​Insights From A Recent Visit To The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre 

​​For over 35 years, strong and effective partnerships remain the cornerstone of the Aga Khan University’s growth and development. The Aga Khan University Partnerships Office engages in mutually reciprocal partnerships that facilitate opportunities, projects, and platforms for faculty, staff, and students to interact and connect with partners. One way is through AKU’s Global Mobility initiatives that allow faculty, students, and staff to access partner institutions for capacity building and training experiences.  

Dr. Sadaf Altaf, Assistant Professor, from the Department of Oncology, at Aga Khan University’s Medical College in Pakistan, spent seven weeks at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Centre (Fred Hutch) in Seattle, Washington on an observership. Her time there was spent on learning more about Pediatric Haploidentical transplants and she explored research projects around bone marrow transplantation. 

Her visit also brought forth additional training opportunities that could be offered to AKU Faculty including: 

  1. A visiting clinical rotation; and, 
  2. A fellowship opportunity particularly in bone marrow transplant. 
During her visit, there were multiple discussions around research opportunities between the two institutions but also an exchange of best practices around Bone Marrow Transplantation.  

The partnership between AKU and Fred Hutch continues to grow and develop but by combining respective strengths in research, training, and capacity development, the impact of the partnership will be evident for years to come.