Welcome Message from Associate Dean, Research
It is that time of the year when we gather to celebrate what early researchers have contributed in new knowledge to improve the wellbeing of the population. Aga Khan University has continued to promote conducive environment for increased generation of quality research while enabling mentorship of early researchers through research methodology and data analysis capacity development. After a period of research output slow down prompted by the covid-19 pandemic and inevitable re-organization of our Institutional Scientific Ethics and Research Committee (ISERC). We have now gone completely paperless in our protocol submission and institutional administrative clearance systems that will result in shorter turn-around times. Introduction of a scientific research committee (SRC) that reviews protocols before onward transmission to IERC earlier this year will ascertain scientific merit of submissions and ensure submissions with major scientific flaws do not get to ISERC before correction. In further support of the quality mission, our Department of Population health has employed full time additional epidemiologist, biostatistician, Social scientist and a health systems specialist to augment our research methodology and statistical analysis support to trainees and faculty. The Medical College also recently recruited an additional PhD post-doctoral fellow to lead in preparation and publication of manuscripts from lots of clinical and health system data accumulated at the hospital over recent years.
Local and global research collaborations witnessed un- paralleled rise in 2022 with many new grants awarded, thanks to our partners in research on climate change, maternal child health, mental health, early human development and other fields. Thanks to our trainees and faculty who have worked exceptionally hard this year to have dissertation work published in peer review journals.
This annual symposium will, like five others before, provide an excellent platform for trainees and young faculty from Aga Khan University, other public and private universities and research institutions to show-case their research productivity and promise for the future new knowledge generation for betterment of health of our population. I look forward to an interesting and highly interactive meeting and invite all to take advantage to make new friends and contacts for future collaborations.
Finally, I would like to salute the scientific organizing committee and others who have worked hard to contribute to the success of this symposium.
William M Macharia
Associate Dean Research
Medical College and School of Nursing and Midwifery, EA
Aga Khan University
