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Capacity Building for Research
 Since its inception, Aga Khan University School of Nursing (AKU-SON) faculty have committed themselves to the improvement of nursing education in response to the health needs of the people of Pakistan. However, in recent years, AKU-SON has realised the importance of nursing research and thus, the impetus for doing research and disseminating results and generating knowledge relevant to Pakistan and the region.
The institution has provided material resources such as computers in faculty offices and 24-hour Internet access for research capacity building. In addition, faculty returning with higher education strengthens the research capacity of AKU-SON.
The objective of identifying research priorities has now become an agenda item of the Research and Publication Merger Committee, a joint committee consisting of nurses from AKU-SON and the University Hospital. The purpose of this committee is to create a strong link between nursing education and practice and enhance collaborative research between faculty and hospital staff. The research forum was created from this committee and it allows faculty to present their research projects and ideas to other faculty and nursing staff on a regular basis. Together faculty and staff are beginning to publish in refereed journals and presenting research papers at international conferences.
AKU-SON faculty are involved in collaborative research initiatives with AKU's Working Group for Women (WGW), Community Health Science department and Development of Women Health Professional Project (DWHP).
AKU-SON faculty has also conducted research workshops for nurses in the government sector. Such efforts will create an impact on standards of nursing education and practice in the country.
Research is no more a luxury, but it has become a requirement for our future graduate programme.
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