• CONSTANTINE VARDAVAS

BIO

Prof. Constantine Vardavas is a leading tobacco control figure in Europe whose work focuses on the intersection of tobacco product regulation, evidence-based policy, and public health surveillance. With an extensive background in monitoring the implementation of the European Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), Prof. Vardavas has been a central figure in providing the scientific evidence required to support the European Commission’s tobacco control legislation, including the development of the EU-CEG, the assessment of priority additives, and the assessment of tobacco product flavours. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and also the Head of the Technical Group of Chemical and Sensory Assessors of the European Commission’s panel for the assessment of tobacco product flavors.

Prof. Vardavas has led numerous international consortia in evaluating the efficacy of the TPD and the regulation of tobacco products —notably EUREST-PLUS, EUREST-FLAVOURS, EUREST-RISE and also co-coordinator of the JATC-1 (EU Joint Action on Tobacco Control).

He currently serves as the Coordinator of the Joint Action on Smoke- and Aerosol-Free Environments (JA-SAFE), the largest EU funded project on tobacco control and a landmark European initiative (2025–2029) aimed at protecting citizens from secondhand smoke and aerosols while advancing the goal of a “Tobacco-Free Generation”.

A distinguished leader in European public health, Prof. Vardavas has been honored with the 2025 WHO World No Tobacco Day Award and the American Cancer Society’s “Luther L. Terry” Young Pioneer Award.