Global Ambassadors: Impact of CBEC-SIUT’s Alumni
Since 2011, CBEC has been following alumni activities in bioethics through annual feedback. These Alumni Reports capture alumni involvement in activities across different domains. These include publications related to bioethics, membership in Ethics Review Committees (ERCs) and their involvement in teaching bioethics within or outside their institutions. Data is also collected regarding their participation in workshops and seminars, and attendance at conferences.
The Alumni Report 2024 marks an important transition from email-based data collection to a dedicated alumni portal hosted on the CBEC website. This will allow real time data collection, and improve both accuracy and accessibility. Below, we highlight some of the prominent areas in which CBEC alumni have made meaningful impacts.
MBE Alumni: Theses Publications
The Master’s in Bioethics, initiated in 2011, has graduated 17 students to date. In its second year, students conduct original research for their theses on topics relevant to their contexts. Publications from these, which highlight voices in bioethics from Pakistan internationally, are shown below:
Aamir M Jafarey (Class of 2011). “A Degree in Bioethics: An “Introspective” Analysis from Pakistan.” Indian Journal of Medical Ethics, 2014.
Bushra Shirazi (Class of 2011). “Impact of the Word “Cancer”: A Pilot Study on Breast Cancer Patients from Pakistan.” Asian Bioethics Review, 2017.
Saima Perwaiz Iqbal (Class of 2011). “Patients’ perceptions on their involvement in medical education: a qualitative pilot study.” Journal of Academic Ethics, 2013.
Elizabeth Bukusi (Class of 2013). “Views of the taught and the teachers on medical ethics teaching in two universities in Kenya.” Indian Journal of Medical Ethics, 2022.
Ali Lanewala (Class of 2017). “Indirect costs associated with “free” paediatric haemodialysis: Experience from Karachi, Pakistan.” Indian Journal of Medical Ethics, 2023.
Sualeha Siddiq Shekhani (Class of 2019). “Daughters and daughters-in-law providing elderly care: a qualitative study from Karachi, Pakistan.” BMC Geriatrics, 2024.
John Weru (Class of 2021). “Ethical Issues Faced by Health Care Professionals in the Provision of Palliative Care in Kenya.” Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 2024.
PGD Alumni: Notable Publications
Inayat Ullah Memon (Class of 2006): “Complexities of medical research in developing countries: Standard of care: Responsibilities of ethics committees.” European Journal of Medical Research, 2017.
Muhammad Shahid Shamim (Class of 2008): “A contextually relevant ethics education mode.” International Journal of Ethics Education, 2020.
Sarwat Nasreen (Class of 2010). “Being Robin Hood: Weighing Risks versus Benefits.” Asian Bioethics Review, 2010.
Mohsin Azam (Class of 2012) & Saleha Anwar (Class of 2016): “Mentoring ethics in postgraduate surgical training: A developing country perspective from Pakistan.” Surgical Neurology International, 2013.
Asma Nasim (Class of 2014): “Incorporating ethics into infectious disease clinical practice guidelines.” Clinical Microbiology and Infection, 2025.
Muhammad Fayyaz (Class of 2016). “Medical Ethics in Military Medical Setups.” Pakistan Armed Forces Medical Journal, 2018.
Murtaza Dhrolia (Class of 2018). “No” to placebo-controlled trials of Covid-19 vaccines.’’ Indian Journal of Medical Ethics, 2021.
Gideon Cornel Msee (Class of 2018). “Debates and discourses for teaching bioethics to a research ethics secretariat in Nairobi, Kenya: A report.” Indian Journal of Medical Ethics, 2023.
Three Alumni elected to the National Bioethics Committee for Research (NBC-R), Pakistan in 2025
Three alumni from the CBEC-SIUT were elected to the NBC-R, including Dr. Faheem Khan (PGD Class of 2014; standing first from right), Dr. Natasha Anwar (MBE Class of 2019; standing third from left), and Dr. Abubakar Ali Saad (PGD Class of 2023, not in the picture). This has doubled the number of CBEC alumni in the committee from five to ten individuals from the year 2024 to 2025. The current Chair of the NBC-R, Dr. Saima Perwaiz Iqbal (sitting fourth from left), is also an MBE alumnus. The photo features the NBC-R members and its Secretariat during a meeting in Islamabad.
Research Ethics Governance
Members of Institutional ERCs 53
Chairs of Institutional ERCs 03
Vice Chairs of Institutional ERCs 02
Alumni are affiliated with multiple ERCs across 19 institutions in Karachi, 7 in Islamabad, 7 in Lahore, 3 in Kenya, and one each in Jamshoro, Larkana, Mirpur Khas, Quetta, Peshawar and Multan. Majority of these institutions are based in the province of Sindh.
Other Notable Activities by Alumni
Muhammad Ikram Ali (PGD Class of 2016): Facilitator, Medical Ethics and Jurisprudence at CPSP, Pakistan.
Aruna Dawani (PGD Class of 2016): Member, Global Health Network, University of Oxford, UK.
Caroline Kithinji (MBE Class of 2017): Developer and Trainer, Ethics Curriculum for Laypersons, Kenya.
John Weru (MBE Class of 2021): Member, The Global Compliance Team, AKU Global.
Beenish Syed (PGD Class of 2023): Member, Ethics Advisory Committee, European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID).