Lu: We’re very focused on creating legislative impact at the international level.
At the tender age of 14, when most teenagers are busy trying to find their footing in the world, Lisa Lu founded the International Youth Tobacco Control (IYTC) – an initiative focused on innovative youth-led tobacco prevention strategies and data-driven advocacy.
Recalling how, when she was in ninth grade, her cardiologist mother told her that teenage tobacco use was a big issue, she said she was not convinced because “none of my friends smoke”.
“My mum encouraged me to go check it out for myself, so during the school break, my dad brought me to China and helped me connect with five high schools in three cities, where I did a survey of 900 students.
“I found a smoking rate that was six times that of California, where I live.”
Coincidentally, Lu came across news about an Indonesian toddler who was smoking 40 cigarettes a day. Coupled with her survey results, she was left reeling in shock.
The smoking rate disparity between developing and developed countries made her realise that tobacco control is both a global public health problem and a social problem.
That’s when Lu decided to set up the IYTC.
“I was on a mission to unite youth from different countries to fight for teenage health,” she said.
Initially, none of the organisations she reached out to responded. The turning point came when she and a few members decided to head to Sacramento to deliver a public comment on a bill that would ban the sale of flavoured tobacco products.
“The day before I was supposed to leave, an aide of the senator called and asked if IYCT would like attend a press conference because the youth advocate who was scheduled to speak couldn’t make it.
“It was a six-hour drive and we would have to leave at 2am to make it for the morning press conference but my mum, being the enthusiastic mentor that she is, insisted we jump on the opportunity.”
Soon after, people started responding to her partnership proposals and today, IYTC has expanded to 60 countries, impacting 57 million youths.
“Of course I thought of giving up in the beginning but one defining moment changed that. A young participant whose dad was a heavy smoker credited our event for educating him about the harms of tobacco.
“That felt more satisfying than any individual accomplishment because I saw how my work was making an impact on someone’s life,” said Lu, who has been serving as IYCT chief executive officer for the past eight years.
She helped pass Prop 31 in California, making it the first state to ban the sale of flavoured tobacco products, and has also authored research with Stanford Medicine that led to the passing of HR 2471 in Congress to close the synthetic nicotine loophole.
Internationally, she started grassroots movements like “Tobacco Free Around the World” to bring educational webinars to Zambia, Kenya, South Africa, Indonesia and Bolivia, all while working with Formula 1 to eliminate tobacco sponsorships in races, with the World Health Organization to end tobacco farming, and with the United Nations to develop comprehensive guidelines for countries.
“When we started and had no money, we did activities at the park before progressively moving into bigger venues.
“Now, we’re very focused on creating legislative impact at the international level. Last year, we travelled to Indonesia to speak with legislators about how we could help reform the laws there.
“It’s been very rewarding. Youth power matters.”
Lu, a Stanford University graduate, who is currently pursuing a Juris Doctor degree at the University of California Berkeley School of Law, United States, was recently awarded the prestigious Luther L. Terry Young Pioneer Award.
Presented by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease and the American Cancer Society, the award recognises early-career individuals demonstrating exceptional promise and impact.
Having set an example for her peers from all over the world, Lu is now looking to “rope in my eight-year-old sister” to join the cause.
“I am the eldest of five siblings. My two brothers and sister are all supporting me as part of the organisation.
“We’re working on getting the youngest in soon,” she said, sharing how her family has been instrumental in her advocacy.
In 2020, Lu was named National Youth Advocate of the Year by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. And in 2023, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from former US president Joe Biden.
She believes in a youth-for-youth approach and, to this day, maintains an organisation that is completely student-run.
“I deeply believe in the power of youth. Our chief financial officer, board members – every single person – is a middle-schooler, high-schooler, college student or graduate student,” she said.
Lu and Global Alliance for Tobacco Control executive director Leslie Rae Ferat received the Luther L. Terry Young Pioneer Award at the closing ceremony of the World Conference on Tobacco Control in Dublin, Ireland, on June 25.
For over two decades, the Luther L. Terry Awards – named after the former US surgeon general whose landmark 1964 report on smoking and health changed the course of public health – have acknowledged individuals and organisations making significant contributions to the field of tobacco control.
Note: For details or to collaborate with Lu’s organisation, log on to https://www.iytc.org/
