Dr. Mahdi Sheikh is a Scientist at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC/WHO) and currently chairs the Tobacco Control and Smoking Cessation Committee of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). Over the past decade, his research has focused on understanding the impact of addictive substance use, including opioids and a wide range of tobacco products, on cancer risk and survival.

Dr. Sheikh’s work has made key contributions to the recognition of opium’s carcinogenicity and its associated cancer burden. He has also led pioneering research demonstrating the clinical benefits of quitting smoking after a cancer diagnosis across multiple cancer types and diverse populations. In 2021, he founded the Opioid Cohort Consortium (OPICO), a global initiative involving 20 institutions and harmonizing data from 30 sources across North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia, creating a unique dataset of nearly two million individuals with long-term follow-up. The consortium aims to comprehensively investigate the long-term health consequences of opioid use.

Dr. Sheikh has been awarded several grants totaling more than 4 million Euros from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the French National Cancer Institute (INCa) to support his research.