Frank T. Leone

I’m a Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and a physician who specializes in the treatment of tobacco dependence. I’ve spent the past 25+ years studying the effects of nicotine on the brain – and how that translates into predictable behaviors that almost always lead to frustration and confusion for people who smoke. In my view, “motivating” strategies that pressure people to “quit” are exactly the wrong way to go about creating change. Change happens when we find ways to control nicotine’s “soft power” – that is, the abnormally amplified instinctive drive NOT to change.

Our team provides tobacco dependence treatment to over a thousand patients each year. We believe it’s important for people to understand exactly WHY they feel compelled to smoke, despite having lots of important reasons to stop. We think this is a much better way to address the epidemic of tobacco dependence, and we spend every day operationalizing that insight. I’m proud to say that we’ve had the pleasure of training many people over the years, helping them to see the problem differently and become much more effective at achieving their treatment goals. For example, we’ve:

• Published over 150 academic articles, book chapters, and clinical perspectives.

• Delivered hundreds of invited talks – in small groups and large - to professional groups and lay audiences – in a dozen countries.

• Trained over 400 Tobacco Treatment Specialists and consulted with several clinical organizations on ways they might improve their operations.

• Published a clinical guide to tobacco treatment called Why People Smoke: An Innovative Approach to Treating Tobacco Dependence.

Understanding why people use tobacco has been a passion project for me for over two decades. For that, I owe our patients all the credit. Contact me if our multidisciplinary team can help you or your organization become more effective in reducing the impact of tobacco in your community. Mention this Amazon bio, and I’ll send you a coupon for 30% of the list price of the book.

Happy reading…