Dr Gemma Taylor is a public health scientist whose work has transformed understanding of smoking and mental health. She showed that quitting smoking improves mental health, informing over 170 clinical and policy guidelines worldwide. Gemma led trials integrating smoking cessation into NHS Talking Therapies, including face-to-face and digital interventions, shaping combined addiction and mental health treatment. She has authored over 60 peer-reviewed publications, secured £1.5M as Principal Investigator, and contributed to £35M in collaborative funding. Her contributions have been recognised with multiple awards, including BMJ’s Best Paper Award, the Fred Yates Prize, and the International Society for Behavioural Medicine’s Early Career Prize.

Abstract

Integrating smoking cessation treatment into NHS talking therapies: The ESCAPE trials

Smoking remains the world’s leading cause of preventable death, and people with mental health conditions bear a disproportionate burden, with smoking rates up to twice as high as the general population. My research has challenged long-standing misconceptions that quitting worsens mental health. Through two systematic reviews and meta-analyses, including a BMJ Research Paper of the Year and a Cochrane Review, I demonstrated that smoking cessation improves depression and anxiety, with effects comparable to antidepressants. This evidence has been cited in over 170 national and international guidelines, reshaping clinical practice and public health messaging globally. Building on this foundation, I led the ESCAPE trials – the first UK studies integrating smoking cessation into NHS Talking Therapies for depression and anxiety. These studies showed that combining cessation support with psychological care is both feasible and acceptable, reframing cessation as part of recovery rather than a competing priority. Finally, I developed and tested a digital version of ESCAPE, with SilverCloud Health, the NHS’s largest digital mental health platform. This innovation has the potential to extend access to hundreds of thousands of patients, with ongoing evaluation to ensure effectiveness, equity, and impact for those most affected by smoking and poor mental health.