by Sarah Hellesen

Even in years not dominated by a global pandemic, our plans do not always go the way we’d like.

In tobacco control, that might look like a key decision maker opposing a policy we’d hoped to pass, or a survey failing to yield helpful data. Sometimes the plans that need to change are our literal evaluation plans. And sometimes the events we look forward to attending all year pivot completely.

by Danielle Lippert and Jorge Andrews

In recent years the term “non-traditional” partners has been used in public health and by the California Tobacco Control Program. The idea is to invite voices to join us that may not be obvious allies to tobacco control.

You may wonder, why the push? Why now? How does this benefit my project?

Disparities in public health are simultaneously our somber failures and hopeful opportunities for collaboration.

California is an amazing place, with a population as diverse as our geography. To have true equity we must all be able to thrive, so let us continue to be bold, persistent, and undeterred by constraints in our evaluation work.

The theme of this year's meeting was Elevating Equity: Strategies & Partnerships to End Tobacco by 2035. Two of our Evaluation Associates share their takeaways.