Undergraduate Medical Education
Community Health Sciences (CHS) currently delivers about 18 per cent of classroom
teaching and coordinates 90 per cent of off-campus education, involving students
in urban Primary Health Care sites. (Dr
Neelofar Sami)
Postgraduate Education
CHS launched Aga Khan University's (AKU) first postgraduate degree programme in 1996, a two-year MSc (Dr Rehana Siddiqui, Director, Epidemiology and Biostatistics), the first of its type in Pakistan. This was enhanced to include formal recognition of biostatistics in the name of the degree commencing with the class of 2001. In 2000, CHS launched a second two-year MSc programme, in Health Policy and Management (Dr Babar T. Shaikh, Director, Health Policy and Management ). CHS also supplies substantial course content to the PhD degree programme in health sciences, launched in 1999.
Specialty Education
CHS developed Pakistan's first speciality programmes in Family Medicine and
Community Medicine (Dr
Zafar Fatmi). Both programmes are recognised by the College
of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan and make extensive use of PHC, as
well as relevant external attachments under supervision.
Continuing
Education Programme (CEP)
Short training courses under CEP are conducted
regularly since 1994 to further strengthen the professional
expertise and problem-solving skills of the people
belonging to different sectors of health and development.
For its initial four years (1994 to 1998), this programme
was funded by Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) for three courses
only, and later on became a self-sustained regular
programme of the department. Due to its popularity
and demand, it appeared as a major activity of the
department with increased number of regular, and tailor-made
courses (Applied Nutrition; Social Mobilisation Techniques,
Gender, Self and Development; PHC for LHVs, etc) to
be offered within and outside Pakistan particularly
for the mid-level health and development managers,
researchers, planners and workers, working with government,
NGOs, and international development agencies. Over
the years, the programme has trained 1,371 participants
in 75 training courses spanning from six days to three
months' duration. The programme drew participants
from member countries of Aga Khan Development Network
(AKDN) ( Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Kenya, Tanzania, and Tajikistan ), government agencies, and other
NGOs working in Pakistan and in neighbouring countries
e.g. Afghanistan, Iraq, Cambodia, and Nepal. (Dr
Sarah Saleem/Ms Nadira Ashraf)
Other Education and Training Initiatives
In order to support the development of research officers attached to projects,
CHS for many years has run a Research Officers Programme. This has recently
been upgraded (1999) into a Research Officers Training Programme to incorporate
formal structured training in research methods. In support of the School
of Nursing, CHS has also contributed substantially to the development of
Community Health Nursing, as a distinct discipline, as well as to the BScN
programme. (Dr Juanita
Hatcher)
Research and development activities
A review of FHS grants and contacts over the
past three years reveals that CHS accounts for more than
half the total financial value, and a mid-year review
in 2001 reveals well over $2 million worth of grants
currently active or in the pipeline. Faculty are currently
contributing annually in the range of 30-50 published
articles, book chapters, etc, to the international health
sciences literature.
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