Dr. Mazen Kewara is the Regional Director of the Syrian American Medical Society -SAMS Foundation, one of the leading medical and humanitarian organizations working in the Middle East. Dr. Kewara has a medical degree and Master in vascular surgery from the University of Damascus and has worked in the Tishreen Hospital in Damascus. In 2011 when the conflict in Syria began, Dr. Kewara started treating victims of the government’s violence against peacefulprotests, but had to leave Syria to Turkey with his family in 2012. Dr. Kewara then started working with SAMS, and was the founding staff member of the SAMS Turkey office. As Country Director, Dr. Kewara has overseen the growth and expansion of SAMS’s northern Syria programs, including supporting health workers, sponsoring hospitals, providing cross-border medical assistance, and training hundreds of doctors and nurses. In addition to humanitarian services Dr. Kewara is involved in the documentation of human rights violations that SAMS do to highlight what health workers have been witnessing in Syria. Dr. Kewara participated in the civil society supporting rooms in Geneva talks, and in many other delegations advocating for humanitarian aspects in Syria. Currently serving as the Regional Director for the Syrian American Medical Society - SAMS Foundation, He also oversees all Middle East country offices and represent SAMS with key regional stakeholders.