Pakistan Civil Awards have been presented to AKU’s Professor Rukhsana Zuberi and Dr Shahid Sami by the Sindh Governor Imran Ismail at a ceremony at the Governor’s House in Karachi.

Professor Zuberi and Dr Sami are among 127 Pakistani and foreign nationals to receive the awards conferred every year on March 23, Pakistan Day.

During their decades-long careers at the University, Professor Zuberi and Dr Sami have played a key role in raising academic and clinical standards, and in enhancing teaching and learning practices in medicine and education.

Dr Zuberi was conferred with the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz.

“Educating the next generation of caregivers, researchers and leaders to tackle new challenges has been truly inspirational,” said Professor Zuberi, a joint appointee in the departments of family medicine with and educational development. “I am honoured to receive this award and am grateful for this acknowledgment of my services.”

Dr Zuberi began her career at AKU in March 1986 and went on to become the chair of the Department for Educational Development as well as Associate Dean, Education. She has also held top positions at the Medical College that saw her contributions to improving assessment practices and student engagement recognised by Europe’s Association of Medical Education and Pakistan’s Association of Excellence in Medical Education.

She has also played a crucial role in planning and commissioning Pakistan’s first and only simulation-based healthcare education facility, the Center for Innovation in Medical Education, CIME, and served as its first interim director.

The Sitara-e-Imtiaz was conferred on Dr Shahid Sami, a senior lecturer in AKU’s department of surgery and a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi.

Dr Sami joined the University after completing his postgraduate training in the UK. Besides bringing back the expertise to perform complex cardiac operations to Pakistan, he also established teaching and training programmes that have honed the skills of the current generation of surgeons, nurses, technicians and perfusionists.

“I joined AKUH with the aim to provide high quality healthcare to cardiac patients,” said Dr Sami. “This award is a testament to this dream that the institution helped me realise.”

Dr Sami also serves as the vice-president of the Pakistan Society of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons and contributes to national and international societies of cardiothoracic surgeons which work on enhancing and introducing cardiac surgery programmes within and outside Pakistan.