CVRI Scientists

Stanton A. Glantz, Ph.D.
Professor of Medicine

Research Interests:
Mechanics of cardiac function (experimental and theoretical); environmental tobacco smoke and tobacco control policy

Summary:
Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of heart disease and heart disease is the leading cause of death due to smoking. We conduct research on a wide range of issues, ranging from the effects of secondhand smoke on the heart through the reductions in heart attacks observed when smokefree policies are enacted, to how the tobacco industry fights against tobacco control programs. In particular, we study the effectiveness of different tobacco control strategies, particularly in the context of large state-run tobacco control programs and international tobacco control issues, with emphasis on how the tobacco industry is working to prevent implementation of meaningful tobacco control policies. We have also identified the importance of young adults (not just teens) as targets for the tobacco industry and efforts at smoking cessation and tobacco use prevention. Our research on the effects of secondhand smoke on blood and blood vessels has helped explain why, in terms of heart disease, the effects of secondhand smoke are nearly as large as smoking. Consistent with what would be expected from the biology of secondhand smoke, we demonstrated a large and rapid reduction in the number of people admitted to the hospital with heart attacks in Helena, Montana, after that community made all workplaces and public places smokefree. Our work in this area was identified as one of the top research advances for 2005 by the American Heart Association.