Dr Cox Wins the 2024 Impact Prize

Dr Sharon Cox is Principal Research Fellow in Behavioural Science and Health in the Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group at University College London (UTARG), Deputy Director of Behaviour Research UK (BRUK), and President of the European Chapter of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT-E).

Sharon’s research focuses on treatment for tobacco dependence within communities facing severe and multiple disadvantages, and how social determinants can influence uptake and use of mainstream smoking cessation treatments and act as wider barriers to tobacco harm reduction.

The Society for the Study of Addiction says it selected Sharon as the 2024 winner of the Impact Prize for her broad portfolio of work on smoking, and success in directly influencing policy by securing investment in smoking cessation interventions for people experiencing homelessness.

The judging panel noted that Sharon’s work helps to advance the strategic aims of the Society and described her as an “excellent researcher with a very good track record and engagement with policy”, who has “achieved impact in an area which is less ‘newsworthy’ than some aspects of addiction”.

The Society for the Study of Addiction offered its congratulations to Dr Sharon Cox.

Harm reduction expert Clive Bates said: “Awesome endorsement of some of the best work in the field. What a win for Sharon Cox and her base at the Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group at University College London.”

Dr Sarah Jackson commented: “Huge congratulations to my wonderful colleague Sharon Cox. So well deserved and a testament to her tireless work to reduce inequalities in smoking and improve the lives of people across the most disadvantaged subgroups of society.”

Sharon Cox herself said: “So, so, so, so pleased about this! Honestly, sometimes it can feel like you’re howling into the void when you repeatedly say smoking kills regardless of what else people have got going on. The more we recognise this, the greater chance we have of saving lives.”

The Society for the Study of Addiction was founded in 1884 and was originally called the Society for the Study and Cure of Inebriety. Today, the mission of the Society of the Study for Addiction is to advance the scientific understanding of addiction. The Society for the Study of Addiction pursues this through holding an Annual Conference and PhD Symposium, running two academic journals, funding early career researchers, producing podcasts, and publishing original essays and interviews.

Dave Cross

Journalist at POTV

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Dave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.