Media Advisory: ‘Insider’ Jeffrey Wigand to discuss his tobacco industry experience at UB

BUFFALO, N.Y. – University at Buffalo alumnus and tobacco industry whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand will be at UB to talk about his experience with the tobacco industry at 9:30 a.m. Friday, March 28th, in 125 Kimball on the South Campus.

The event is free and open to the public.

Wigand, who was portrayed by Russell Crowe in the 1999 film, “The Insider,” gained national fame as a tobacco industry whistleblower on Feb. 4, 1996, when he was interviewed for the CBS news program “60 Minutes.” During that interview, Wigand said that Brown & Williamson had intentionally manipulated its tobacco blend to increase the amount of nicotine in cigarette smoke.

In court and in the Wall Street Journal as well, Wigand disclosed how the tobacco companies had conducted extensive campaigns to conceal from the public their knowledge that cigarette smoking was highly addictive and caused lung cancer.

Gary Giovino, professor, chair of the Department of Community Health and Health Behaviors, will host the presentation. Giovino's work has focused on surveillance of tobacco use and tobacco dependence among youth and adults in the United States and around the world.

Wigand will also be in Buffalo to receive a distinguished alumni award through the UB Alumni Association on March 28th -Friday evening. (Wigand holds three degrees from the University at Buffalo: a BS in chemistry and an MS and PhD in biochemistry through the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and Roswell Park Cancer Institute.)

Sara Saldi will be available on site at: 716-597-8434.