Conference Programme | Centre of Excellence for Trauma and Emergencies

Conference Day 1

Conference Day 2

Pre-Conference Workshops | Monday, November 3, 2025
CME Credits available

NB: Program subject to schedulling changes as we get closer to the event.

WORKSHOP 1 - Navigating Women and Youth’s Mental Health in Changing Climates

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM | Learning Space, 1^st Floor, Princess Zahra Pavilion

Workshop Facilitators

Dr Rabeeka Aftab
Senior Instructor, Department of Psychiatry, Aga Khan University

Dr Muneeba Amin
Senior Instructor, Department of Psychiatry, Aga Khan University

Workshop Director

Dr Nargis Asad
Professor & Chair, Department of Psychiatry, Aga Khan University

WORKSHOP 2 - Research Re-Invented: The Power of AI in Mental Health Research

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM | Learning Space 2A, 2^nd Floor, CIME Building

Workshop Facilitator

Dr Masood Jawaid
Medical Educator, PharmEvo (Pvt) Ltd.

Workshop Director

Dr Shahab Abid
Professor, Department of Medicine, Aga Khan University

WORKSHOP 3 - Digital Literacy and Resilience

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM | Learning Space, 1A&1B, 1^st Floor, CIME Building

Workshop Facilitators

Dr Naznin Virji-Babul (Virtual)
Director, Perception-Action Lab, University of British Columbia

Dr Jasmit Shah
Data Scientist, Brain and Mind Institute (BMI), Aga Khan University

Dr Lukoye Atwoli
Deputy Director, BMI, Professor & Dean, Medical College, Aga Khan University Kenya

Dr Anam Ali
Executive Director and Founder, DigiWell, USA

Workshop Director

Dr Kendi Muchungi
Manager, Education & Technology, BMI, Aga Khan University

WORKSHOP 4 - Resilience Bootcamp

2:00 PM - 5:00 PM | Multipurpose Hall, CIME Building

Workshop Facilitators

Ms Waliyah Mughis
Senior Instructor, Community Health Sciences and Brain & Mind Institute, Aga Khan University/span>

Ms Zara Nizar
Clinical Psychologist & Research Fellow,, Brain and Mind Institute, Aga Khan University

Ms Zarafsheen Veerji
Clinical Psychologist, Training Consultant, Brain and Mind Institute, Aga Khan University

Ms Anam Hossain (Virtual)
Child and Family Specialist, USA

Workshop Director

Dr Kendi Muchungi
Manager, Education & Technology, BMI, Aga Khan University

Conference Day 1
Monday, January 26, 2026 | AKU Auditorium

Conference Opening

8:30 AM - 9:15 AM

8:30 AM - 9:00 AM | Registration and Guests to be Seated

9:00 AM - 9:15 AM | Recitation of the Holy Quran

Theme I: Connecting Systems, Saving Lives “The Chain of Survival for All"
Plenary Session I

9:15 AM - 10:15 AM | Chair: Prof. Salim Virani, Co-Chair: Prof. Kathryn Chu

09:15 AM - 09:35 AM | Keynote Address | Strengthening the Chain Of Survival: Advancing Emergency & Trauma Care Through the Scientific Care

Dr. Junaid Razzak
Founding Director, Centre of Excellence for Trauma and Emergencies, Aga Khan University | Vice Chair Research, Weill Cornell Medicine

09:35 AM - 09:55 AM | The Chain of Survival in Emergency and Trauma Care Through the Health System Lens: Advancing Equity and Evidence

Professor Justine Davies
Professor of Global Health Research, University of Birmingham

Panel Discussion I

09:55 AM - 10:40 AM

Every Link, Every Life: Strengthening the Chain of Survival Together

Moderator: Dr. Noor Baig
Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, Aga Khan University | Physician in Lead, Pakistan Life Savers Programme

Panellists:

Dr. Abid Jalaludin Sheikh - Chief Operating Officer, Sindh Emergency Rescue Service 1122

Dr. Nausheen Razi - Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre JPMC

Dr. Munawar Khursheed - Professor, Emergency Medicine, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases

Saad Afridi - Parent Advocate

Pakistan Life Savers Programme Milestone Celebration
10:50 AM - 11:00 AM followed by Tea Break

Parallel Session I: Chain of Survival for Non-Communicable Diseases

11:30 AM - 01:00 PM | Chair: Dr. Unab Khan & Dr. Nadeemullah Khan

11:30 AM - 11:45 PM | Every Minute Counts: Building Stroke Pathways in Resource-Limited Emergency Settings

Dr. Ayeesha Kamal
Professor, Department of Medicine (Neurology) & Director of Stroke Services, Aga Khan University Hospital

11:45 AM - 12:00 PM | STEMI Systems of Care: From First Medical Contact to Cath Lab

Dr. Abdul Hakeem
Professor, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD)

12:00 AM - 12:15 PM | Recognizing the Silent Killer: Sepsis Care Bundles and Real-World Challenges

Dr. Madiha Ismail
Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Aga Khan University

12:15 PM - 12:30 PM | Inside the Walls: Strengthening the Chain of Survival for In-Hospital Cardiac Arrests 

Dr. M. Faisal Khan
Assistant Professor, Department of Anaesthesiology, Aga Khan University

12:30 PM - 12:45 PM | CETE Updates: Connect HTN Project

Dr. Badar Afzal
Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Aga Khan University

Parallel Session II: Chain of Survival for the Vulnerable (Women, Children & Elderly) 
11:30 AM - 01:00 PM | Chair: Dr. Lumaan Sheikh & Dr. Salman Kirmani, Moderator: Dr. Abdul Ahad Chottani

11:30 AM - 11:45 AM | Reimagining the Chain of Survival for low-resource settings. 

Dr. Ramu Kharel
Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Brown University

11:45 AM - 12:00 PM | The Pediatric Chain of Survival: Linking Maternal and Child Health in Pre-Hospital and Emergency Care

To Be Decided

12:00 AM - 12:15 PM | Life Between the Gaps: Bridging Transitions of Care in Cardiac Arrest Across the Lifespan

To Be Decided

12:15 PM - 12:30 PM | Averting Maternal Deaths & Disabilities: A Race Against Time

To Be Decided

12:30 PM - 12:45 PM | Lessons from the Pakistan Life Savers Programme
12:45 PM - 01:00 PM | Q & A Session

Lunch and Prayer Break
01:00 PM - 02:00 PM

Lunch Location: To be Disclosed

Theme II: Pre-Hospital and Trauma Care
Parallel Session III: Equitable access to Trauma Care After Injury in LMICs: Understanding Governance, Economics and Delays in the Chain of Survival.

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM | Chair: Dr. Saleem Islam, Moderator: Zabin Wajid Ali

2:00 PM - 2:15 PM | Health System Governance for Trauma Care after Injury in LMICs

Dr. Jean Claude Byiringiro
Associate Professor of Surgery, University of Surgery

2:15 PM - 2:30 PM | Economics of Survival: Investing in Equitable Access to Trauma Care Systems in LMICs

Professor Laura Bojke
Professor of Health Economics, University of York

2:30 PM - 2:45 PM |Delays and Disparities: Rethinking Equitable Access Across the Trauma Chain of Survival

Professor Kathryn Chu
Director, Centre for Global Surgery, Stellenbosch University

2:45 PM - 2:55 PM |CETE Updates

2:55 PM - 3:00 PM | Q and A Session

Panel Discussion II

3:00 - 3:30 PM

Equitable access to Trauma Care After Injury in LMICs: Understanding Governance, Economics and Delays in the Chain of Survival.

Moderator: Dr. Hasnain Zafar
Professor, Surgery, Aga Khan University

Panellists:
To be disclosed.

Parallel Session IV: From Sirens to Systems: Building Resilient EM in Low-Resource Settings
2:00 AM - 3:30 PM | Chair: Dr. Rizwan Naseer & Brig (R) Tariq Lakhiar, Moderator: M. Sohaib Iqbal

2:00 PM - 2:15 PM | Redefining pre-hospital care for the 21^st century

Dr. Ali Kashan Malick
Sindh Integrated Emergency & Health Services

2:15 PM - 2:30 PM | Strengthening EMS systems amid disaster and resource constraints

Dr. Eric Weinstein
Assistant Professor Emergency Medicine, University of South Florida

2:30 PM - 2:45 PM |Integrating prehospital and in-hospital care for better outcomes

To be disclosed

2:45 PM - 2:55 PM |CETE Updates

2:55 PM - 3:00 PM | Q and A Session

Panel Discussion III

3:00 - 3:30 PM

More Than Physical Wounds – Psychologically Informed Trauma Care and Managing Patients in Emergency Settings

Conference Day 2
Monday, January 27, 2026 | AKU Auditorium

Welcome & Address by the Chief Guest

08:45 AM - 09:25 AM

08:45 AM - 09:00 AM | Registration: Guests to be seated

09:00 AM - 09:10 AM | Welcome Address

09:10 AM - 09:25 AM | Address by the Chief Guest

Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho
Minister of Health, Population, and Welfare, Government of Sindh

Theme III: Humanitarian Crisis in Areas of Conflict

Plenary Session II

9:25 AM - 11:00 AM | Chair: Prof. Karim Damji

09:25 AM - 09:50 AM | Keynote Address | Emergency Care as a National Security Priority: A Strategic Model for System-Wide Preparedness

Dr. Saleh Fares Al-Ali
Executive Director, Emergency Preparedness & Response Centre, Department of Health (Abu Dhabi)

09:50 AM - 10:15 AM | Keynote Address | Navigating the Polycrisis: Global Climate Change, Disasters, and the Future of Health Systems

Dr. Zulfiqar A. Bhutta
Robert Harding Inaugural Chair in Global Child Health - Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto ; Founding Director, Institute for Global Health and Development & Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health - Aga Khan University ; Co- Director - SickKids Centre for Global Child Health

10:15 AM - 10:40 AM | Keynote Address | The Strategic Role of the Higher Education Commission in Strengthening National Responses to Humanitarian Complex Emergencies.

Professor Dr. Zia ul Haq
Executive Director - Higher Education Commission (HEC) ; Vice Chancellor - Khyber Medical University

10:40 AM - 11:00 AM |Panel Discussion

Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho
Dr. Saleh Fares Al-Ali
Dr. Zulfiqar A. Bhutta
Prof. Dr. Zia Ul Haq

Tea/Coffee Break
11:00 AM - 11:30 AM

Theme IV: Natural Disasters, Climate Change & Leadership
Plenary Session III

11:30 AM - 01:00 PM | Chairs: Syed Salman Shah & Dr. Khawaja Junaid Mustafa

11:30 AM - 11:50 AM |From Crisis to Continuity: Building Climate-Smart Emergency Care Systems

Dr. Eric S. Weinstein
Assistant Professor Emergency Medicine - University of South Florida

11:50 AM - 12:20 PM |Panel Discussion

Strengthening the Chain of Survival through Collaboration & Systems Innovation

Panellists: Prof. Kathryn Chu (Adjunct Professor of Surgery - University of Botswana & Inaugural Director of the Centre of Global Surgery) ; Dr. Taj Hassan (Consultant, Emergency Medicine - Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust) ; Dr. Sabir Memon (Executive Director - SMBB Institute of Trauma Karachi) ; Dr. Abdus Salam Khan (Chief of Emergency Medicine - Shifa International Hospital)

12:20 PM - 12:40 PM |Rapid Fire: Perspective of Community-led Stories Related to Disasters

When the Flood Came to Our Door: A Village Story of Survival and Solidarity
The First Responder Next Door: How Lady Health Workers Save Lives Before Ambulances Arrive
On the Edge of the Storm: A Paramedic's Story from the Epicenter
Care in Crisis: Nursing Resilience When Everything Breaks Down
The Global Heartbeat: What We Learn When Communities Lead Recovery

Disaster Leadership Course Graduation

12:40 PM - 12:50 PM

Closing Session

12:50 PM - 01:00 PM

Dr Brian Ahmedani
Senior Scientist; Director, Center for Health Policy & Health Services Research (CHPHSR); Director of Research, Department of Psychiatry, Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) USA

Dr Nazish Imran
Head & Professor, Department of Child and Family Psychiatry, King Edward Medical University, Lahore, Pakist

Distribution of Best Poster/Best Presenter Awards