Smoking Cessation Leadership Center

What Smoking Cessation Leadership Center does

The Smoking Cessation Leadership Center (SCLC) is a public health initiative housed at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), operating since 2003 with a small staff of six employees in San Francisco. Its mission is to reduce disparities in tobacco use and increase cessation through community partnerships, health systems change, and provider education. SCLC serves healthcare and behavioral health professionals nationwide — including physicians, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, and dentists — as well as state behavioral health and tobacco control programs and priority populations with elevated smoking prevalence such as justice-involved individuals, LGBTQ+ populations, people experiencing homelessness, and racial/ethnic minorities.

The core product is an accredited webinar series launched in 2009, which has delivered 157 webinars, attracted 98,414 registrants, engaged 65,480 attendees, and issued 7,870 CME certificates since 2011. The technology layer is a web-based education platform with webinar delivery and CME/CE accreditation workflows, supplemented by downloadable curricula, fact sheets, toolkits (including the behavioral health and tobacco-free living toolkit and TAMAR), 1-800-QUIT-NOW cards, and quitline navigation tools. Two sub-brands — the California Center for Tobacco Cessation (CaCTC) and the National Partnership on Behavioral Health and Tobacco Use — extend the platform into state-level and population-specific programming.

SCLC operates as a non-revenue-generating public health initiative. All webinars, toolkits, and technical assistance are provided free of charge; the organization is funded by government grants (notably SAMHSA and the California Department of Public Health, 2019-2021) and UCSF institutional support. Go-to-market is event- and partnership-driven: webinars serve as the primary engagement mechanism, with amplification via email newsletters, LinkedIn/X, and a partnership network spanning SAMHSA, CDPH, the National Behavioral Health Network, and state programs.

Name

Smoking Cessation Leadership Center

Legal name

Smoking Cessation Leadership Center

Website

https://smokingcessationleadership.ucsf.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SCLC is a UCSF-housed public health initiative that delivers free, CME/CE-accredited tobacco cessation education through webinars, toolkits, and technical assistance to healthcare and behavioral health professionals and state programs across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Education and Training

NAICS

Administration of Public Health Programs (92312)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Behavioral Health & Counseling (Social Work, Psychology, Substance Use CE) (EDAAALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Non-Communicable Disease Prevention & Chronic Disease Programs (BPAIAJAI), Community Health, Health Promotion & Behavior Change (SBCC) (BPADAIAL), KOL Engagement & Medical Education (Advisory Boards/CME Support) (HLAGALAM)

Keywords

• Tobacco cessation education
• Smoking cessation training
• Behavioral health integration
• Public health education
• Continuing medical education

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Public Health Initiative (No Direct Revenue): SCLC is a public health initiative at UCSF that provides free educational services. The organization does not generate revenue from its programs. Services are funded through grants from government agencies (SAMHSA, CDPH) and institutional support from UCSF. All webinars, resources, and technical assistance are provided at no cost to participants.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Smoking Cessation Leadership Center (SCLC) is a public health initiative at UCSF that delivers free accredited CME/CE webinars, downloadable curricula, toolkits, and fact sheets on tobacco cessation to healthcare professionals nationwide. It also provides technical assistance to behavioral health facilities implementing tobacco-free policies and to state behavioral health and tobacco control programs. All services are provided at no cost as a public health initiative, funded through government grants and UCSF institutional support.

Product overview

The Smoking Cessation Leadership Center (SCLC) is a public health initiative at UCSF that provides a comprehensive portfolio of tobacco cessation education and training products. The core offering centers on an accredited webinar series providing CME/CE credits to healthcare professionals, supplemented by downloadable curricula, online training, fact sheets, and toolkits. The product suite includes specialized quitline services (1-800-QUIT-NOW cards, Asian Smokers' Quitline) and two major sub-initiatives: the California Center for Tobacco Cessation (CaCTC) for state-specific resources and the National Partnership on Behavioral Health and Tobacco Use for addressing tobacco use in behavioral health populations. All resources are free and focused on reducing tobacco-related disparities through education, training, and health systems change.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• California Center for Tobacco Cessation (CaCTC): A California-focused initiative under SCLC providing tobacco cessation resources and training.

Products and services

• Webinar Series with CME/CE Credit Accredited webinar program offering continuing education credits (CME/CE) to physicians and allied health professionals. Has delivered 157 webinars with 98,414 registrants, 65,480 attendees, and 7,870 CME certificates issued between 2011 and 2026.
• Curricula and Online Training Educational training materials and online courses for tobacco cessation education, including resources for behavioral health professionals.
• Toolkits Packaged resources including the interactive Behavioral Health and Tobacco Free Living Toolkit, Trauma Addiction Mental Health and Recovery (TAMAR) facilitators guide and client workbooks, and Take Your Behavioral Health Facility Tobacco-Free toolkit for clinical and organizational use.
• Fact Sheets and Guides Downloadable informational resources covering tobacco cessation basics, behavioral health topics, and cessation strategies for healthcare professionals.
• 1-800-QUIT-NOW Cards Physical quit-now cards providing an easy, fast, and effective way for health professionals to help smokers access cessation support; available for order via the SCLC website.

Quantifiable outcome

• 92.8% of webinar attendees rated sessions as 'very good' or 'excellent' in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019SAMHSA funded SCLC between 2019-2021 to provide training and technical assistance to California and other state behavioral health and tobacco control programs. This grant boosted registrations and attendance at SCLC webinars and cemented the webinar series as a vital resource for professionals dedicated to tobacco cessation.
• California Department of Public Health (CDPH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019CDPH co-funded SCLC between 2019-2021 to support training and technical assistance for California and other state behavioral health and tobacco control programs, complementing SAMHSA funding.
• California Center for Tobacco Cessation (CaCTC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCaCTC is a key initiative under SCLC focused specifically on tobacco cessation efforts in California, providing localized resources and support through dedicated newsletters and programs.
• National Partnership on Behavioral Health and Tobacco UsecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA national collaboration addressing behavioral health and tobacco use, with a Communications Committee that has created ready-to-use PowerPoint slide decks on behavioral health and tobacco use for external use.
• National Behavioral Health NetworkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner focused on behavioral health and tobacco control at the national level, supporting the shared mission of reducing tobacco use among behavioral health populations.
• University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCLC is housed at UCSF, providing academic affiliation, research connections, and institutional credibility. The Director, Maya Vijayaraghavan, is a faculty member at UCSF.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• National Behavioral Health Network for Tobacco & Cancer Control (National Council for Mental Wellbeing): National network dedicated to reducing tobacco and cancer disparities among behavioral health populations, and a direct partner of SCLC. Comparable because it provides training, technical assistance, and resources to behavioral health providers on tobacco-free policy implementation — directly overlapping SCLC's behavioral health toolkit and training mission.
• University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention (UW-CTRI): Academic medical center at UW–Madison conducting tobacco cessation research, provider training, and clinical intervention. Comparable because it is an academic-anchored center delivering evidence-based tobacco cessation education, training, and clinical tools to healthcare providers, mirroring SCLC's UCSF-based model.
• North American Quitline Consortium (NAQC): Membership organization promoting evidence-based quitline services across North America. Comparable because it operates in the same tobacco cessation delivery ecosystem SCLC supports (including state quitlines and the Asian Smokers' Quitline), focusing on quality and accessibility of cessation services.
• Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT): International professional society advancing research on nicotine and tobacco, offering continuing education, conferences, and training resources for researchers and clinicians. Comparable because it sits at the intersection of tobacco science, clinical practice, and provider education — closely mirroring SCLC's evidence-to-practice translation role.
• National Jewish Health Tobacco Cessation Program: Specialized tobacco cessation program at National Jewish Health offering provider training and direct cessation services. Comparable because it is an academic medical center-anchored tobacco cessation program with both clinical and educational missions aimed at healthcare professionals and patients.

Broad incumbents

• American Lung Association: Major national health nonprofit with a long-standing tobacco control program (including the 'Freedom From Smoking' cessation platform and annual State of Tobacco Control report). Comparable because it offers accredited cessation education, advocacy, and provider resources overlapping with SCLC's offerings but at significantly larger scale.
• Truth Initiative: Large national public health nonprofit focused on tobacco use prevention and cessation, with significant education, research, and policy advocacy operations. Comparable because it occupies the same tobacco cessation mission space with much greater scale and a youth-prevention orientation.
• American Cancer Society (Tobacco Control): Large national health nonprofit with a substantial tobacco control and cessation program, including advocacy, research funding, and the Great American Smokeout. Comparable because it provides cessation education and resources for both consumers and healthcare providers at substantially larger scale.
• CDC Office on Smoking and Health (OSH): Federal government office within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that leads national tobacco control efforts, including the Tips From Former Smokers campaign and state funding. Comparable as the principal federal convener on tobacco cessation and the largest grantmaker in the space SCLC operates in.

Regional players

• American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM): U.S. professional society for physicians specializing in addiction medicine, providing CME-accredited education, clinical guidelines, and advocacy. Comparable because it delivers accredited continuing education to addiction and behavioral health professionals on tobacco co-use and substance use treatment, a directly adjacent provider audience to SCLC's.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SCLC_UCSF
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smoking-cessation-leadership-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Smoking Cessation Leadership Center