspectives from US and UK.
Panelists:
Chad Owen, Chambers & Owen
David Simpson, Venta Services
Kylie Halperin, SKYX Group
Steve Sandman, Convenience Store Industry Expert

Moderator:
Bonnie Herzog,
Goldman Sachs
Harvard Hall
12:30 – 1:30 PM
1 hour
LUNCH BREAK Served sit-down style
Biddle Room (Floor 3)

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Sponsored by Inter Scientific
Biddle Room (Floor 3) 

Session lll: Spotlight on Regulatory Approaches and Medicinal Licensing – Synergistic Protection of Public Health
Moderated by Dr. Derek Yach, MBChB MPH


This session delves into the need for innovation in medicinal nicotine, the promise of treating ENDS as smoking cessation tools, and the considerations for nations to achieve public health gains for the purpose of promoting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs).  Speakers explore the role of regulatory science to create improved long-term public health outcomes and overcome short-term political challenges. Balanced regulation, proportional to risk, might encourage shifts away from combustible tobacco and address health disparities. While innovations can address concerns such as youth access, waste, and illicit trade, challenging the assumption that innovation and regulation conflict. Lastly, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products, endorsed by doctors for smoking cessation and harm reduction, could evolve with technological advancements.

1:30-1:45 PM
15 mins
Keynote: Science vs. Politics: The FDA’s Short-Sighted Regulation of E-Cigarettes

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Why is the FDA taking such a narrow view of e-cigarette regulation? In this keynote, former FDA Associate Commissioner Peter Pitts highlights how regulatory science impacts long-term public health outcomes, and how short-term political headwinds can be overcome in shaping a healthier future.
Peter J. Pitts,
Former US FDA Associate Commissioner
Harvard Hall
1:45-2:00 PM
15 mins
Keynote: Continuum of Risk for Nicotine-Containing Products: The Science is Accelerating

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When alternative nicotine products were first introduced to smokers, a strong argument against their market uptake was the lack of robust research.  In 2023, this is no longer the case, as researchers have since accelerated their efforts into the study of tobacco harm-reduction products, providing a body of evidence to support their public health benefits. This keynote will outline the current state of research, and the continuum of risk of nicotine products, based on the most up-to-date epidemiological data.
Dr. Ray Niaura, PhD,
Public Health and Chair of Department of Epidemiology, NYU


Harvard Hall
2:00-2:15 PM
15 mins
Keynote: The Future of Nicotine: Potential Therapeutic Benefits

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When people think of nicotine, they do not often think that it can serve as a therapeutic benefit. However, scientists and researchers have found promising results in supporting patients with Parkinson’s, ADHD, obesity, and other ailments, through clinical trials involving nicotine. This keynote will highlight current clinical research being conducted on these topics.
Jeannie Cameron,
JCIC International
Harvard Hall
2:15-2:30 PM
15 mins
Keynote: The Greatest Threat to Vaping

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Is the debate on the validity of novel nicotine products truly guided by science, or are there other voices at play? This keynote will highlight the ways in which bad-faith actors capitalize on a manufactured spectre of harm to hinder the uptake of potentially safer nicotine products.
Tony Abboud,
VTA, and Strategic Government Solutions
Harvard Hall
2:30-2:50 PM
20 mins
Panel: THR Case Study - How Politics and Communications Can Implicate Common Sense Regulatory Policies and Obscure Public Health Goals
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The function of regulation is to help guide society through the lens of science, be it analytical, environmental, social, or other.  Are today’s regulatory bodies operating under these conditions? Through the lens of tobacco harm reduction, this panel will explore both the impact and the ways in which politics and misinformation are often misappropriated towards promoting anti-scientific public health policies.
Panelists:
Peter Pitts
Dr. Kgosi Letlape
Jeannie Cameron
Dr. Ray Niaura
Tony Abboud

Moderator:
Dr. Derek Yach
Harvard Hall
2:50-3:00 PM
10 mins
COFFEE BREAK 2: Networking, Refreshments and Snacks
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Harvard Hall
3:00-3:15 PM
15 mins
Keynote: Conceptualizing Risk and Confronting Evidence: The Challenge and Opportunity of Optimal Regulation of Safer Nicotine Products

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Why do regulators and other stakeholders disagree about safer nicotine products, and how do consumers respond to regulations designed to reduce demand for SNPs? Like the products they concern, SNP regulation is not risk-free; regulators’ focus on demand reduction can steer consumers towards more risky substitutes. But risk-proportionate regulation can incentivize substitutions away from combustible tobacco and may help redress smoking related health disparities. Harm Reduction innovations can also help generate solutions to many of the popular concerns about safer nicotine, including youth access, waste management, and illicit trade. THR innovation and regulation are not, as is too often presumed, inherently antagonistic.
Sam Hampsher,
BOTEC Analysis
Harvard Hall
3:15-3:30 PM
15 mins
Keynote: The Potential of Tobacco Harm Reduction Products and Policies to End Smoking Within Our Lifetime 

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If the only actions a government takes to reduce smoking prevalence in its population is to continue to enforce or steadily implement the provisions of the FCTC, a smoke-free society cannot realistically be expected to be achieved within this century, let alone within our lifetimes. In addition to conventional tobacco control measures, tobacco harm reduction (THR) products and policies offer a major opportunity for governments to rapidly accelerate declines in the prevalence and generate significant health gains. This presentation will (i) describe the evidence underpinning the potential of e‑cigarettes/vaping products to displace billions of cigarettes and prevent millions of premature deaths; and (ii) discuss how regulators can enable, encourage, and incentive adults to substitute cigarettes for low-hazard nicotine products while preventing and discouraging use among youth and non‑smokers.
Christopher Russell, PhD,
Russell Burnett Research and Consultancy
Harvard Hall
3:30-3:45 PM
15 mins
Keynote: Medicinal Pathways for Modern Oral Products
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This keynote explores regulatory pathways and scientific necessities for medicinal approval of modern oral products with a focus on nicotine pouches. Drawing on experience from having worked on the first and only medicinal approval of a vapor product globally, David Lawson will highlight proposed regulatory approaches for the first medicinal approval in modern oral in the UK and the US.
David Lawson,
Inter Scientific
Harvard Hall
3:45-4:00 PM
15 mins
Keynote: Medicinal E-Cigarettes - A Great, Unmet, Public Health Need
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Although we are seeing unprecedented declines in global smoking prevalence, hundreds of millions of individuals across the world still smoke cigarettes and are at increased risk from heart disease, lung disease, and cancer.  No novel nicotine replacement therapies have been developed for almost two decades, and such products could co-exist with consumer products to make greater inroads into helping drive down smoking rates.  This presentation will talk about the public health imperative for medicinal nicotine, the commercial drivers, and the global routes and barriers to entry, focusing specifically on the UK and the US.

Ian Fearon, PhD,
McKinney Regulatory Science Advisors, whatIF? Consulting Ltd
Harvard Hall
4:00-4:20 PM
20 mins
Panel: A Clean Slate - Ensuring Novel Nicotine Products Produce a Public Health Benefit in Ushering in a Post-Cigarette Era

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As regulators seek to welcome novel nicotine products as potentially reduced-harm, reduced-risk, or even NRTs, manufacturers must consider a holistic, “safety by design” approach for product development and stewardship, with the aim of designing products in the R&D phase that would meet the nonclinical and risk assessment standards that make them appropriate for the protection of public health. This panel will navigate the regulatory synergy between marketing, behavioral science, toxicology, and proper consumer outreach to ensure that novel nicotine products serve a public health benefit by truly reducing the harms caused by cigarettes, while still reaching the widest segment of the current smoker population.
Panelists:
Amy Madl, PhD, DABT, Valeo Sciences
Mitch Nides, PhD, LA Clinical Trials
Ian Fearon, PhD
David Lawson
Christopher Russell, PhD

Moderator:
Derek Yach
Harvard Hall

Session lV: Spotlight on Sustainability and Innovation – How Sustainable is the Category Really?

This session will explore the forefront of sustainability and innovation in modern nicotine products. As a novel industry, how can lessons from adjacent industries be included in product design and business practices? How can progress be driven by sustainable finance? And how can quantifying carbon emissions create a solution? This session will explore the various ways in which manufacturers can achieve various UN Sustainable Development Goals, including  SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), SDG 9 (industry, innovation, and infrastructure),SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production), SDG 13 (climate action), SDG14 (life below water), and SDG 15 (life on land).

4:20-4:35 PM
15 mins
Keynote: Recycling Lessons from Nespresso 

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The existence of single-use products has long been critiqued by environmentalists as an existential threat to environmental sustainability.  But does this have to be the case?  Former Nespresso President Frederic Levy challenges the idea that single-use products are inherently reductive towards the fight against climate change, while further outlining proven holistic strategies for mitigating a product’s environmental impact through recycling. 
Frederic Levy,
Nespresso North America (Formerly)
Harvard Hall
4:35-4:45 PM
10 mins
Keynote: A New Regulatory Frontier: Outlook on Sustainability and Waste Management Laws of Single-Use/Disposable ENDS

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This keynote will detail the response by regulators to the perceived or actual environmental pollution of new nicotine delivery systems and electronic products in particular.  Ranging from the environmental module of the PMTA to outright bans of products in some jurisdictions, Kovacevic will provide a regulatory update of existing sustainability requirements and discuss possible action government can take to create a sustainable category.
Patricia I. Kovacevic
Harvard Hall
4:45-4:55 PM
10 mins
Keynote: The Importance of Decarbonization

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While containing the same active ingredient, novel nicotine products come with technological advancements that require a unique approach towards environmental concerns. Decarbonization is the process by which Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) with a strong emphasis on Carbon Dioxide (CO2) are removed from the atmosphere to help with the effects of Climate Change. This keynote will dissect the ways in which novel nicotine products, in particular ENDS, fit into the transformation of industries, as the nicotine industry itself transforms.
Tim McCauley, PhD,
CHANGE Environmental
Harvard Hall
4:55-5:15 PM
20 mins
Panel: ESG as a Potential Tailwind for Novel Nicotine Delivery Systems

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As novel nicotine products enter the market, they bare a unique responsibility to not only transform switch smokers away from cigarettes, but to support future sustainability efforts often left behind by their predecessors. This panel will break down the ways in which novel nicotine products can pave the way for a sustainable future.
Panelists:
Owen Bennett, Jefferies
Aniket Shah, PhD, Jefferies
Tim McAuley, PhD
Frederic Levy
Christopher Russell, PhD

Moderator:
Martin Steinbauer

Harvard Hall
5:15-5:20 PM
5 mins
Closing Remarks from the Chair
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Dr. Derek Yach, MBChB MPH
Harvard Club Entrance/Grill
5:30 – 7:00 PM
1.5 hours
NETWORKING RECEPTION: Open Bar and Passed Hors d’oeuvres
Cambridge Room (Floor 2)

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Cambridge Room (Floor 2)
Early Register 2024

2024 Agenda click here



8:00 - 8:45 AM
45 min


Breakfast & Registration
Harvard Grill (Floor 1)
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Sponsored by
Zanoprima Lifesciences

8:45 – 9:00 AM
15 min
Welcome Remarks from the Summit Chair
Harvard Hall (Floor 1)

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Derek Yach,
MBChB MPH,
Global Public Health
Expert
Harvard Hall

SESSION I: Country Experiences with Harm Reduction
9:00 AM – 10:30 AM EDT | Moderated by Dr. Derek Yach

9:00 - 9:15AM
15 min
Keynote by UN Member State
To be announced
Harvard Hall
9:15 - 9:30 AM
15 min
Czech Republic: Harm Reduction as a Policy Approach – A Challenge to Abstinence Focused Policies

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The presentation will focus on current state-of-the-art approaches to addiction policy, particularly regarding tobacco harm reduction.
Jindřich Vobořil,
Expert on Drugs
Policy, Advisor to the
Prime Minister,
Czech Republic
Harvard Hall
9:30 – 9:45 AM
15
min
New Zealand: Integrating Harm Reduction in National Actions – Successes & Lessons for Island States
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New Zealand is nearing achievement of its Smokefree 2025 goal of 5% or belowsmoking prevalence. How did they achieve this and what are the lessons for othercountries?
Dr. Marewa Glover,
Centre of Research
Excellence:
Indigenous
Sovereignty &
Smoking, New
Zealand
Harvard Club Entrance/Grill
9:45 - 10:00 AM
15 min
Sweden: The Power of Alternative Products to Cut Smoking & Save Lives – Implications for Low- & Middle-Income Countries (LMICs)
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Suely Castro,
Founding Director,
Quit Like Sweden
Harvard Hall
10:00 - 10:30 AM
30 min
Panel: What will it take for governments to embrace scientific evidence that tobacco harm reduction (THR) can save lives?
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Panelist:
Jindrich Vobořil
Marewa Glover
Suely Castro
Martin Cullip (TPA)

Moderator:
Dr. Derek Yach
Harvard Hall
10:30 - 10:45 AM
15 min
COFFEE BREAK 1
Learn more

Harvard Hall

SESSION II: Convergence Between Supporters and Opponents of Harm Reduction
10:45 AM – 12:00 PM EDT | Moderated by Ethan Nadelmann


10:45 - 11:00 AM
15 min
Placing Consumer Health as the Drive of How to End Smoking
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Former AG Miller will be speaking on the evolution of tobacco harm reduction throughout his tenure as Iowa Attorney General. He will be focusing on the concept of prohibition
vs. harm reduction over the years and highlighting the successes of harm eduction in recent years.
Tom Miller,
Former Iowa
Attorney General &
Harm Reduction Advocate
Harvard Hall
11:00 - 11:15 AM
15 min
A Common Grounding to Advance Harm Reduction Public Policy
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Mr. Saleh’s presentation highlights strategies on how to 1) overcome political divides when it comes to harm reduction across a variety substances and 2) address common misconceptions that lead to backlash of harm reduction policies. While the presentation takes lessons learned in the United States, Mr. Saleh will highlight important commonalities and differences to other countries and regulatory approaches.For example, how do you reduce smoking among individuals who use drugs in an era of mixed results of drug decriminalization? The presentation will cover the intersections of harm reduction, substance use, and public safety, and discuss ways to build bridges that help to advance harm reduction policies.
Mazen Saleh,
Policy Director,
Integrated Harm
Reduction,
R Street Institute
Harvard Hall
11:15 – 11:25 AM
10 min
The Morven Dialogues – Areas of Agreement Between Private & Public Parties
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Recent confidential meetings between public and private tobacco control scientistsand policy makers will be summarized, highlighting emerging areas of agreement andremaining reasons for disagreement.
Dr. Derek Yach
Harvard Hall
11:25 – 11:55 AM
30 min
Panel: How do supporters & opponents unite? Is there evidence of convergence of tobacco harm reduction and tobacco control?
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Panelists:
Tom Miller
Mazen Saleh
Jindrich Vobořil
Tim Andrews (ATR)

Moderator:
Ethan Nadelmann
Harvard Hall
12:00 – 1:00 PM
1 hour
Lunch Break
Learn more
Sponsored by
Ventus Medical

Biddle Room (Floor 3) 

SESSION III: Research and Science – Switching Populations that Smoke
1:05 PM – 2:15 PM EDT | Moderated by David Lawson


1:05 – 1:15 PM
10 min
Priorities in Tobacco Harm Reduction Research
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A draft report on priorities for THR will be released for wide debate. It includes a detailed analysis of THR by public and private scientists between 2014 and 2024 and proposes priorities for "global' research, for national research by all countries, and strategic policy research.
Dr. Derek Yach
Harvard Hall
1:15 – 1:30 PM
15 min
Legal & Regulatory Challenges for Consumer & Medical Nicotine Products
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This presentation explores some of the legal and regulatory barriers for nicotine products with a specific focus on therapeutic benefit.
David Lawson,
Executive Director
Inter Scientific &
Ventus Medical
Harvard Hall
1:30 – 1:45 PM
15 min
Equity of Tobacco Harm Reduction – Challenges & Opportunities
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Smoking and related harms are often concentrated among disadvantaged communities. The use of e-cigarettes is positively associated with smoking cessation, but how do
e-cigarettes interact with smoking-related disparities? Greater rates of vaping in the communities where smoking is highest might concentrate the cessation effect where it
is most needed. Conversely, if smokers from disadvantaged groups are less likely to transition to e-cigarettes, then health equity might suffer even while aggregate morbidity and mortality improve. Ensuring the equity of Tobacco Harm Reduction is a practical and moral imperative; one which is complicated by heterogenous consumption patterns, misinformation, and divergent perspectives on ‘harm’.
Sam Hampsher,
Managing Director,
BOTEC Analysis
Harvard Hall
1:45 – 2:15 PM
30 min
Panel: CTP, CDER, MHRA – Regulatory Agencies Learning From Each Other to Accelerate Innovation
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Panelist:
Christopher Russell,
PhD (RBRC)
Rachael
Trimpert Schmidt
(ALINC Consulting)
Ian Jones, PhD
(ARAC)

Moderator:
David Lawson
Harvard Hall
2:15 – 2:30 PM
15 min
Coffee Break 2
Learn more
Sponsored by ARAC
Harvard Hall

SESSION IV: Technology, Innovation and Regulatory
2:30 AM – 3:55 PM EDT | Moderated by Tony Abboud


2:30 – 2:50 PM
20 min
Innovation, Compliance & Regulation – Perspective from the Chinese Manufacturer Organization ECCC
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This presentation will provide insight into China's vaping manufacturing sector, helping people understand the efforts made to prevent youth vaping, promote compliance, ensure product safety, and facilitate innovation.
Mr. Ao,
Secretary-General,
China Electronics
Chamber of
Commerce (ECCC)
Harvard Hall
2:50 – 2:58 PM
6 mins
Updates from an ECCC Member Company: Navigating Regulatory Regimes Globally
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ECCC Member
Company
Harvard Hall
3:00 – 3:10 PM
10 min
Modern Oral Nicotine in Moist Smokeless Form
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Black Buffalo Inc. has created a novel smokeless tobacco alternative for adult consumers by using a specifically grown variety of edible leafy greens in lieu of tobacco plant material. Black Buffalo’s product set emulates the ritual and tradition associated with moist smokeless tobacco, including long cut and pouches forms, as well as traditional (straight) and flavored varieties (wintergreen, mint, blood orange and peach). While white powdered nicotine pouches have gained much of the attention in the marketplace, Black Buffalo’s brand and product set are anchored in the thesis that millions of adult consumers of traditional products are seeking an alternative product closer to their own traditional products, just without the tobacco plant material.
Matthew Hanson, CFA,
Chief Growth Officer,
Black
Buffalo Inc.
Harvard Hall
3:10 – 3:20 PM
10 min
Is There a Youth Access & Use Problem in Oral Nicotine?
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Martin Steinbauer,
Chief Engineer &
Co-founder, SMOOD
Harvard Hall
3:20 – 3:25 PM
5 min
Eliminating Heavy Metals & Nitrosamines from Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRTs) & Reduced Risk Products (RRPs)
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Dr. William Jackson,
Scientific Expert,
Zanoprima
Lifesciences
Harvard Hall
3:25 –3:55 PM
30 min
Panel: An Evolving Legal, Patent, & Regulatory Landscape
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Panelists:
Azim Chowdhury
(Keller & Heckman)
Agustin Rodriguez
(Troutman Pepper)
Jeannie Cameron
(JCIC International)

Moderator:
Tony Abboud
Harvard Hall

SESSION V: Investments to Achieve Public Health Impact
3:55 PM – 5:00 PM EDT | Moderated by Erika Karp


4:00 – 4:10 PM
10 min
The Transition to Lower Risk Nicotine Products: Progress, Impediments & Accelerators
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In a number of countries, a significant share of nicotine product consumers are nowusing lower risk, non-combustible products. At a global level, however, less than 5%have made the switch away from cigarettes due to a lack of access to these betterproducts. What can governments and business do to accelerate the transition?
Huub Savelkouls,
Founder & Owner,
Scope3plus
Consulting Sarl
Harvard Hall
4:10 – 4:20 PM
10 min
Investment Analysts’ Roles & Perspectives in Accelerating THR Progress
Learn more
In a number of countries, a significant share of nicotine product consumers are nowusing lower risk, non-combustible products. At a global level, however, less than 5%have made the switch away from cigarettes due to a lack of access to these betterproducts. What can governments and business do to accelerate the transition?
To be announced
Harvard Hall
4:20 – 4:30 PM
10 min
The NJOY Journey – What is Needed to Scale Global Progress?
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Doug Teitelbaum,
Founder, Homewood Capital / Executive Chairman NJOY
Harvard Hall
4:30 – 5:00 PM
30 min
Panel: Category-Defining Innovation – What’s on the Horizon?
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Panelists:
Huub Savelkouls
Doug Teitelbaum
TBA

Moderator:
Erika Karp
Harvard Hall
5:00 – 5:10 PM
10 min
Closing Remarks: Looking Forward
Dr. Derek Yach
Harvard Hall
5:30 – 7:00 PM
1.5 hours
Networking Reception – Cambridge Room (Floor 2)
Open Bar and Passed Hors d’oeuvres
Harvard Hall
Register Here

2024 Sponsors

We extend a special thanks to the following organizations for their support in bringing this year’s programming and networking sessions to you.
Learn more
Inter Scientific is an independently owned, UKAS-accredited Contract Research Organisation offering regulatory consultancy and analytical testing globally. With almost a decade of experience, Inter Scientific provides a single-point product-compliance solution across various regulated industries, including nicotine, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, medical devices, and novel foods. Committed to clients, personnel, and the environment, Inter Scientific aims to be a world-class leader in regulatory advice and analytical services, uniquely positioned to unlock global markets for its clients.
Learn more
Inter Scientific is an independently owned, UKAS-accredited Contract Research Organisation offering regulatory consultancy and analytical testing globally. With almost a decade of experience, Inter Scientific provides a single-point product-compliance solution across various regulated industries, including nicotine, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, medical devices, and novel foods. Committed to clients, personnel, and the environment, Inter Scientific aims to be a world-class leader in regulatory advice and analytical services, uniquely positioned to unlock global markets for its clients.
Learn more
Ventus Medical is a medical device and drug development company focused on inhalation products. Ventus Medical has developed ENHALE, an approved Class IIa medical device, which is currently undergoing regulatory review by the MHRA and is in the process of being submitted across the EU for European authorisation.  
Learn more
SMOOD® for a cleaner, smoother nicotine experience without tobacco. SMOOD is a consumer hardware and vaporizer company built with advanced technology including youth access prevention, IoT-enabled devices, and sustainability programs. Developed by MIT and Harvard medical engineers, SMOOD is transforming the sector by focusing on innovation, sustainability, safety, and reliability.
Learn more
Zanoprima is a manufacturer of S-nicotine. The company has developed a novel enzymatic process for the production utilizing “green chemistry”, yielding a significant carbon emission reduction and other ESG benefits when compared to plant extraction.  These processes are subject to granted patents in over 40 countries. Zanoprima supports manufacturers in regulatory submissions, through a Drug Master File (DMF) and Tobacco Product Master File (TPMF) on file with the US Food and Drug Administration. Further, Zanoprima has developed improved reduced risk nicotine products using this high purity S-nicotine, including next generation Nicotine Replacement Therapies, with patents granted for novel vaping and oral products.
Learn more
The Electronic Cigarette Professional Committee of the China Electronics Chamber of Commerce (short for ECCC) was established in Shenzhen in January 2017. As one of the professional committees of the China Electronics Chamber of Commerce, it operates independently as the only vaping industry association in China. With a membership of over 1000 companies, the ECCC is committed to global cooperation with regulatory agencies and further the ethical development of the electronic cigarette industry.
REGISTER HERE

Venue:
Harvard Club of New York City

35 West 44th Street New York NY
The annual 2024 New Approaches Conference on September 23rd will take place in the Harvard Hall of The Harvard Club of New York, conveniently located a few avenues from the United Nations Headquarters. Sign in at the registration desk with your ticket confirmation to collect your badge and head to the main hall.

Photos from the 2022 event

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Photos from 2023 event

About the Summit

The New Approaches conference was founded as a collaboration between public health professionals, tobacco control advocates, public policy experts, and technology innovators working on cutting-edge research and commercialization of technologies and policies that aim to end smoking.

New Approaches is an independent global forum on science and policy, held annually during United Nations General Assembly week and adjacent to Climate week in New York City. As a neutral convener, New Approaches hosts programming created by co-chairs and speakers from diverse backgrounds. Views and statements by speakers are their own, and diverse perspectives are encouraged. The Summit is open to all stakeholders committed to ending smoking and achieving public health impact.

In alignment with Article 5.3 of the WHO tobacco treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), this event maintains complete independence and receives no funding or interference from tobacco industries. However, the event remains open to all participants, fostering inclusive dialogue.
Press and General Inquiries Contact
Events@NewApproaches.NYC
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