Tobacco Expert Group

Brenda Chitindi – Sketch Bio I am passionate in promoting healthier lifestyles and the opportunities for people to improve their lives and to underserved communities promote high quality access to healthcare. Through public health advocacy I help a large population to live healthy lives, mentally, socially, physically and culturally. I am a tobacco control advocate and Cardiovascular diseases, a Founder and Executive Secretary of Zambia Heart and Stroke Foundation since 2010, Founder/ Executive Director of Tobacco Free Association of Zambia since 2006, Co – Founder of Zambia Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance since 2016 and President of Zambian Alliance for Tobacco Control since 2021. I have strong ties with National, Regional and Global Tobacco Control community. In tobacco control I am the Board Member of Human Rights and Tobacco Control Network, Member of International Network of Women Against Tobacco and member of Stop Tobacco Pollution Alliance. I am the author of 2020 and 2021 Zambia Tobacco Industry Interference Indexes, Child Labour in Tobacco Farms in Zambia, Violation of Women’s Rights in Tobacco Growing Areas in Zambia, Big Tobacco Tiny Targets, Stop Tobacco Pollution Alliance. I have strong ties in Cardiovascular community at National, Regional and Global since 2010 when Zambia Heart and Stroke Foundation was formed. I have initiated many programs on heart health and its prevention including commemorations of World Heart Days, World Heart Federation Tobacco Control Roadmap in Zambia, Screening of hypertension around the country and Health Education in Public Food Procurement Policies among School Children in Zambia. Living with multiple Non – Communicable Diseases the Global NCD Alliance nominated me as NCD Diarist and with strong ties with partners, my work has been published widely at national, regional and global on media platforms.

I am an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Psychological Sciences at the University of Vermont, USA. I have spent the last 12 years conducting NIH-funded trials in the areas of cardiovascular disease and the use of tobacco. I have a special research interest in improving secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease in those who are currently underserved, such as those with lower-socioeconomic status. I have served on various committees within CDC, AACVPR, and ICRR with an aim towards improving tobacco treatment in those with cardiovascular disease as well as increasing access to cardiac rehabilitation.

I am a physician trained in Global Health from Emory University. I was nominated for a Global Tobacco Control Leadership Program at Hopkins and an Implementation research methods course in Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) at Emory. I have expertise in using mixed methods for evaluation of NCD prevention programs and policies and have led both observational and experimental studies spanning clinics and community. I have collaborated with departments of health and non-profit in training thousands of health care workers in tobacco cessation across India. I have published articles in high impact journals, authored books/ training manuals in tobacco cessation and advocated for mainstreaming cessation as a part of universal health care . I have collaborations with academia both in India and globally. I am keen on sharing my expertise especially in smokeless tobacco research to strengthen existing policies and technical knowledge at the WHF In the area of tobacco cessation