A new tobacco research institute, named for the former president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, will be established by the American Legacy Foundation.

The Steven A. Schroeder National Institute for Tobacco Research and Policy Studies will be charged with advancing the science behind social marketing, smoking cessation, and tobacco-control policy. The Washington, D.C.-area institute will disseminate research through meetings, reports, and other forums, with the goal of translating science into public-health practice.

"This new institute will continue to further the joint vision of the foundation and the public-health community to educate the public about tobacco cessation and the risks that tobacco poses to the day-to-day health of individual Americans," said Legacy president Cheryl Healton.

Schroeder was also the former chairman of the American Legacy Foundation. "Steve Schroeder has been the catalyst for remarkable change in how the public-health community and physicians address smoking," said Mike Leavitt, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and another former Legacy board member. "His immeasurable contributions to saving lives from tobacco addiction and premature death will be a lasting legacy."