The Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) was founded in 1994 to address the need for coordinated scientific discourse on research related to the many direct effects of nicotine and tobacco, the use of tobacco products in our society, the features of tobacco dependence and treatments for tobacco dependence. It is the first national organization primarily devoted to promoting the conduct of research on nicotine and tobacco and disseminating findings from this research. It is a multidisciplinary organization including members whose interests range from neuroscience to tobacco policy. The SRNT will hold its sixth annual meeting in February, 2000 at the Crystal City Marriott in Arlington, VA. We are requesting partial support for this and subsequent annual meetings from NIDA through the conference grant mechanism. At the annual meetings, a mulitdisciplinary group of scientists, many of whom are funded by NIDA grants, will present talks, posters and symposia that will highlight the latest research on nicotine and tobacco in the areas of neuroscience, clinical pharmacology, treatment research, epidemiology and policy research. The work of new investigators will be highlighted via special oral sessions and awards programs. In addition, we plan to hold, in alternate years, a 1-day special topics meeting that will explore a timely research topic in more depth. In 2000 the special topics meeting will be on outcomes measurement for smoking cessation clinical trials. Overall, the SRNT annual meeting serves a valuable function by providing a forum for dissemination and discussion of the latest findings in nicotine and tobacco research and the opportunity for cross fertilization of ideas across specific research areas. Partial support of this meeting by NIDA would further highlight the agency's commitment to the importance of nicotine and tobacco research.
