For over twenty years, Dr. Leone has been pursuing both clinical and research interests in tobacco treatment and control. Dr. Leone’s scholarly activities have focused on the development of effective tobacco use treatment strategies relevant to healthcare systems during this period of ongoing reform. Dr. Leone has been actively exploring various methods of tobacco treatment implementation, including medical school curriculum reform, public health detailing of office-based clinicians, guideline dissemination, and the integration of tobacco treatment “centers of excellence” into accountable care organizations.

Dr. Leone is the Director of The University of Pennsylvania’s Comprehensive Smoking Treatment Program. This clinical program treats tobacco users using a comprehensive bio-behavioral model of intervention. The program treats over 500 new smokers per year, many of whom have complex co-morbid conditions. The clinical program has been recognized nationally; Dr. Leone has received numerous awards and honors, including the Trudeau service award for outstanding community service from the American Lung Association, and has been listed in “Best Doctors in America” since 2005.

Dr. Leone is active in several professional societies, and their efforts to systematically integrate tobacco use treatment into healthcare. He was selected by both the American Thoracic Society and the American College of Chest Physicians to lead production of a variety of treatment guidelines and position statements relevant to the treatment of tobacco dependence. He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed papers, monographs, and book chapters related to tobacco use treatment. As an active volunteer in his community, Dr. Leone has been helping to reduce the impact of the tobacco epidemic in Philadelphia through his work as co-chair of the SmokeFree Philly coalition.