Uncategorized

Dr. Maher Azzouz, Chairman of SAMS Foundation The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has awoken the world to a newfound sense not only of vulnerability but also of shared humanity. It has brought us together in ways we couldn’t imagine, reinforcing our interconnectedness and interdependence.  Governments and non-profit organizations around the world...

22-year-old Fatima* visited our Mental Health & Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Center in Gaziantep, Turkey suffering from chronic depression, characterized by intense feelings of hopelessness and other symptoms. “I am constantly worn out and my life is in disarray. Every day feels like I’m being suffocated and that everything is out...

Northwest Syria continues to experience an alarming spike in COVID-19 cases. SAMS operates three COVID-19 centers in the area specialized in treating and managing severe cases of the coronavirus. We recently caught up with one of our patients who shared his moving story of how he and his father struggled...

Ola is one of our medical students in Turkey. She is one of the first recipients of the SAMS scholarship and is now in her fifth year of medical school. She dreams of becoming a doctor so she can go back to Syria and help her community in need. In...

In northwest Syria, SAMS operates a number of mobile clinics that travel to IDP settlements to provide primary and specialized care to vulnerable individuals. Each mobile clinic includes a physician, a pharmacist, a midwife, a social worker, and a nutritionist. We recently caught up with Dr. Khaled Al-Omar, a SAMS ...

In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we caught up with Dr. Molham Khalil, one of our oncologists in Idlib. In this one-on-one interview, Dr. Khalil shares his story of perseverance and struggle to serve vulnerable populations in Syria, and offers insight on the importance of early detection of breast...

Dr. Salah Al-Saleh is an anesthesiologist and ICU specialist in Idlib. He has been working with SAMS since 2015 when he first joined our team at Ma’arat Al-Numan Central Hospital. He remained there until the end of 2019, when the hospital was forced to close due to escalated bombardment. Dr....

In 2016, SAMS launched a scholarship program to provide full scholarships to 12 Syrian medical students continuing their education in Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bshr Nammouz is one of the students receiving support from SAMS to resume his education at the Sarajevo School of Science and Technology in Bosnia...

no one leaves home unlesshome is the mouth of a sharkyou only run for the borderwhen you see the whole city running as well… no one puts their children in a boatunless the water is safer than the land… no one chooses refugee campsor strip searches where yourbody is left...

As a doctor, I have trained to serve my fellow human beings. There have been few experiences that have touched me as much as volunteering on a medical mission to Jordan with the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS). As a dermatologist, I knew my services were needed. Refugees did not...

June 2020.  What a strange time. It has never been like this before. The world seems to be upside down. One year ago, I was preparing for another medical mission to Jordan with SAMS. Nobody at that time could have imagined what all we would experience over the last few...

I started off as an assistant to surgery at the highest ranking hospital in Jordan. The next day, I was a dental assistant. The following day, I assisted a doctor in carrying medical supplies to her car. As an interpreter and translator for SAMS’ humanitarian medical missions, I was never...