December 2025

President’s Message

As we mark the end of the year, I would like to thank everyone at AKU and all of our supporters and partners for the progress we achieved together, and share how the University has served communities, advanced knowledge, and helped shape a better future. I would like to extend on behalf of the leadership at AKU our warmest wishes for the holiday season and prayers for a productive and peaceful New Year.

Kampala Campus​ Inaugurated

The University inaugurated its new 60-acre campus in Uganda and marked the start of construction of the Aga Khan University Hospital, Kampala at a ceremony presided over by His Highness the Aga Khan and President of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. The project is among the largest investments AKU has made in East Africa to date. It currently features a seven-storey University Centre, a nine-storey student housing building and an ambulatory care facility, all of which are now operational. When the existing academic facilities reach full capacity, the campus will be home to 100 faculty and 700 students, 164 of whom will be living in the student residences. Read more here and watch the highlights here.

Research and Innovation

AKU Researchers Rank Among the World’s Top 2%

Twenty-five AKU faculty members, 15 of whom are alumni, are among the most-cited scientists globally in their fields, according to a well-known study by Stanford University Professor John P.A. Ioannidis. Read more here and here. 

Maternal/Child Health Study Receives $10 Million Grant

In a major vote of confidence in the University, AKU researchers won a $10 million grant from the Gates Foundation. The grant will enable them to continue their efforts to provide groundbreaking insights into maternal and child health through a study that is among the largest of its kind globally. Read More

Study Reveals the Burden of Trauma in Kenya

More than half of Kenyan adults are likely to have experienced post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a study by investigators at AKU’s Brain and Mind Institute, Harvard University and the Broad Institute. The findings will help Kenya to “ensure communities … have access to care that meets their needs,” said Dr Mercy Karanja, Director of the Ministry of Health’s Mental Health Division. Read More

From Football and Islam to the Habsburg Legacy

Faculty at AKU’s Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations published two new books. The Beautiful Game on a Muslim Pitch, co-edited by Professor Leif Stenberg, explores the relationship between football and religion across a wide range of Muslim contexts. The Enduring Legacy of the Habsburg Islam Policy, co-edited by Associate Professor Sevgi Adak, analyzes the status of Muslim communities throughout the region of the former Habsburg Empire. Learn more here and here. 

Working for Gender Equality in Kenya

AKU’s Institute for Human Development will seek ways to reduce the burden of unpaid work borne by women in Kenya’s Isiolo and Lamu counties. Kenyan women spend an average of four to five hours a day on child care and other unpaid work, compared to roughly one hour for men. Read More

In Arusha, Avocados Meet Algorithms

Farmers in Tanzania and other countries could benefit from a new method for assessing crop health developed by researchers at AKU’s Arusha Climate and Environmental Research Centre and other institutions. The researchers created an algorithm to analyze drone imaging of avocado trees growing at the Centre. Read More

Preserving History in the Indus Delta

Professor Stéphane Pradines of AKU’s Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations will work to document and preserve threatened historic sites in the Indus Delta dating to the medieval and Mughal periods. Read More

Study Examines Vaccine to Prevent Respiratory Illness

In Pakistan, AKU researchers will study the effectiveness of a new vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which kills more than 100,000 children globally each year. Read More

Faculty Urge Vaccination Against HPV

AKU faculty in Pakistan are helping to educate the public and debunk rumours about the HPV vaccine, emphasizing that “decades of global evidence, across continents and cultures, affirms the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness.” The vaccine prevents cervical cancer, which kills an estimated 350,000 women annually worldwide. Read more here and here.

Enhancing Obstetric Care with AI

The Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health, East Africa is collaborating with the University of Barcelona to expand access to ultrasound screening for pregnant women in low-resource settings through the use of artificial intelligence. Read More

Student-Led Research Conference Draws a Crowd

AKU’s three-day International Student Research Conference in Karachi brought together more than 1,000 in-person and online participants for presentations, workshops, mentorship and networking. Read More

Coverage of Gender Violence Should Emphasize Accountability

Media coverage in East Africa “risks depoliticising gender violence by overemphasising victims’ suffering at the expense of systemic failures and outcomes of justice,” according to a study by the Graduate School of Media and Communications. Read more here and here.

Book Proposes a New Approach to Fighting Poverty

Professor Asad Ali published Poverty to Prosperity: A Blueprint for Change. Drawing on his experience working in a rural district of Sindh, Dr Ali argues that governments can improve well-being in low-income communities by incentivizing businesses to address poverty-related challenges. Read More

AKDN Project Reduces Stunting in Northern Pakistan

The Central Asia Stunting Initiative reduced severe stunting in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral by 39 percent over the course of four years, according to a study by AKU faculty. The initiative is led by the Aga Khan Foundation. Read more here and here.

Prioritizing the Envir​onment

Chancellor Addresses Climate and the Built Environment

His Highness the Aga Khan, Chancellor of the Aga Khan University, shared a message with those attending a conference on climate change and the built environment organized by AKU’s Institute for Global Health and Development. Referring to floods and other disasters, he said: “Extreme weather may be the trigger, but it is human choices that determine the magnitude of loss.” Read More

Detecting Drought Before It’s Too Late

New artificial intelligence models trained on nearly 20 years of satellite and environmental data can detect early signs of drought with a high degree of precision, helping farmers and policymakers to protect crops and manage water resources. The models were developed by researchers at AKU’s Arusha Climate and Environmental Research Centre and other institutions. Read More

VRW Shines a Spotlight on Air Pollution

AKU brought together local and international journalists in Islamabad for a screening and discussion of The Colour of Smog. The film is part of AKU’s award-winning series of environmental documentaries, Voices from the Roof of the World (VRW). Another episode, A Cry From the Mountains, was selected for the 10th Planeta.doc Film Festival in Brazil. VRW is set to be included in Pakistan International Airlines’ inflight entertainment, and Season Four launches next year! Watch The Colour of Smog here and check out Dawn’s coverage of AKU’s work on air pollution here.

Extreme Weather Impacts Mental Health in Kenya

The Associated Press covered an ongoing study of 15,000 women in Kilifi, Kenya by the Brain and Mind Institute that indicates that drought and heatwaves increase suicidal thinking. Read More

Five-University Consortium Focuses on Climate Resilience

Faculty from AKU and fellow members of the Five University Consortium gathered in Tanzania for their second scientific conference, sharing new findings on climate variability, sustainable agriculture, water management and other climate-related issues. The Consortium includes AKU, Simon Fraser University in Canada and three Tanzanian universities: Sokoine University of Agriculture, the University of Dar es Salaam and the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology. Read More

Supporting the Public Sector

AKU Supports Government of Sindh’s Health Efforts

The Department of Community Health Sciences is collaborating with the World Health Organization to provide technical guidance to the Government of Sindh as it develops a new provincial health policy to guide its work over the next decade. AKU is also working with Sindh to improve the quality of care at the District Headquarters Hospital in Tando Allah Yar. Read more here and here. 

Supporting Sexual and Reproductive Health

The Aga Khan University will join its fellow AKDN agencies and the County Government of Kilifi in seeking to increase access to sexual and reproductive health services for thousands of women and adolescent girls in Kilifi, Kenya. The six-year, C$25 million project is funded by Global Affairs Canada and the Aga Khan Foundation Canada. Read more here and here.

Examination Board Partners with Balochistan

The AKU Examination Board provided capacity building and technical support to the Balochistan Assessment and Examination Commission, helping it to improve the quality of assessment and learning in the province. Read More

Study Finds Government Programme Reduces Malnutrition

A study by AKU’s Institute for Global Health and Development found that Pakistan’s Benazir Nashonuma nutrition programme has substantially reduced stunting among young children. Read More

Enhancing Health Care

AKUH, Nairobi Reaccredited

The Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi was accredited by the U.S.-based Joint Commission International for the fifth time, earning an exceptional score of 98.4% across 1,200 elements. Read More

Off-Campus Hospitals Earn SafeCare Certification

In Pakistan, all four of the Aga Khan University Hospital’s off-campus hospitals (Garden, Karimabad, Kharadar and Hyderabad) again received SafeCare Level 5 certification, a globally recognized benchmark for health care quality and patient safety. Read More

Travelling to AKUH, Nairobi Just Got Easier

Patients who wish to fly to Nairobi to obtain care at the Aga Khan University Hospital can now obtain end-to-end logistical support from KQ Health, the health care division of Kenya Airways. Read More

Hyderabad Gets Neonatal Intensive Care

The Aga Khan Maternal and Child Care Centre in Hyderabad (an AKUH off-campus hospital) inaugurated a state-of-the-art Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The facility ensures that families in the Hyderabad area no longer need to travel long distances when their newborns require critical care. Read More

Heart Surgery Performed for First Time in Pakistan

Professor Saleem Islam performed Pakistan’s first left cardiac sympathetic denervation, helping a boy with a rare inherited heart disorder that killed four of his siblings. Learn more here and here.

New Tech to Improve Infectious Disease Care

The Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi became the first hospital in Sub-Saharan Africa to acquire a technology that will enable faster and more accurate diagnosis of infectious diseases. The technology will also support efforts to improve antibiotic prescribing practices in public hospitals in Kenya. Read More

Building Capacity

Residents and Nurses Graduate at FMIC in Kabul

Eleven specialist physicians graduated from the Postgraduate Medical Education programme at the AKU-managed French Medical Institute for Mothers and Children in Afghanistan. In addition, eighteen nurses graduated from the Institute’s new one-year Critical Care Nursing Programme. Ninety-two physicians in nine different specialties have graduated from the PGME programme so far. Sixty-one are currently undergoing training, including fifteen women. Read More

Four-Year Bachelor’s in Nursing Welcomes First Students in Uganda

The School of Nursing and Midwifery welcomed the first cohort of students to its four-year Bachelor of Nursing Science programme at the University’s new campus in Kampala. The programme’s graduates will play an important role in strengthening Uganda’s health care system. Learn more here and here.

New Degrees in Data Science, Early Child Development Launch

The Medical College, Pakistan launched two new master’s degree programmes, one in early childhood development and one in health data science. Both include substantial online components to make them accessible to working professionals. Learn more here and here.

IED Brings High-Quality Teacher Training to Southern Tanzania

The Institute for Educational Development awarded certificates to 29 teachers in Lindi, Tanzania who were trained through its Foundations for Learning project. “This initiative has created leaders … [It] has had a great impact on education in Lindi Region,” said Regional Academic Education Officer Kulwa James Masanja. Read More

Embracing Neurodiversity in Education

In Pakistan, the Institute for Educational Development launched a 24-week certificate course to help educators and caregivers support learning for children facing neurodevelopmental challenges such as autism and dyslexia. Learn more here and here.

Providing the Public with Online Learning Opportunities

The University celebrated a milestone in its journey toward democratizing education as 100 individuals graduated from its new online learning programme with digital badges and micro-credentials. The programme, known as LEADS, enables people to acquire skills that support professional development and personal growth. See the courses here.

Individual Honours and Awards

Members of the AKU community continue to receive prestigious honours and awards around the world. Alumnus Bakari Machumu was appointed Director of Presidential Communications for the President of Tanzania. Dean Dr Lukoye Atwoli was named World Health Summit International President for 2026. Dr Zeenat Sulaiman Khan was re-elected to the Governing Council of the International Hospital Federation. Dean Dr Karim Damji received the American Glaucoma Society Humanitarian Award. Senior Instructor Dr Duriya Rehmani will be honoured with a gold medal for her performance on The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ membership examination. Click here for a complete list of the honourees.

Achieving Excellence

Prestigious Journalism Conference Selects AKU as Host

The Graduate School of Media and Communications will host the prestigious African Investigative Journalism Conference next year, bringing it to Nairobi from Wits University in Johannesburg for the first time. “We looked around carefully in choosing a long-standing and trusted partner, and we found that in the Aga Khan University,” said Dinesh Balliah, Director of the Wits Centre for Journalism. Read more here and here.

AKU and WHO Join Forces for Patient Safety

AKU’s Centre for Patient Safety (CPS) was designated a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Patient Safety. As a WHO Collaborating Centre, CPS will work closely with the WHO and other institutions to support the delivery of safe and effective health care in low- and middle-income countries. Read More

Research Office Earns Certification

Following an audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers, AKU’s Research Office in Kenya became one of only four organizations in Africa to achieve platinum certification under the Good Financial Grant Practice Standard. Read More

To Improve Education, Treat Students as Partners

Students are collaborating with faculty to improve the University’s academic programmes through Student-Led Self-Assessment Reports. Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission has invited AKU to help develop a national policy on student engagement and quality assurance. Read More

Animal Facility Accredited

The Medical College, Pakistan was accredited by the U.S.-based Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International following an extensive review of its Animal Facility, which supports teaching and research. Read More

Study Names AKU a Best Place to Work

AKU was named the best place to work in Pakistan in the education sector by the Best Place to Work Pakistan Study, a collaboration between the Pakistan Society of Human Resource Management and Engage Consulting. Read more here and here.

AKU Honoured for Digital Health Leadership

AKU was recognized as a digital health leader at the CIO Africa Awards 2025, where it received three awards recognizing its excellence in health care ICT, enterprise IT adoption and electronic health records. Read More

Partnership and Collaboration

AKU and Partners Form National Nursing, Midwifery Consortium

The School of Nursing and Midwifery, Pakistan joined with the University of Lahore and other institutions to establish the National Consortium for Nursing and Midwifery Excellence. Read More

AKU and Maynooth Receive First EU Erasmus+ Grant

AKU and Maynooth University in Ireland secured their first EU Erasmus+ KA171 grant, which will enable student and staff exchanges across Pakistan, Kenya and Tanzania over the next three years. The €275,000 grant is a milestone in the University’s partnership with Maynooth, and advances AKU’s engagement with the European Union. Read More

AKU and Simon Fraser University Strengthen Partnership in Tanzania

Leaders from AKU and the AKDN hosted Dr Joy Johnson, President of Canada’s Simon Fraser University, and her colleagues in Dar es Salaam. Their visit included a tour of the Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam and its new Cancer Centre, and discussions on expanding clinical, research and institutional collaboration. The engagement sets the stage for deeper cooperation with Simon Fraser. Read More

AKU and Rush University Sign Nursing Agreement

The School of Nursing and Midwifery, Pakistan signed a memorandum of understanding with Rush University’s College of Nursing in Chicago, opening new opportunities for collaboration in research and education. Read More

Celebrating Our Alumni

Alumni Gather in Houston, London

In Houston, President Sulaiman Shahabuddin and Dean Karim Damji joined more than 400 alumni of the Medical College, Pakistan at the AKU Alumni Association of North America’s inaugural meeting and gala. The President also attended a gathering in Houston of more than 60 alumni of the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Pakistan, along with Regional CEO of the Aga Khan Health Services, East Africa Dr Zeenat Sulaiman. In London, Dean Salimah Walani joined a gathering of alumni of the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Pakistan from across the United Kingdom.

New Book Celebrates AKU’s Journalism Graduates

In celebration of its 10th anniversary, the Graduate School of Media and Communications published Stories of Change, a coffee table book documenting the journeys of its alumni in East Africa. Read More

Did You See​?

AKU held its annual golf fundraisers in Karachi and Lahore. The events help hundreds of children to obtain life-saving heart procedures each year.

Naveera, a student from Chitral attending the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, is one of the thousands of students who have benefited from AKU’s donor-supported scholarship and financial assistance programme. She says: “I have come to believe that kindness, when amplified, has the power to transform lives.” Learn more here.

Did You Know?  

The Medical College, East Africa’s powerful discussion series in Nairobi - Life Conversations - is drawing applause for bringing together a larger and more diverse audience to address issues ranging from surviving loss to the power of algorithms to shape behavior.

© Aga Khan University, Office of Strategic Communications

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