Young healthcare professionals from Near East University addressed the health and economic impacts of tobacco use through “Tobacco Control Training.” The two-day program, conducted in both English and Turkish, saw high student participation. The training will continue throughout May across the university’s six faculties on health sciences.

Raising awareness among young healthcare professionals is crucial in the fight against tobacco use, one of the most important preventable risk factors threatening public health. Acting on this understanding, Near East University, one of the top 500 universities in the world, continues to prepare its students for the future with a sense of social responsibility.

The “Tobacco Control Training”, carried out by medical students who are members of the Tobacco Control Club under the Near East University Student Dean’s Office, continues for students of the health faculties. The training will continue throughout May with the motto “A tobacco-free campus and a tobacco-free society”, reaching students in medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, health sciences, and veterinary medicine at Near East University.

The training program, consisting of two main sections titled “Health Impact of Tobacco” and “Economic Impact of Tobacco”, addresses numerous negative consequences of tobacco use, ranging from cardiovascular diseases and respiratory illnesses to cancer risk and decreased quality of life. It also comprehensively focuses on the economic burden that tobacco use places on individuals, families, and healthcare systems.

Prof. Dr. Özen Aşut: “Our aim is to train conscious and conscientious healthcare professionals in line with the goal of a tobacco-free society.”

Prof. Dr. Özen Aşut, a faculty member of the Public Health Department at Near East University Faculty of Medicine and advisor to the Tobacco Control Club, stated that the trainings conducted by the club provide a significant benefit to students in the healthcare field, and emphasized that such studies have strategic value for public health. Highlighting that tobacco use is a multi-dimensional public health problem, Prof. Dr. Aşut said, “The fight against tobacco is not just a clinical issue, it is a broad public health field encompassing education, economics, and societal behavior.” She also stressed the importance of raising awareness among young healthcare professionals at an early age. Özen Aşut stated, “The students receiving training here today will be the doctors, nurses, and health administrators of tomorrow. Thus, it is a critical requirement that they understand the harms of tobacco not only theoretically but also in terms of their multifaceted effects.”

Commenting on Near East University’s student-centered approach, Prof. Dr. Özen Aşut added, “Our university places great importance on projects that prioritize the benefit of society alongside scientific production. The active involvement of our students in this process is also extremely valuable. Our aim is to train conscious and conscientous health professionals in line with the goal of a tobacco-free campus and a tobacco-free society.”