September 2025

President’s Message

While international cooperation faces challenges, at AKU, we continue to believe in mutually beneficial cooperation, and we remain fundamentally optimistic regarding humanity’s power to develop solutions to the challenges it faces.

The fruits of this perspective are well represented in this edition of The President’s Review. As called for in our strategic plan and by our Chancellor, His Highness the Aga Khan, we are capitalizing on the power of technology, research, and partnership to drive progress in the societies we serve. We are seeking to use artificial intelligence to assist health care professionals in caring for patients in resource-limited settings. In collaboration with government and vulnerable communities, we are working to combat deadly diseases and prepare for climate-driven emergencies. We are also launching new educational initiatives, including the online courses offered to the public through our LEADS project.

As part of the Aga Khan Development Network’s €100 million commitment to Syria, announced by His Highness in March, the University is exploring appropriate interventions in Damascus and Salamiyah to build the capacity of health care providers and teachers. The University will also be joining its fellow AKDN agencies in fighting malnutrition as part of the $45 million nutrition commitment announced by His Highness in Paris.

Rather than pulling back from international commitments, AKU is forging ahead. This week in Uganda, we will celebrate a momentous milestone in the University’s history. On our new 60-acre campus in Kampala, we will inaugurate our University Centre and Student Residences and start construction on the Aga Khan University Hospital, Kampala. A new era for AKU in Uganda is beginning, one in which the University will make a major contribution to improving health and education, and to the AKDN’s goal of creating an integrated health care network that spans East Africa.

“Plans and visions are poor things if they inspire no action” – so said AKU’s Founder. I am gr​ateful to everyone who is taking action to make our strategic plan a reality, and to advance the vision of our Chancellor, His Highness the Aga Khan, and our Pro-Chancellor, Princess Zahra Aga Khan.

Expanding Knowledge

AKU, UN and Kenya Partner on Women’s Health

AKU is partnering with the United Nations Population Fund, the Government of Kenya and the Africa Centres fo​r Disease Control and Prevention to launch the Wo​menX Collective’s Nairobi Hub. The WomenX Collective is seeking to mobilize $100 million in funding for efforts to implement innovative, large-scale projects around the world that improve health for women and girls. Read More

AKU, Michigan Receive $23.6 Million for Kenya Health Study

AKU and the University of Michigan will deliver important insights into the health needs of older Kenyans through a study supported by a $23.6 million grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The number of Kenyans age 60 and over is expected to quadruple over the next thirty years. The study will collect data on approximately 6,500 Kenyans across the country, seeking to understand drivers of health and well-being in later life. Read More

AI Project Wins Google Support

A project developed by AKU’s Data Innovation Office to use artificial intelligence to assist doctors in Kenya in making decisions regarding patient care was selected from among nearly 3,000 contenders around the world to receive support from Google’s philanthropic arm, Google.org. Read More

Diagnosing Respiratory Diseases with AI

Dr Kahabi Isangula of the School of Nursing and Midwifery, East Africa, was awarded a nearly £1.3 million grant by UK Research and Innovation for a project to use artificial intelligence to transform the diagnosis of respiratory diseases in Tanzania. Read More

Digital Humanities Project Receives Major Grant

Professor Sarah Savant and her team at AKU’s Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations in London received a highly competitive €2.5 million grant from the European Research Council. The grant will advance their work applying machine learning to the history of knowledge transmission and textual reuse in Arabic and Persian. Read More

Study Finds Abuse of Women Athletes is Common in East Africa

A study by the Graduate School of Media and Communications revealed a high prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) against women athletes across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The authors report that entrenched patriarchy, weak safeguarding structures and a culture of silence leave women vulnerable to verbal, emotional, physical and sexual abuse by coaches, officials and spectators. Read More

Increasing Vaccine Acceptance

AKU is working to increase vaccine acceptance and the participation of pregnant women in vaccine trials in Kenya, in preparation for trials of vaccines against Group B Streptococcus (GBS). The bacteria causes an estimated 150,000 preventable stillbirths and infant deaths annually. Read More

Report Details Nursing’s Potential

The Pakistan Business Council and AKU’s School of Nursing and Midwifery launched a major report that urges Pakistan to invest in its nursing workforce to strengthen the health care system and boost the economy. Pakistan has just one nurse for every 2.2 doctors, while most countries have far more nurses than physicians. Read more here and here.

Focusing on the Environment

A New Season of Voices from the Roof of the World is Coming

Season Four of the award-winning documentary series Voices from the Roof of the World is in production and scheduled to air in late 2025. New episodes will focus on Pakistan, India, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. As floods continue to devastate communities in northern Pakistan, some of VRW’s episodes are more relevant than ever – shedding light on these very struggles while linking them to the global climate conversation. Watch now and see how resilience takes shape in the face of climate change.

FMIC Starts Solar Project

The AKU-managed French Medical Institute for Mothers and Children in Kabul broke ground on a 1-megawatt solar power plant with President Sulaiman Shahabuddin in attendance. The plant is expected to cut the hospital’s operational carbon emissions by 10 percent. Read More

Heatwave Planning Gets a Boost in Sindh

Five of Sindh’s most heat-prone cities are developing heat action plans with the support of AKU’s Centre of Excellence for Trauma and Emergencies. The plans will give the cities protocols for issuing warnings, coordinating ambulance services, setting up heat-relief camps and more. Read More

Advancing Health

Bringing Cutting-Edge Cancer Care to Kenya

The Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi became the first hospital in Kenya to offer Lutetium-177 PSMA therapy for patients with metastatic prostate cancer. Studies show that the therapy improves survival rates, reduces disease progression and enhances quality of life. Prostate cancer is the most-diagnosed cancer among men in Kenya. Read More

Launch of Aesthetic Services at Clifton Medical Services

The Aga Khan University Hospital’s Clifton Medical Services launched its Aesthetic Services Unit, which offers safe and effective anti-aging, skin-renewal, hair and other procedures. Read More

Hospital’s 54th Outreach Centre Launches in Nairobi

The opening of the Rhapta Outreach Medical Centre advances the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi’s goal of expanding access to high-quality care. It will provide a comprehensive range of general and specialist services. Read More

Contributing to a New Cardiovascular Guideline

Vice Provost for Research Salim Virani is among the distinguished authors of a significant new guideline on the use of statins to prevent heart disease in people with HIV. The guideline and its development are described in an article in the well-known journal Annals of Internal Medicine. Read more here and here.

Partnering with Government

Kenya’s National Insurance Programme to Cover Care at AKUH

The Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi signed a partnership agreement with Kenya’s Social Health Authority, paving the way for eligible Kenyans to access advanced medical procedures—specifically kidney transplants and heart surgeries—under the country’s Universal Health Coverage programme with no out-of-pocket costs. Read More

Sindh Awards First Teaching Licenses

Nearly 650 teachers became the first in Sindh to receive a teaching license, at a ceremony presided over by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah. The occasion was the culmination of a years-long collaboration between AKU’s Institute for Educational Development, the Sindh Teachers Education Development Authority and their partners. Licensing will help to ensure that children are taught by qualified educators. Read More

Project Increases Vaccination Rates in Low-Income Areas of Karachi

In 15 union councils of Karachi, the number of children who have not received a single vaccine dose fell by 76 percent following a three-year collaboration among AKU, the Sindh Health Department and the Expanded Programme on Immunization. The project made immunization and malnutrition-screening available in private-sector clinics. Sindh health officials have incorporated its lessons into the province’s immunization plans. Read More

AKU and Sindh Launch Malaria Control Plan

Malaria control in Sindh received a boost with the launch of a plan to eliminate the disease in Thatta, one of the country’s most malaria-affected areas. Led by AKU, the Thatta Malaria Elimination Plan was developed in collaboration with the public sector and international partners. Sindh Minister of Health Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho said the project “has the potential to uplift suffering communities across Sindh.” Read more here and here.

Supporting Government Nursing Schools

The Government of Sindh has agreed to pay for 10 nursing instructors from the public sector to get a master’s in nursing at the School of Nursing and Midwifery (SONAM). In addition, SONAM and the Sindh Health Department will launch a faculty-development programme for nursing instructors from outside AKU. Public-sector faculty will also be paired with SONAM professors to gain hands-on experience.

Building Capacity

Simulation-based Training Comes to Tanzania

The Centre for Innovation in Medical Education opened a facility for high-fidelity, simulation-based education in Dar es Salaam. In Karachi, the Centre signed agreements with three external organizations to provide health professionals from outside AKU with training opportunities. Read More

Advanced Practice Nursing Launches in Tanzania

The School of Nursing and Midwifery is now offering a Master of Science in Advanced Practice Nursing in Dar es Salaam. The programme aims to prepare nurses for more specialized and autonomous clinical roles and thereby to expand access to high-quality care for patients. The inaugural class includes the Director of Nursing Services at Muhimbili National Hospital. Read More

Improving Education in Gilgit-Baltistan

1,250 teachers who underwent 18-24 days of training on gamification and activity-based learning at the Institute for Educational Development are now working to improve education in 600 government schools across Gilgit-Baltistan. Institute researchers are studying the impact of the project by testing approximately 4,000 students. Read More

Intensive-Care Webinars Reach Thousands

More than 6,400 health care professionals from across Pakistan have enhanced their ability to manage Intensive Care Unit patients by attending webinars conducted by AKU staff over two years. Pakistan has few critical care beds and few trained intensivists, making efforts to enhance critical care urgent.

Building Climate Resilience in Flood-Affected Areas of Pakistan

The Institute for Educational Development will contribute to a $16.5 million project that aims to address challenges created by the 2022 floods in Pakistan and strengthen the resilience of communities to future climate shocks. The project will reach nearly 700,000 people in Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh. It is led by the Aga Khan Foundation Canada and funded by Global Affairs Canada and the Foundation. Read More

Advancing Inclusion for People with Disabilities

President Shahabuddin and NOWPDP President Amin Hashwani signed an agreement to advance the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in Pakistan. The two organizations aim to promote inclusive education, enhance accessibility in AKU facilities and improve disability awareness at the community level. Read More

Celebrating AKU’s Impact

Marking Independence, and AKU’s Contribution to Pakistan

President Shahabuddin and members of the AKU community came together to celebrate Pakistan’s Independence Day and pay tribute to the contribution of the University’s faculty and staff to the nation’s progress. See the celebrations here and here. Since 1991, faculty and staff have earned 32 prestigious civil awards for their exceptional service to Pakistan. From responding to earthquakes and floods to combating pandemics, the University has consistently stood alongside the people of Pakistan.

In Dubai, AKU Gives Thanks and Shares its Vision

AKU had a strong presence at the Global Encounters Festival in Dubai, which brought together thousands of members of the Ismaili community from around the world. The University showcased its diverse climate-change initiatives and its award-winning series of environmental documentaries, Voices from the Roof of the World. Through its exhibition, A Transformative Vision, AKU shared its rich history and far-reaching impact, attracting over 5,000 visitors. The University also gathered donors, alumni, volunteers and former staff to share its progress and thank them for their generous support. Read More

Leadership News

Medical College, Pakistan Gets New Dean

AKU Professor Karim Damji was appointed Dean of the Medical College, Pakistan. Professor Damji was Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at AKU prior to his appointment. Previously, he was Professor and Chairman of the University of Alberta’s Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. Educated at the University of British Columbia, the University of Ottawa, Duke University and Queens University, he is the author of more than 180 peer-reviewed publications and has served as president of two professional associations in Canada. Read More

Honours and Awards

Numerous leaders, faculty, staff and alumni have earned prestigious honours, awards and appointments in recent months from institutions around the world, including the Government of Pakistan, Concordia University, the Swedish Paediatric Association, the American Institute of Pakistan Studies and the International Association for Educational Assessment. Click here for a list of the honourees.

Did You Know…

Girls were nearly 70 percent of the top scorers on the Aga Khan University Examination Board’s secondary and higher secondary school certificate exams this year. It was the tenth consecutive year that girls have dominated the Board’s High Achievers List.

Faculty members Sajid Soofi, Shabina Ariff and Jai K. Das helped to shape the World Health Organization’s new guideline on the management of pneumonia and diarrhoea in children. The diseases are responsible for the deaths of more than 1.1 million children annually.

Did You See…  

The Patient Welfare Programme made it possible for Jackline Kwamboka to receive two life-saving procedures: an open-heart surgery in 2022, and an emergency thrombectomy to remove a blood clot in her brain in 2024.

© Aga Khan University, Office of Strategic Communications

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