A new era in the history of the Aga Khan University is dawning. For 42 years, we had the immense good fortune to be led by our Founder, His Highness the Aga Khan IV. United and inspired by his vision, we positively impacted millions of lives. Today, we are looking forward to building on his extraordinary legacy under the leadership of our new Chancellor, His Highness Prince Rahim Aga Khan V, and our new Pro-Chancellor, Princess Zahra Aga Khan.  

Our efforts over the next several years will be guided by AKU’s strategic plan for 2024-2028, AKU Onwards. We are launching new academic programmes, earning new forms of accreditation and implementing new technologies. We are advancing our environmental sustainability initiatives and partnering with government and private-sector institutions to improve health and education for the public, through research, capacity building and knowledge sharing.

Preventing Dementia in Kenya

The Brain and Mind Institute will seek ways to prevent dementia in Kenya through diet, physical activity and other interventions, with £2.14 million in funding from the UK’s Medical Research Council and the support of the FINGERS Brain Health Institute. Dementia is one of the world’s leading killers and cases are expected to soar in Africa as the population ages. Read More

£9.4 Million Project Aims to Improve Education in Pakistan

As part of a £9.4 million project funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the Institute for Educational Development is conducting research aimed at generating highly credible and policy-relevant insights that support the reform of Pakistan’s education sector. The Institute’s partners in the Data and Research in Education Research Consortium include Oxford Policy Management and Sightsavers. Read More

Tele-ICU Project Saves Lives

Critically ill patients in resource-limited health facilities who were helped by AKU’s Tele-ICU Project had outcomes comparable to those in a dedicated Intensive Care Unit, according to a study by AKU faculty in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization. AKU physicians have provided teleconsultations for nearly 2,500 patients at other hospitals through the project. Read More

Predicting Outbreaks with Wastewater Surveillance

In one of the first studies of its kind, faculty demonstrated that it is possible to predict the spread of COVID-19 by testing sewage in areas without functioning wastewater treatment plants. The study, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Southeast Asia, was conducted in Karachi but provides a model that can be applied elsewhere in Asia and Africa. Read More

Major Trauma Study Gets Underway

AKU’s Centre of Excellence for Trauma and Emergencies will shed new light on the quality of injury care in Pakistan through one of the largest trauma registries established in a lower-income country. Data on 9,000 patients has already been collected from five major hospitals in Sindh.

Prime Minister Helps Launch Clinical Manual

With Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif as its chief guest, AKU launched its Manual of Clinical Practice Guidelines – a set of evidence-based guidelines for physicians that has the potential to help avert 280,000 deaths annually. The online manual has already been accessed by nearly 8,000 users to date. Learn more here and here.

AKU Assists Government in Developing New Medical Complex

In the spirit of national service, and at the request of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, AKU is providing technical support to the Government of Pakistan in the planning of the proposed Jinnah Medical Complex and Research Centre (JMC & RC) in Islamabad. The complex is to be a state-of-the-art, 1,000-bed public-sector health care facility offering free or affordable high-quality care to the general public. The University is assisting in the selection of the consultants responsible for early-phase planning and design, as well as oversight during detailed design and construction. In addition, alongside other distinguished individuals, President Shahabuddin is serving as an independent Director on the Board of JMC & RC, contributing to its strategic direction and providing insights on health care delivery and institutional governance.

PM Lauds Hepatitis C Project in Gilgit-Baltistan

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif recognized AKU and other agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network for their contributions to the pilot phase of the PM’s National Hepatitis C Elimination Programme. In just 10 days, the project screened 14,000 individuals in Gilgit-Baltistan for Hepatitis C, a blood-borne disease that afflicts some 10 million Pakistanis. Read More

Study Influences Nairobi's ECD Programme

In Nairobi County, approximately one in six children under three years old does not reach key developmental milestones, according to a new study by AKU’s Institute for Human Development that involved visits to more than 3,000 households. Nairobi City County Governor Sakaja Johnson praised the study and said it “has become the basis for Nairobi County’s early childhood development programme.” Read More

GSMC Supports Gender Equality Project

The Women RISE research project earned praise from Kenya’s State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action. The project is focused on women’s health and economic empowerment for a COVID-19 Recovery that is Inclusive, Sustainable and Equitable. AKU’s Graduate School of Media and Communications (GSMC) helped research teams to shape policy and drive media engagement, ensuring the widespread dissemination of findings that exposed the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women. Read more here and here.

Collaborating with Government to Improve Exams

The AKU Examination Board has signed agreements with two government institutions to assist them in improving assessment and school-leaving examinations. In Balochistan, the Board will train educators in assessment practices under an agreement with the Province’s PMU-School Education Department. In addition, AKU-EB will collaborate with the Inter Boards Coordination Commission to improve the quality of exams nationwide.

Preparing Community Health Workers for Emergencies

AKU’s Centre of Excellence for Trauma and Emergencies has trained 2,000 Lady Health Workers in disaster response in two disaster-prone districts of central Sindh. Though they lack formal training in emergency care, LHWs often serve as first responders during large-scale emergencies such as the 2022 floods.

Nursing Students’ Research Symposium Draws a Crowd

More than 500 individuals attended the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Pakistan’s student-led research symposium, which featured research and innovation projects by more than 80 nursing students from Pakistan and abroad. Dr Ann Kurth, President of the New York Academy of Medicine, delivered the keynote address.

Students Lead Model WHO Assembly

AKU graduate students held a model World Health Organization Assembly that was endorsed by the WHO and visited by WHO Representative in Pakistan Dr Luo Dapeng. Students developed, debated and voted on resolutions addressing a range of public health issues. Read More

Canadian, American Students Praise Their AKU Experience

What’s it like for students from Canadian and American universities to visit and study at AKU? A student from Simon Fraser University said she “will forever be grateful for my experiences.” A student from the University of Florida said, “I ended up having one of the best summers ever.” A student from the University of Michigan said, “I feel like I’ve established a new family here.” Read more here and watch a video here. 

Physicians Complete Specialty and Sub-Specialty Training

In December, the Postgraduate Medical Education programme in Pakistan celebrated the graduation of more than 200 interns, residents and fellows in fields such as cardiology, neurosurgery, critical care and pediatric infectious diseases. More than 4,500 individuals have graduated from the programme since its inception. More than half of graduates are women. See photos here.

Out of the Classroom, Into the Community

An AKU education goes far beyond the classroom. Recently, students at the Institute for Educational Development in Dar es Salaam helped clean up Coco Beach, collecting more than 3 tons of rubbish. A few miles away, midwifery students provided free reproductive health consultations in the Ubungo and Kigamboni communities. Meanwhile, AKU helped a student from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences in Karachi to attend COP29, the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Azerbaijan.

FMIC Recertified by SafeCare

Despite the many challenges associated with operating in Afghanistan, the AKU-managed French Medical Institute for Mothers and Children in Kabul received Level 5 certification from SafeCare for the second time. SafeCare is a Netherlands-based hospital quality-assurance organization. Level 5 is the highest level of certification. In November, FMIC’s Postgraduate Medical Education programme graduated seven physicians, including two women. To date, 81 specialists have been trained at FMIC. Read More

3D-Printing Bone Implants in Pakistan 

The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi became the first hospital in Pakistan to manufacture its own bone-replacement implants using polyetheretherketone (PEEK). See the difference that a PEEK implant made for 17-year-old Umair in this video. Read More

Supporting Breast Cancer Patients

The Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi won a $100,000 grant from AstraZeneca for a study aimed at improving breast cancer care through the use of nurse navigators. Nurse navigators help newly diagnosed patients understand their condition and treatment options. They also coordinate care, reduce delays and reduce patients’ emotional burden. Read More

AKUH, Nairobi and Germany Support Immunization in Rwanda

The Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi donated two mobile vaccination clinics and 20 vaccine storage fridges worth €327,000 to the Government of Rwanda to support its immunization programme. The donation was financed by the German government through its development bank, KfW. Read More

AKUH, Karachi Honoured for Promoting Employee Health

The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi’s efforts to improve employee health earned it a Silver Award at the International Hospital Federation’s awards ceremony in Rio de Janeiro. From more than 500 entries in seven categories, 49 institutions won awards, including the Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam. Only 10 were from lower-income countries. Read more here and here.

Another First in Heart Surgery 

With the support of the cardiothoracic surgery team at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Assistant Professor Osman Faheem (AKU MBBS, 2002) performed Pakistan’s first transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) through a common carotid artery. The procedure is typically accomplished through femoral arteries, but in some patients another approach is required.

AKU Becomes MRCP(UK) Exam Site

AKU became one of just three institutions in Pakistan that are approved to administer the clinical examinations physicians must pass in order to obtain Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians. Membership is required to pursue specialist training in the United Kingdom. Read More

Enabling Lifelong Learning Online

As called for by its Five-Year Strategic Plan, AKU launched a new platform for the delivery of online learning opportunities to the public. Initial offerings include courses on caring for newborns and young children, the essentials of family medicine and simulation-based education for health care professionals. Read More

Advancing Palliative Care in Pakistan

The Medical College, Pakistan’s fellowship in palliative medicine became the second in the country to be approved by the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan. An estimated 870,000 people require palliative care in Pakistan annually, yet just five major hospitals provide palliative care as a specialty multidisciplinary service. Read more here and here.