Dear Members of the HIFA Community,
My name is Eduardo Bianco, I am a doctor from Uruguay and I currently serve as the Director of the Addiction Training Program for Health Professionals at the Frank Foundation for Health International/NextGenU (NGU).
I have worked for more than 25 years in Tobacco Dependence Treatment and Tobacco Control Policies in my country, in the Region of the Americas and internationally. I also worked on the issue of NCDs and their Risk Factors, and of course I have been involved with the problem of alcohol, which I consider an important and worrying issue and to which as health professionals we have not dedicated the time it deserves due to its social importance, health and economic impact.
The Frank Foundation and NGU are supporting the development of the HIFA Alcohol Discussion Forum and I am very pleased to be part of the HIFA Working Group that is organizing it. [*see note below]
I am very much looking forward to participating in the discussion and debates, sharing experiences and learning about this important topic, in which we all have a responsibility.
I hope that the outcome of this debate will contribute to improving the current (insufficient) efforts to address this worrying issue, that health professionals will become more involved (and engaged) with it and help to raise awareness among society and politicians, to promote the necessary actions. to reduce the impact of alcohol consumption on our lives.
Best regards,
Eduardo
HIFA profile: Eduardo Bianco is a medical doctor and Cardiologist, Certified Tobacco Cessation Expert with a Masters in Prevention and Treatment of Addictive Disorders. Currently, he is Chair of the World Heart Federation Tobacco Expert Group. Dr. Biancos research examines tobacco control and cessation, and he is a prominent member of several organizations that address tobacco control in Latin America. Dr. Bianco has worked for 25 years in Uruguay and Latin America to promote and train in smoking cessation treatment and tobacco control policies. He is also the former Regional Coordinator for the Americas of the Framework Convention Alliance and former Technical Director of the MOH Center for International Cooperation for Tobacco. ebianco@nextgenu.org
[*Note from HIFA moderator (NPW): Thank you Eduardo. The discussion will take place here on HIFA for 6 weeks, starting 5th February. For further information see our news item here: https://www.hifa.org/news/hifa-announces-deep-dive-discussion-alcohol-us...
You can see more about our series of discussions on Substance Use Disorders, and meet the current members of the working group, here:
https://www.hifa.org/projects/mental-health-meeting-information-needs-su... ]
