The hospitality of the organizers extended beyond the workshop! Dr. Zeeshan, Deputy Director Research (first from left) and Dr. Rubab, KMU faculty (second from right), went with CBEC faculty to Shogran. Picture shows the group on horsebacks at Paye meadows after an adventurous ride.
CBEC’S LONG-STANDING ASSOCIATION WITH KMU
Recent CBEC Workshop, KMU, Hazara Campus, KPK
May 21-23, 2025
CBEC-SIUT has had a long relationship with Khyber Medical University (KMU), a public sector institution in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK). It began in 2009 when KMU Professor Tasleem Akhtar approached CBEC with her conviction of the important role of integrating ethics in biomedical research, public health and professional clinical practices, and expressed the university’s commitment to expand bioethics education in the province. Since then, CBEC faculty have undertaken many workshops in KMU and its affiliated institutions in helping them to achieve their goals. Recent workshops have focused on research ethics to enhance the knowledge and sound functioning of ethical review committees (ERC) and their members in KPK.
The most recent CBEC workshop, “Methods and Ethics of Health Research,” took place in May 21-23, 2025 at the invitation of Dr. Khalid Rehman, Director of the Institute of Public Health and Social Sciences (IPH&SS), KMU. Held at KMU’s newly established campus in Mansehra, the workshop aimed to introduce participants to foundational concepts in health research ethics, public health challenges, and the ethical regulatory frameworks in Pakistan.
CBEC faculty, including Dr. Aamir Jafarey, Ms. Sualeha Shekhani, and Mr. Farid bin Masood, along with associate faculty and MBE alumnus Dr. Natasha Anwar, facilitated the sessions. Participants came from diverse fields, including public health, epidemiology, family medicine, basic sciences, and dentistry, reflecting a wide interest across disciplines.
During the workshop, CBEC faculty encouraged participants to apply for its formal certificate courses in Research and Public Health Ethics, as well as Clinical Ethics. KMU organizers also committed to adopting the WHO benchmarking tool to evaluate and strengthen the Ethics Review Committees across its constituent institutions.
During the closing session, KMU’s Vice Chancellor, Dr. Zia-ul-Haq, expressed a strong interest in initiating formal bioethics education programs at the university and invited CBEC to support this endeavor. This marks not just the continuation of a long-standing relationship but also holds promise for shaping an ethically grounded healthcare landscape in the KPK province.