PhD Degree Awarded to Mr. Haitham Abdulwahab Masoud in Microbiology

Mr. Haitham Abdulwahab Abdulrazzak Masoud was awarded a PhD degree in Educational Psychology for his dissertation titled: Association of STAT6 Gene Polymorphism With Allergic Asthma Among Yemeni Children in Sana’a City, which was submitted to the Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences – Sana’a University. The dissertation defense was held on Wednesday, December 3, 2025.

The PhD Viva-Voce Committee, which was formed based on a resolution issued by the Graduate Studies and Scientific Research Council, consisted of the following:

#	Committee Members	Designation	Position
1	Prof. Saleh Salem Bahaj	Internal Examiner	Chair
2	Prof. Arwa Mohammed Othman	Main Supervisor	Member
3	Prof. Ahmed Saif Muharram	External Examiner	Member

The study aimed to examine the association between the genetic variant STAT6 (rs324011) and the risk of allergic asthma.

The study findings yielded revealed that the TT genotype of STAT6 (rs324011) was significantly more prevalent among children with asthma compared to the control group, indicating an increased susceptibility to the disease.

In light of these findings, the researcher recommended the following:

Conducting future studies to examine additional genetic contributors to asthma.
Expanding sample sizes to cover a broader range of geographical regions across Yemen

The dissertation defense was attended by Dr. Abdulhafidh Thawabah, University Vice Rector for Medical Colleges and Hospitals Affairs, along with faculty members, researchers, students, colleagues, and the researcher’s family.