Author: Mark Gottlieb

Mark Gottlieb joined the staff of the Public Health Advocacy Institute in 1993 after graduating from Northeastern University School of Law. His efforts have focused on researching tobacco litigation as a public health strategy as director of the Tobacco Products Liability Project, reducing the harm caused by secondhand tobacco smoke through a variety of legal and policy approaches, fostering scholarship using tobacco industry documents, and, more recently, examining legal and policy approaches to address obesity. He is the Executive Director of the Institute and lives in Cambridge, MA with his wife and three children.

PHAI publishes Case Study on NYC Menu Labeling Litigation

PHAI Menu Labeling Legal Challenge Case Study (pdf) PHAI documented the successful passage of the nation’s first restaurant calorie disclosure law. In an effort to address increases in obesity rates and obesity-related health problems, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (“DOHMH”) amended the City’s Health Code on December 5, 2006 and […]

All Parties Seek Supreme Court Review of Racketeering Trial: US v. Philip Morris

Review could open door for substantial remedies that would help smokers to quit protect kids from starting – and could force the cigarette companies to pay hundreds of billions of dollars Today the Solicitor General of the United States filed a Petition for Writ of Certiorari with the Supreme Court of the United States seeking […]

PHAI Attorney Chris Banthin Appears on WGBH with Boston Mayor Tom Menino to Discuss Smokefree Public Housing

The City of Boston is taking a leadership role in making public housing smokefree. Today, PHAI’s Chris Banthin appeared on a panel with Boston mayor Tom Menino on WGBH FM’s Callie Crossley Show to discuss why smokefree public housing is the right thing to do. Chris directs the Massachusetts Smoke-Free Housing Project. Listen to the […]

PHAI Senior Attorney Christopher Banthin discussed low tobacco control funding on WCVB News

Although uncredited in the clip, PHAI Senior Staff Attorney and Director of the Tobacco Control Resource Center, Christopher Banthin, discusses the public health impact of Massachusetts’ low funding commitment to tobacco control. He is responding to a report issued by the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids on the Tobacco Settlement, 11 years later. VIDEO: […]

PHAI Researches Unfair Food Marketing to Kids (and those who purchase for kids)

On December 2, 2009, Mark Gottlieb and Cara Wilking presented a poster to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Healthy Eating Research program grantees in Tucson, Arizona. PHAI is exploring how state consumer protection laws can be used to address unfair and deceptive food and beverage marketing practices directed toward children or those who purchase food […]

PHAI’s Tobacco Products Liability Project is mentioned in NY Times editorial

A November 27, 2009 editorial entitled A Big Loss for Big Tobacco, stated: Last week’s $300 million verdict, which could still be reversed or reduced on appeal, provides a strong incentive for others to sue. Big awards can send a message to the tobacco industry, or be regarded as simply a cost of doing business. […]

Tobacco Products Liability Project hails $244 million punitive damages award against Philip Morris as “entirely proportionate to the level of reprehensible misconduct by the company”

Jury Hits Philip Morris with $300 Million Verdict in Individual Trial in Florida – 8th Verdict for Florida Plaintiffs this Year.

PHAI submits comments to FDA supporting reducing nicotine levels of smoked tobacco products to non-addictive levels

In response to a request for comments, PHAI urges the FDA to prioritize smoked tobacco nicotine reduction as a potentially highly effective tool to mitigate the public health cost of smoking. Please see our complete Comments (pdf).

PHAI Publishes “Managing and Conducting Public Health Inspections: A Selected Bibliography and Topical Outline (1988)”

In 1988, Dr. Anthony Robbins and his colleagues at Boston University School of Public Health created this document reviewing inspection-based enforcement in public health programs. Because of new interest in regulation, we are posting the document. When recently uncovered, it existed only in a paper and ink version, thus the document here was created by […]

PHAI Publishes Issue Briefs on Tobacco Industry’s Corporate Makeover

YEAR ONE – CORPORATE MAKEOVER The Public Health Advocacy Institute, supported by the American Legacy Foundation, has completed a year of research on the tobacco industry’s attempted corporate makeover, and has created five issue briefs on the topic. A 60 minute Webinar was broadcast on May 11, 2009 and is archived HERE. They highlight various […]