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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Mitchell Zeller, JD, Pinney Associates, 3 Bethesda Metro Center, Suite 1400, Bethesda, MD 20814, 301-718-8440, mzeller@pinneyassociates.com

The tobacco industry has systematically sought to rebuild its shattered public image over the past decade. One tactic a number of the companies have engaged in is to seek a dialogue with tobacco control and public health experts. The goals of this effort include establishing credibility with their critics, and calling attention to the existence of such dialogues as some sort of sign that the tobacco industry has changed and is now more trustworthy. But is this quest for dialogue genuine? Or does it have more to do with public relations and altering public perception of a deeply distrusted industry? Part of the answer to these questions can be found in the publicly available internal tobacco industry documents. The Philip Morris documents are especially relevant. Another key question in need of answering is why there is such a level of distrust of the tobacco industry. Part of the answer to that question relates to the industry's historical behavior regarding public health issues and what many view as predatory marketing practices for an inherently dangerous product. All of these concerns will be described.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to

• Identify several of the motivations behind the tobacco industry's quest for dialogue.
• Articulate the concerns expressed by tobacco control and public health experts about the wisdom of engaging in such a dialogue.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? Yes

Organization	Clinical/Research Area	Type of Relationship
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare	Tobacco treatment and policy	Consultant

Any company-sponsored training?	No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?	No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Recorded presentation