NARCC Team Marks a Decade of Innovation at SRNT-E 2025 in Cluj-Napoca, Romania

By Associate Professor Dr Farizah Mohd Hairi

From 10 to 12 September 2025, I had the privilege of joining our NARCC team at the Annual SRNT-E Conference in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, a vibrant gathering of over 170 researchers from 24 countries, all committed to advancing tobacco control and nicotine science. Hosted by Babeș-Bolyai University, this year’s theme, “Navigating Inequities in the Evolving Nicotine and Tobacco Landscape,” was both timely and deeply resonant with our work. Held at the elegant Grand Hotel Napoca, the conference featured keynote lectures, symposia, and poster sessions that explored youth vaping, tobacco harm reduction, mental health, and digital cessation tools. It also offered meaningful opportunities for reflection, collaboration, and celebration, especially for our team, as we marked 10 years of innovation under the UM Grand Challenge Grant.

GEMPAQ V2.0: A Proud Milestone

One of the most memorable moments was presenting our poster on “Evaluating the efficacy of ‘Getting Every Smoker to Participate and Quit’ – GEMPAQ V2.0 mobile apps: Preliminary results.”, Malaysia’s first smoking cessation app in the Malay language, designed to support smokers through culturally tailored, personality-based interventions. The app was well received by international researchers, many of whom expressed interest in its potential for adaptation in other low- and middle-income countries.

What made this moment even more special was knowing how far we’ve come. GEMPAQ has truly been a labour of love, led by Dr Ann Yee as principal investigator, with our PhD candidate Ina Sharyn Kamaludin conducting a randomised controlled trial on the GEMPAQ V2.0 mobile app. Ina was originally scheduled to attend and present at the conference, but due to unforeseen circumstances, she had to withdraw at the last minute. Nevertheless, the three of us, Dr Amer Siddiq, Dr Ann Yee, and myself, were there to represent the team and share our collective journey.

I am especially proud to share that I coined the acronym GEMPAQ, which stands for
“Getting Every SMoker to Participate And Quit.” It captures the heart of our mission: inclusive, empowering, and action-oriented.

A Legacy of Collaborative Research

Over the past decade, our Grand Challenge Grant has supported multiple sub-projects that have helped shape the field:

SCOPE, one of four national training modules for cessation providers, evaluated by Dr Siti Idayu Hasan. I also had the privilege of coining the acronym, which stands for Smoking Cessation: Organising, Planning and Evaluation, reflecting our structured and strategic approach to provider training.
The Advocacy Project, initiated by Professor Dr Rahimah and Professor Dr Rohana, now evolved into HEBAT-UM under Associate Professor Dr Nur Amani.
Projects led by Dr Mohazmi Mohamed, Dr Rashidi, and our postgraduate trainees have also reached completion, contributing valuable insights into behavioural interventions and cessation tools.

Our journey has been guided by the unwavering support of core team members like Professor Dr Chris Bullen and Professor Rahimah A. Kadir, whose mentorship and collaboration have been instrumental in shaping our progress.

Looking Ahead

As Dr Amer poignantly shared, SRNT-E 2025 felt like the end of an era. Many of our senior colleagues are retiring or transitioning, and it is now up to the next generation, Dr Siti Idayu, Dr Rama, Dr Lim YC, Dr Amirul Amzar, Dr Ian Chong, Dr Afiq, Dr Hafyzuddin, and others, to carry this work forward. I am confident they will do so with the same passion and integrity that has defined our journey.

Though some of us may be moving on, the friendships and collaborations we have built will continue. As we look to the future, we remain committed to scaling GEMPAQ, strengthening its evidence base, and expanding our impact across communities. Here’s to the next chapter, and to the enduring spirit of teamwork, innovation, and public health advocacy.