About Us

		The project is the fruit of international collaboration between a variety of institutions and scientists, to name some; the University of Memphis, Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Muenster, and the Syrian Society Against Cancer in Aleppo. The center's main focus is to develop a culturally sensitive tobacco cessation program to help smokers in Syria as well as other Arab countries quit smoking.
Aleppo is the second largest city in Syria after Damascus, with a population of about 2'500'000 inhabitants. Famous for its citadel, Aleppo is considered the oldest continuously inhabited urban center in the world dating back to the early 2nd millenium BC. By its own nature and circumstances surrounding its birth,this project is a striking demonstration that people from different backgrounds can work together for a common good, and that our human identity is prior to any identity we people are currently so occupied trying to defend.

The Syrian Center for Tobacco Studies provides a pioneer model of international cooperation for the establishment of sustainable research base in a developing country setting. It addresses the need to create local expertise not only in research methodology, but also in research support and fund raising areas.
The overall goal of SCTS is to forge a sustainable institution which draws on a wide range of complimentary expertise and resources from developed and developing nations and serves as a model of scientific excellence and commitment to the health of people in the developing world.
The project is initiated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) in order to create scientific capacity in tobacco research in developing countries.

The project is funded by a 5 year grant program administered by the Fogarty International Center (FIC) of NIH.

Main collaborating scientists:

Kenneth D Ward PhD
PI, University of Memphis
Director, Intervention DevelopmentWasim Maziak PhD
Co-PI, University of Muenster
Director, SCTS

Thomas Eissenberg PhD
Co-PI, Virginia Commonwealth University
Director, Clinical Lab

Ulrich Keil
Professor (University of Muenster, Germany)

National Steering Committee:

Dr. Haysam Kamal
Dr. Wasim Maziak
Dr. Nizar Akil
Dr. Bashir A. Adib
Dr. Fouad M. Fouad
Dr. Nizar El Bache

Regional Advisors:

Dr. Jawad Al-Lawati

Fatimah Al Awa