One of Aga Khan University’s longest serving faculty members, Professor S. M. Wasim Jafri, has received a lifetime achievement award in recognition of his three decades of academic and clinical service in the field of hepatology.
The award from Shifa International Hospitals Ltd was formally presented to him by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi during a liver transplant symposium in May, which celebrated the 650th transplant performed by the Islamabad-based hospital group. Professor Jafri has been associated with Shifa’s programme since 2012 and has consulted on several successful liver transplant cases.
Professor Jafri joined AKU in 1987 and was amongst the first gastroenterologists and hepatologists in the country. Today, he serves as the Ali Charan professor of gastroenterology in the department of medicine and associate dean and chair of the department of continuing professional education at AKU.
Over the course of his career, he has published widely on the chronic liver diseases caused by hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Both diseases can be treated effectively and hepatitis B can be prevented with vaccination, however, if left untreated, they can cause chronic liver disease and could result in liver cancer. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is another disease which affects millions of people in Pakistan. It is more common in people with diabetes and those who are overweight and obese, according to Professor Jafri.
“Viral hepatitis affects millions worldwide, causing acute and chronic liver disease,” Professor Jafri said while citing a recent national survey which estimated that between 10 million and 12 million Pakistanis were infected with hepatitis B and hepatitis C. “Both these viruses are responsible for 90 per cent of liver diseases and are a major public health problem in the country. They affect people from all walks of life. Therefore it is crucial that we do our best to create awareness and understanding of the treatment options available for best results.”
Professor Jafri has also mentored close to fifty postgraduate trainees in hepatology and gastroenterology - most of whom are now in leadership positions at various national and international institutions. Furthermore, he has shared his expertise as a consultant gastroenterologist and hepatologist while treating a variety of complicated liver disease and liver transplantation cases at hospitals in Pakistan.
“Once the complications of end stage liver disease sets in, the only option left for a cure is liver transplantation, which is still at an infancy stage in our country” says Professor Jafri. “Shifa has successfully performed an impressive number of transplants to date and it continues to inspire other institutions such as Sheikh Zayed Federal Postgraduate Medical Institute and Hospital Lahore, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) and Dow University of Health Sciences to initiate similar programmes of their own.”
Speaking about the award, Professor Jafri said, “I am immensely honored and humbled to have received this recognition. I hope to continue to provide exemplary patient care and to teach and train students and trainees so that going forward there are adequately qualified physicians, surgeons and other health-care professionals available to provide quality health services to those affected by liver disease. I also look forward to other institutions working to develop their capacity to perform liver transplantations aided by qualified personnel in appropriate, healthcare settings.”
One of Aga Khan University’s longest serving faculty members, Professor S. M. Wasim Jafri, has received a lifetime achievement award in recognition of his three decades of academic and clinical service in the field of hepatology.
The award from Shifa International Hospitals Ltd was formally presented to him by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi during a liver transplant symposium in May, which celebrated the 650th transplant performed by the Islamabad-based hospital group. Professor Jafri has been associated with Shifa’s programme since 2012 and has consulted on several successful liver transplant cases.
Professor Jafri joined AKU in 1987 and was amongst the first gastroenterologists and hepatologists in the country. Today, he serves as the Ali Charan professor of gastroenterology in the department of medicine and associate dean and chair of the department of continuing professional education at AKU.
Over the course of his career, he has published widely on the chronic liver diseases caused by hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Both diseases can be treated effectively and hepatitis B can be prevented with vaccination, however, if left untreated, they can cause chronic liver disease and could result in liver cancer. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is another disease which affects millions of people in Pakistan. It is more common in people with diabetes and those who are overweight and obese, according to Professor Jafri.
“Viral hepatitis affects millions worldwide, causing acute and chronic liver disease,” Professor Jafri said while citing a recent national survey which estimated that between 10 million and 12 million Pakistanis were infected with hepatitis B and hepatitis C. “Both these viruses are responsible for 90 per cent of liver diseases and are a major public health problem in the country. They affect people from all walks of life. Therefore it is crucial that we do our best to create awareness and understanding of the treatment options available for best results.”
Professor Jafri has also mentored close to fifty postgraduate trainees in hepatology and gastroenterology - most of whom are now in leadership positions at various national and international institutions. Furthermore, he has shared his expertise as a consultant gastroenterologist and hepatologist while treating a variety of complicated liver disease and liver transplantation cases at hospitals in Pakistan.
“Once the complications of end stage liver disease sets in, the only option left for a cure is liver transplantation, which is still at an infancy stage in our country” says Professor Jafri. “Shifa has successfully performed an impressive number of transplants to date and it continues to inspire other institutions such as Sheikh Zayed Federal Postgraduate Medical Institute and Hospital Lahore, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) and Dow University of Health Sciences to initiate similar programmes of their own.”
Speaking about the award, Professor Jafri said, “I am immensely honored and humbled to have received this recognition. I hope to continue to provide exemplary patient care and to teach and train students and trainees so that going forward there are adequately qualified physicians, surgeons and other health-care professionals available to provide quality health services to those affected by liver disease. I also look forward to other institutions working to develop their capacity to perform liver transplantations aided by qualified personnel in appropriate, healthcare settings.”