The Centre of Strategic Studies and Health Training (CSHT) and the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean and the WHO Country Office in Syria, convened a workshop on 28 April 2025 in Damascus to identify Syria’s public health research priorities. The event aimed to strengthen Syria’s health research agenda by aligning it with current public health needs.

The workshop, technically and financially supported by WHO, brought together public health experts, researchers, policy-makers and representatives from national institutions to participate in a structured research prioritization exercise. The process focused on four key areas: health systems; communicable diseases; noncommunicable diseases and universal health coverage. Participants reviewed and discussed an extensive list of research topics identified through earlier consultations and assessed each of them based on public health relevance and technical and operational feasibility.