Message From the Founding Director
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the Institute for Global Health and Development (AKU-IGHD). This is a major initiative of the University to champion large-scale interdisciplinary research which connects all campuses, entities and faculty of the Aga Khan University and links to the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN).
The establishment of the Institute marks a commitment by one of the world's most accomplished research and development institutions to deliver results on health and health-related Sustainable Development Goals. With extensive reach within South Asia and Africa, the Institute comprises a network of leading scholars delivering research findings from state-of-the-art laboratories and extensive field sites among representative populations. Through partners in the AKDN, and in collaboration with funders, governments, other universities and research centres, the potential for interconnected strategies and coordinated project implementation is boundless.
The Institute’s focus areas, highlighted in these pages, reflect issues of enormous importance globally. These include climate change, environment and health as well as the linkages between agriculture, food security and human nutrition across the life course. The Institute works on areas that link social and structural determinants of health with health outcomes including gender equality, women's empowerment, education and healthcare-seeking behaviors.
With partners across AKU’s Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations, Institutes for Educational Development, Institute for Human Development and Brain and Mind Institute, we create partnerships and synergies for multi-disciplinary work on issues of relevance to the SDGs. We invite faculty members and students across AKU campuses globally to join the growing body of collaborators and partners, and embark upon an exciting journey of scholarship spanning discovery, development and delivery. We look forward to keeping you informed as we negotiate these waters in the years to come.
Zulfiqar A Bhutta, FRS
Distinguished University Professor & Founding Director
