Members of the AKU community gathered in the Medical College quadrangle to celebrate the late Dr Cheves McCord Smythe, founding dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, and to commemorate the extraordinary legacy he created at AKU.
The event, presided over by President Firoz Rasul, included President-Designate Sulaiman Shahabuddin, members of the Executive Council, previous and current deans, faculty and students. We were also joined virtually by AKU’s first president Dr Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, faculty members and several members of Dr Smthye’s family from North America.
A graduate of the Taft School and Harvard Medical School, Dr Smythe was a stellar academic and strategic leader whose unwavering belief in merit laid the groundwork for an institution steeped in that exact ethos. After serving as dean at both the Medical College of South Carolina and the University of Texas at Houston, he was recruited to become the founding dean of AKU’s Faculty of Health Sciences, Pakistan in 1979.
Dr Cheves was a mentor, a caring physician, trusted confidante, an unrelenting advocate for quality education and a respected leader. He is credited with ensuring that AKU had its own Charter as the first private university in Pakistan. After his very successful tenure as dean completed in 1985, he returned back to Houston only to return to AKU as chair of the Department of Medicine from 1991-92, answering the call to service when he was most needed. During their time in Karachi, he and his wife Polly embraced Pakistani culture and made several lifelong friends, many of whom still work at AKU today.
On President Firoz Rasul’s recommendation, our Chancellor, His Highness the Aga Khan, approved the naming of Lecture Hall 2 to honour Dr Smythe for his enduring impact. Dr Smythe’s invaluable contributions are recognised by the following inscription:
“This Lecture Hall is named after Dr. Cheves M. Smythe, Founding Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences from 1979-1985 and former Chair, Department of Medicine in 1991. Dr Smythe was pivotal in the establishment of health sciences at the Aga Khan University, pioneered the creation of an independent medical curriculum, laid the ground work for post graduate medical education programmes, and shaped the direction of both the Medical College and the School of Nursing and Midwifery. Our students continue to benefit from the progressive and forward-thinking educational pathways established by Dean Smythe. 13 September 2021”
By dedicating this space to him, the University hope to inspire our students to create their own pathways modelled after Dr Smythe’s pursuit of excellence and commitment to serving humanity wherever he went. As someone who was constantly on the quest for knowledge till the very end, it is fitting that his name adorns an area that is meant for learning and growth, where generations upon generations of students will engage in medical education.
"Dr Smythe’s journey is proof that what we do matters, and that steps we each take come together to create profound change and enrich everyone’s lives," said Medical College Dean Dr Adil Haider.