Happenings in Pathology:
2nd International Allied Health Conference 2025 – Active Participation by AKUH Clinical Laboratory Team.
Mashhooda Ifran
Quality Assurance, Clinical Laboratory Medicine
The 2nd International Allied Health Conference, organized by the Office of Allied Health, was held on October 14, 2025, at Aga Khan University under the theme “Three Shifts: Hospital to Community, Treatment to Prevention, and Analog to Digital."
The event featured pre- and post-conference symposia, workshops, and a scientific program chaired by Dr. Aysha Habib Khan, Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. The Clinical Laboratory team played an active role across the Scientific, Organizing, and Workshop Committees, with Ms. Mashhooda Irfan, Dr. Yousra Sarfaraz, Ms. Nazneen Islam, and Ms. Mahwish Saleem contributing significantly. Ms. Mashhooda Irfan also served as Co-chair of the Scientific Committee.
Two symposia were organized by the Clinical Chemistry Section: “From Detection to Care: Shaping the Future of Newborn Screening in Pakistan through Allied Health" and “From Hospital to Community: The Expanding Role of Point of Care Testing," both featuring national and international experts.
The AKUH Clinical Laboratory team submitted four workshops to the Workshop Committee—all of which were accepted, successfully conducted, and well attended by participants from within and outside Aga Khan University Hospital.
Details of the workshops:
- External Quality Assurance: Enhancing Laboratory Quality through Proficiency Testing – led by Ms. Lubna Khaleeq along with sectional QC Coordinators.
- Mastering Phlebotomy: Hands-on Skills for Safe and Effective Blood Collection
- Conducted by the Phlebotomy Team in collaboration with Ms. Nazneen Islam
- Risk Mitigation in Clinical Laboratory through Individualized Quality Control Plan (IQCP) - Conducted by the Clinical Microbiology Section along with the QA group
- Clinical/Quality Audit: A Tool for Continuous Improvement
- Conducted by the Quality Assurance Group, led by Ms. Saba Sohail
The scientific sessions featured speakers from national and international institutions. The first session, “Hospital to Community," was moderated by Ms. Mashhooda Irfan, with Dr. Sumaira Farooqi and Dr. Masood ul Hasan serving as chair and co-chair.
An E-poster competition, efficiently managed by Dr. Yousra Sarfaraz and Ms. Mahwish Saleem, concluded the event.
Overall, the conference was a highly rewarding experience, highlighting the active engagement and leadership of the AKUH Clinical Laboratory Team in advancing allied health practices.
Inaugural Session
Organizing Committee
Scientific Committee
Workshop Committee
Chair & Co-chair: Hospital to Community
Session
Moderator, Hospital to Community Session
Hospital to Community Session
Chair & Co-chair and Moderator – Treatment to Prevention session
x--------------------------------------------------------------------x--------------------------------------------------------------------x
Empowering Quality Through Clinical Audit: Highlights from Our Interactive Workshop
Saba Azeem
Quality Assurance, Clinical Laboratory Medicine
"Improving Today's Care to Prevent Tomorrow's Harm" was the theme of our most recent Clinical and Quality Audit Workshop, which was held as a post-conference on October 16, 2025, as part of the 2nd International Allied Health Conference 2025. It was organized by the Allied Health Department of Aga Khan University and Hospital Karachi by the help of Ms Saba Sohail, Assistant Manager, Quality Assurance, Clinical lab.
Healthcare professionals from a variety of specializations came together for the four-hour interactive event to hone their abilities in conducting meaningful clinical audits, a crucial instrument for promoting patient safety and continuous improvement.
Setting the Stage:
The session opened warmly with Dr. Erum Khan (Chairperson, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine) who broke the ice and encouraged participants to share their expectations. The room quickly came alive with conversation
Building the Foundation of Clinical Audits
The first talk by Dr. Sibtain Ahmed (Vice Chair Pathology and Laboratory Medicines) delved into the essence of “What is Clinical/Quality Improvement Audit?" — highlighting how audits differ from research and quality improvement projects yet serve as a bridge between the two.
Ms. Mashhooda Irfan (Manager, Quality Assurance Lab) explained the importance of clinical/ quality improvement audits through the lens of regulatory standards
Demystifying the Audit Cycle
Guiding participants through the core of the session, Ms. Saba Sohail, (Assistant manger, Quality Assurance Clinical Lab) presented “The Steps of the Clinical Audit Cycle." Her session combined mini-lectures with real examples, demonstrating how each phase — from topic selection to re-audit — plays a crucial role in sustaining quality. Her engaging style kept participants attentive and inspired to apply these steps in their own departments
Fun Meets Learning
The energy didn't drop for a moment. Ms Saba Hameed led a lively Kahoot quiz, testing participants' understanding in a fun, competitive way. It was proof that learning about audits could indeed be enjoyable!
From Learning to Doing
After a short tea break, the room transitioned from listening to doing. During the interactive brainstorming activity, facilitators Ms. Mashhooda Irfan, Ms. Saba Sohail, Ms. Bushra Ahmed, and Ms. Gulnaz Wahid, guided small groups through designing their own audit proposals. Laughter, debates, and lightbulb moments filled the room as participants worked together to translate concepts into real plans and presented.
The workshop concluded with Mr. Waqar Ahmed Mirza (Director Laboratory) Closing remarks and Vote of Thanks to the speakers and facilitators — a gesture of appreciation for their dedication to cultivating a culture of continuous improvement.
Celebrating Teamwork and Achievement
Collective Step Forward
By the end of the day, participants walked away not just with knowledge, but with a renewed sense of purpose.
Through this workshop, our department reaffirmed its mission: Improving today's care to prevent tomorrow's harm.
