Pioneer Recognized

Professor Richard Daynard was honored with a Congressional Proclamation on April 24, 2026, as Congressman Paul D. Tonko of the US House of Representatives recognized Daynard’s lifetime of transformative contributions to public health law and policy. Daynard, president of Northeastern Law’s Public Health Advocacy Institute and a legendary public health advocate, built his reputation leading the international movement to hold the tobacco industry legally responsible for tobacco-induced death, disease and disability — a battle that has largely been won. He has since applied that same litigation-driven strategy to gambling, social media and deceptively marketed foods.

The tribute came at a fitting moment. Across the United States, gambling addiction is spiraling out of control, driven by the explosive growth of online betting platforms, sports wagering and prediction markets.

The day of the proclamation, Daynard and the PHAI team were hosting a landmark international symposium making the case that the crisis demands the same kind of public health response that reined in Big Tobacco.

Online Gambling and the Public Health Movement: An International Symposium brought together a wide range of scholars and advocates in the gambling research field alongside US Senator Richard Blumenthal and Congressman Tonko, focusing on a comprehensive public health approach to the prevention of gambling harm — one that targets not just the individual but also the product and its dangers.

“I was totally surprised, and deeply moved, to receive this remarkable recognition at our symposium,” said Daynard, who was profiled in a 2025 Time magazine article, “The Man Who Took On Big Tobacco Has a New Target: Sports Betting.”