Annie Kleykamp & Helen Redmond

Dr. Annie Kleykamp is a research associate professor of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, as well as the communications director of the Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks (ACTTION). ACTTION is a public-private partnership with the FDA with the goal of expediting the discovery and development of treatments for pain and addiction.

Annie is trained as an experimental psychologist and studied the effects of various drugs (nicotine, opioids, alcohol) on human cognition and behavior. Prior to her current position she worked as a scientist at the healthcare consulting firm Pinney Associates (2014-2018) and as medical analyst at the health technology assessment company Hayes, Inc (2011-2018). During her time at Pinney Associates she provided consulting advice on non-combustible tobacco products to the e-cigarette company NJOY and the tobacco company Reynolds American Inc. Her work was prohibitive of any consulting related to traditional, combustible cigarettes. She has also held teaching appointments at the University of Maryland College Park, United States Naval Academy and Goucher College.

Helen is the senior editor of Filter. She has written about nicotine, mental health and drug policy for publications including Al Jazeera, AlterNet, Harper’s and The Influence. As an LCSW, she works with drug users in medical and community mental health settings. An expert on tobacco harm reduction, she provides training and consultation on mental health, nicotine use and THR, and in 2016 organized the first Tobacco Harm Reduction Conference in the US. Helen is also a documentary filmmaker.