an itinerant observer

Earlier this year an unanticipated event occurred.  The event was coined “To Innovation and Beyond” and was hosted at Aga Khan University.  This unprecedented collaboration between Aga Khan University and Habib University  brought together students of Science and Engineering with Students of Medical Sciences. The event essentially saw problems identified by the Final Year Science and Engineering students of Habib University that needed medical expertise to move forward. These problems mostly began as classroom projects, where the students aimed to solve real-world healthcare problems but lacked the knowledge that the students and practitioners of medical science could offer. An event of this magnitude did not just come about overnight. There was a devoted core team behind the effort. From Habib University this dedication was led by Dr. Waqar Saleem, Dr. Saleha Raza, and Mr. Jawwad Farid. The enthusiastic team from AKU consisted of three faculty members Drs. Asad ...

If you are lucky you may come across a book that challenges your assumptions, upends your convictions and knocks down your indoctrination. If you are really lucky then said book may present an alternative and limitless world view of possibilities that generates a warm fuzzy feeling within, perhaps because your assumptions have been challenged, convictions upended and indoctrination knocked down. I can safely say this has happened to me recently. After several years of sporadic reading of contemporary fiction, creative non-fiction and general non-fiction, I present to you….drum roll….Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari! This remarkable book belonging to the genre of ‘popular science’ per it’s cover is certainly that but goes far beyond. It is a highly evocative, provocative and candid outlook on Homo sapiens (modern human beings, in other words) – where they’ve come from, but more importantly where they are headed (hence, Homo Deus alluding to humanity version 2.0). All that, ...

“When the brain’s potential is fully unleashed, there can be few if any limitations. Anyone who tells you otherwise isn’t up-to-date with the latest scientific findings on the brain…for the brain’s potential is the human potential." – Author James Morcan Inspired by the possibilities for progress in neuroscience; young doctors, students and teachers unveiled a range of original thoughts and proposals at the Ignite event, part of the National Health Sciences Research Symposium, Mind and Brain conference. The human brain controls all the body’s thoughts, feelings and actions. It determines what it means to be human and is the source of all our creative and innovative impulses. The central importance of the brain to the body means that the field of neuroscience – the study of the mind, brain and nervous system – holds enormous potential to improve the world around us. With just five minutes each to stir the audience, the seven presenters explored a range of questions inclu...

Innovative app wins top prize at AKU’s first-ever Hackathon Four innovative solutions in emergency medicine receive awards Innovators at Pakistan’s first-ever medical hackat​hon at the Aga Khan University have proposed new ways of tackling challenges facing Pakistan’s emergency rooms (ER). HistorER , the winning team at the Hackathon, came up with a unique QR (quick response) code system to address a persistent challenge faced by ER doctors. Patients are often brought to emergency by family members or by bystanders who are not aware of their medical history. In the absence of critical information, doctors face delays in performing life-saving procedures.     The HistorER team has suggested that every person carry a medical card with a QR code with vital details: blood group, allergies, current medication and previous operations. Scanned, the QR code would provide doctors immediate access to information and the ability to ini...