AKU, in collaboration with the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), USA, has been awarded a grant of US $0.5 million from the Fogarty International Center of the United States National Institute of Health, to co-develop research training courses in Karachi and abroad for Pakistani health professionals wishing to advance their expertise in occupational and environmental health.

The programme is to be led at AKU by Dr. Franklin White, Chair, and Dr. Masood Kadir, Assistant Professor at the Department of Community Health Sciences, and at UAB by Dr. Nalini Sathiakumar and Dr. Elizabeth Delzell, with support from other colleagues at both centres. The total value of the grant is approximately half a million US dollars, spread over a period of five years.

The grant will be used in the first instance to bring experts from UAB to AKU to help the Department of Community Health Sciences build upon its own developing capacity in this critical area of public health research and development, as well as to sponsor selected trainees for advanced education abroad.

The Department has already conducted landmark studies in environmental lead exposure and the adverse health impacts of water quality. The grant will assist it in developing further studies in these areas, as well as develop expertise in other priority areas such as vector control, pesticide exposure, noise and air pollution, and the assessment of workplace health and safety. In 2001, AKU concluded a study of blood lead levels in a large representative sample of Karachi children, revealing that 80% have levels above that recognised internationally to be associated with risk of neurological impairment and, in some instances, more serious toxic effects.

A study of diarrhoea in remote northern villages demonstrated the critical importance of water, sanitation and hygiene interventions in reducing the incidence of this leading cause of child mortality throughout the country.

Both studies emphasize that medical care is an inadequate response to such health problems, and that the root causes of environmental contamination must be tackled through public health measures, such as eliminating lead in petrol and ensuring access to safe potable water.

Initially AKU and UAB will launch short courses, targeting participants from universities, industry, regulatory agencies and environmental NGOs. They will also co-host two workshops per annum on priority topics and develop for Pakistanis at both institutions medium and longer term degree training options, that go beyond the usual limits of traditional medical education.

The long-term aim is to develop indigenous capacity within Pakistan for all levels of training relevant to these critically important aspects of public health.