The Tobacco Treatment Training Program is based within LifeLong Medical Care’s East Bay Community Recovery Project. In partnership with Alameda County, we provide specialized training and technical assistance to organizations and health systems that are interested in improving their tobacco treatment services.

Staff

Program Manager: Tara Geer-Leiker, PhD

Dr. Tara Leiker has a robust, over 20-year background in behavioral and mental health services, which has included working in treatment facilities and providing motivational interviewing counseling services to dependent users. After switching gears into program and policy development and management later in her career, Dr. Leiker now has a PhD in Health Services and Public Health Policy. Dr. Leiker is passionate about tobacco treatment and especially ensuring that tobacco policies are put into practice. She is focused on increasing access to tobacco treatment and awareness and implementation of tobacco policies throughout Alameda County.

Program Coordinator: Sophia Artis

Prior to joining LifeLong Medical Care, Sophia worked in health policy consulting as a research associate and project manager, focusing primarily on federal and foundation clients. She has also worked in COVID-19 response and quality assurance at the San Francisco and California Departments of Public Health. Sophia came to tobacco control through her undergraduate thesis on the youth vaping epidemic and is interested in improving access to whole person care and integrated behavioral health treatment, including treatment for tobacco use disorder. She has a B.A. in Public Policy Analysis/Anthropology from Pomona College in Claremont, CA.