UC Davis Health employees honored by Regional Tobacco Free Coalition

Several UC Davis Health team members were honored this year by the Greater Sacramento Smoke & Tobacco‑Free Coalition for their leadership in decreasing tobacco use, assisting patients, and enhancing community health. The coalition is hosted by the Sacramento County Department of Public Health's Tobacco Education and Prevention Program, and Olivia Kasirye, M.D., provided the introduction and welcome remarks.

Jessica Dyer

Jessica Dyer, a fire prevention specialist, was recognized for her outreach and practical engagement as a new member of the UC Davis Smoke and Tobacco-Free Committee. Dyer collaborated closely with campus construction crews to promote smoke-free practices, distributed free nicotine lozenges, and delivered safety presentations on the health system’s tobacco-free policy. She also assisted in investigating a rise in Code Red alarms caused by vaping in hospital restrooms, which are now the second-leading cause of these alerts. Her collaborative approach has helped UC Davis address an increasingly serious environmental and safety issue.

“Since volunteering to serve on the committee last year, Dyer has done an exceptional job bridging fire and life safety with the health-focused initiatives of the program,” said Jason DeWitt, UC Davis Health fire marshal. “Her work has strengthened collaboration across programs and fostered meaningful partnerships. We are proud of both the work she has accomplished and the relationships she has built in support of this effort.”

Dan Colby and Alicia Agnoli

Emergency Medicine physician Dan Colby, M.D., and Family Medicine physician Alicia Agnoli, M.D., were recognized for their leadership of the Substance Use Intervention Treatment (SUIT) team. Both are strong advocates for improving tobacco treatment for patients with substance use disorders.

Their efforts include expanding tobacco screening and treatment protocols at the hospital, integrating tobacco cessation training into the UC Davis Addiction Medicine Fellowship, and establishing a new nursing protocol for tobacco treatment in the Emergency Department. Their work aims to help patients avoid nicotine withdrawal and access the comprehensive care they need.

Alexandria “Allie” Reimold

Alexandria “Allie” Reimold, Ph.D., a postdoctoral scholar in Human Ecology and recipient of the GOLD Award from the Tobacco Cessation Policy Research Center, was recognized for her research on Sacramento’s “healthy food exemption” in flavored tobacco policy. Her policy brief revealed that many retailers were not complying with the exemption and kept selling tobacco products despite the restrictions. Reimold shared her findings with local policymakers, highlighting enforcement gaps and supporting more equitable public health protections.