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The
Clinical Epidemiology Unit (CEU) at AKU gained membership in August 2002 within the International Clinical Epidemiology Network
(INCLEN). It is the first unit of its kind in Pakistan to have
achieved this international recognition.
CEU is an initiative
of AKU's Department of Community Health Sciences, and was launched
in January 2002. It seeks to enhance individual and population
health by advancing measurement of and knowledge about the social,
behavioural, medical and biological factors influencing health,
so as to improve quality of care and to advance clinical research
using appropriate epidemiological methods. It endeavours to work
in an interactive partnership with clinicians,
government and industry both nationally and internationally.
This
partnership with INCLEN opens avenues for collaborative research
with other member countries, building institutional research capacity,
thereby making CEU eligible to participate in research exchange
programmes and including potential funding for projects and workshops
from the INCLEN Trust and other sister agencies. It also opens the
possibility for the CEU eventually to become a coordinating centre
for INCLEN-led multi-centre research studies and programmes.
The
International Clinical Epidemiology Network (INCLEN) was founded
by the Rockefeller Foundation with the objective of improving health
in the developing world. The INCLEN network uses diverse disciplinary
resources and collaborative arrangements to address health care
problems. INCLEN follows a multidisciplinary approach in promoting
application of evidence-based health care practice. It is active
in linking evidence to health policy and interventions, serves as
a forum for dissemination of health research, and builds capacity
for research leadership and management.
The
criteria for membership into INCLEN as a recognised clinical epidemiology
unit are evidence of local (indigenous) faculty with highly specialised,
structured training in various aspects of clinical research, and
proof of commitment to research. Currently, it has a membership
of over 500 scientists in various disciplines, including clinical
epidemiology, biostatistics, clinical economics, and other social
sciences based in 44 clinical epidemiology units and 19 clinical
research and training centres in 26 countries.
Dr.
Tazeen Jafar, Director of CEU, envisions that "CEU's participation
in INCLEN's regional priority setting exercises for developing and
planning of health care research projects would allow projection
of Pakistan's health care needs at a global forum. It would also
facilitate appropriate international resource allocation to our
country for clinical research and health initiatives."
Dr.
Franklin White, Chair, Community Health Sciences, noted that " INCLEN
membership is a symbol of international recognition of the ability
of the CEU to produce clinical research of the highest quality."
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