Debi is the Tobacco Control Lead of the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Office of Community Outreach and Engagement and has received her Bachelor of Science degree in Respiratory Therapy, the National Certificate in Tobacco Treatment Practice, is a certified-UMass TTS trainer and serves on a couple of national organizations including the Council for Tobacco Treatment Training Programs and the Association for the Treatment of Tobacco Use and Dependence.  In addition, since 2008, Ms. Buckles has been the Project Director of  “Rethink Tobacco Indiana” project, focused on tobacco cessation systems change in mental health & substance abuse centers across Indiana.  During Debi’s more than 25 years in the field of tobacco treatment she has coordinated and developed training programs for health care professionals and lay persons across Indiana, worked on multiple research efforts, provided technical assistance to many different types of healthcare organizations and is recognized as a leader in the state on tobacco control efforts.

Phone | 317-278-3736  E-mail | [email protected]

Dr. Hudmon serves as the Principal Investigator for the state grant that funds the work of Rethink Tobacco Indiana.  She is a Professor of Pharmacy Practice at the Purdue University College of Pharmacy and Clinical Professor at the University of California San Francisco School of Pharmacy.  Dr. Hudmon is a licensed pharmacist with a Doctorate in Public Health and nearly 30 years of tobacco research experience and has personally provided tobacco cessation training to more than 20,000 health professionals (students and licensed clinicians).  She has also provided educational sessions for prescribers of numerous community mental health centers to encourage them to view tobacco dependence within their scope of practice as part of her work with Rethink Tobacco Indiana.

Dr. Hudmon has co‐led the Indiana‐based initiative to advance legislation enabling pharmacists to prescribe all smoking cessation medications under a statewide protocol that she authored.  Furthermore, she was one of the original authors of the Rx for Change: Clinician-Assisted Tobacco Cessation training program, which has been in existence since 1999 and is used globally to train students and licensed clinicians to apply evidence-based approaches for helping patients quit. Currently, Dr. Hudmon’s research is funded by the NIH and the Indiana State Department of Health.  In addition, she is a trained tobacco treatment specialist (TTS) and a Certified-UMass TTS Trainer.

Email | [email protected]

Gage serves as the Community Outreach Manager for Rethink Tobacco Indiana. Gage works with providers and partners around the state to assist behavioral health treatment centers to integrate evidence-based tobacco treatment approaches into their system of care and develop tobacco-free grounds policies. Prior to joining Rethink Tobacco Indiana, Mr. VanDine worked as a tobacco prevention and cessation coordinator with the Indiana Cancer Consortium, overseeing grant funded tobacco health system change efforts to Indiana cancer centers. While working in this role, he contributed to the oversight and publication of the Indiana Cancer Control Plan 2021-2022 as well as the Indiana Cancer Facts and Figures: Sixth Edition. Gage is a trained Tobacco Treatment Specialist (TTS) and holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Ball State University’s Department of Political Science.

Phone | 317-278-3122  E-mail | [email protected]