University Awards Recipients
Back row (L-R): Dr Murad Moosa Khan, Dr Amirali Pyarally Gulamhusein, Dr Rashida Ahmed, Mr Louis Ariano, Professor Yasmin Noorali Amarsi, Dr Mohammad Perwaiz Iqbal, Dr Rumina Hasan, Mr Asif Fancy, Professor Nelofer Halai.
Front row (L-R): Dr Abul Faizi, President Firoz Rasul, Trustee Zakir Mahmood, Provost Carl Amrhein, Dr Zulfiqar Bhutta.
Award of Distinction
This award recognises individuals who have contributed constructively and consistently to the development of the University.
Dr Amirali Pyarally Gulamhusein
Dr Gulamhusein has been a member of the Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences since 1985 and a Professor of Anatomy since 2012. While his contributions to basic science education and mentoring, especially in anatomy, are well known, it is his special contributions in the planning and establishment of the Anatomy and Surgery Learning Studio, an excellent facility for undergraduate and graduate anatomy education, for which Dr Gulamhusein is being recognised today.
Mr Asif Fancy
Asif Fancy has been a source of inspiration since he joined AKU in 1997. His passion and relentless efforts have been a cornerstone in his raising significant funding for multiple capital projects for the University. AKU buildings for which Mr Fancy has played an important role in raising funds include: the Nazerali Walji Building; the expansion of the Emergency Room; expansion of the Labour and Delivery Room (Aziz Valimohamed Building); the Khimji Building; the Neonatal Intensive Care Building expansion; the Sports and Rehabilitation Centre; the Women’s Residence; expansion of the operating theatres; Ibn Zhur (Cancer) Building; Centre for Innovation in Medical Education (CIME); expansion of the Clifton Medical Services; University Centre, Nairobi; Aga Khan University Hospital, Kampala. Asif currently serves as a Senior Advisor in the Office of the President.
Mr Louis Ariano
Lou Ariano is AKU’s founding Registrar. In establishing the Registrar’s Office in Pakistan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and the UK, Lou was responsible for implementing a common, University-wide student information system that meets and exceeds international recordkeeping standards. In writing many of the University’s current academic regulations and policies, Lou has streamlined processes for all of the University’s programmes of study so as to meet AKU’s academic standards and the regulatory requirements of multiple regional regulatory bodies. He has been responsible for re-designing the University’s degree and diploma parchments and has brought numerous enhancements to the University’s Convocation ceremonies. And, as AKU’s Registrar, Lou has signed 6252 degrees and diplomas.
Professor Emeritus / Professor Emerita
This title is conferred on retired members of faculty in recognition of sustained contributions in teaching, scholarship, and service throughout the faculty member’s career.
Professor Abul Faizi
Dr Abul Faizi joined AKU in the Department of Psychiatry in 1991. During his more than quarter-century association with the University, Dr Faizi has served in a number of important teaching and administrative roles including, Chair of the Health Mela Committee; a member of the strategic planning subcommittee on governance; JCI task force. In addition to his academic service, which included Dr Faizi serving as Chair of the Department of Psychiatry, he served as the Director of Patient Relations from 2008 to 2016.
Professor Mohammad Perwaiz Iqbal
Dr Iqbal joined AKU as an Assistant Professor and Acting Chair of the Department of Biochemistry in 1983. In addition to his teaching, he served as Interim Chair of the Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, 2009-2010, and again from 2015-2019, during this time simultaneously serving as the Director of the Faculty of Health Sciences PhD programme. Dr Iqbal has been named the Medical College’s “Outstanding Teacher” – as selected by students – in 1995 and again in 2004; in 2006, Dr Iqbal received the University’s “Award of Excellence in Teaching”; and in 2013, Dr Iqbal received the “NUST Distinguished Visiting Professor”.
Professor Murad Moosa Khan
Dr Khan originally joined the University as a Senior Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry in 1988 and, following studies in the UK, rejoined the Department of Psychiatry as an Associate Professor in 2001. He has served as the Chair of the Department of Psychiatry from 2003-2013 and during his tenure at AKU, he has supervised numerous graduate-level students. Apart from his scholarly work, Dr Khan is also an accomplished author, has been the co-chair of AKU’s Bioethics Group, a member of AKUH Ethics Committee and currently is the President of the International Association of Suicide Prevention.
Professor Nelofer Halai
Professor Halai has retired after a long and distinguished career spanning more than 30 years at AKU, 19 years at the Institute for Educational Development, and earlier at the School of Nursing and Midwifery. Dr Halai has successfully supervised two PhD students, 32 master’s students and served as an examiner on 51 graduate thesis defenses, including eight international PhDs. Dr Halai remained part of more than 30 research grants and her publications include a book; 10 book chapters; 22 refereed journal articles; 11 conference papers; 25 reports and 11 works of fiction and non-fiction. In 2007, Dr Halai became the founding President of the Pakistan Association of Research in Education and was elected the Association’s president again in 2013.
Professor Yasmin Noorali Amarsi
Dr Amari joined the University’s School of Nursing in 1980 and is considered to be one of the early pioneers of the nursing profession in Pakistan. She has made significant contributions to the development of the profession throughout her career. At AKU, Dr Amarsi served as the head of the School of Nursing from 1998 – 2002 and then as Dean of the School from 2002 – 2008. She was the founding Dean of the School of Nursing and Midwifery in East Africa and served as the School’s Dean from 2009 – 2015. Dr Amarsi established international capacity building nursing programmes in Afghanistan, Syria, Egypt and East Africa. She was the first nurse in Pakistan to obtain a PhD and received an honorary Doctor of Science from McMaster University in Canada. In 2018, Dr Amarsi was honoured by AKU’s School of Nursing and Midwifery who awarded her a “Lifetime Achievement Award”.
Award of Excellence in Teaching and Teaching Leadership
This University Award is presented in recognition of a faculty member’s sustained excellence in teaching and teaching leadership.
Dr Rashida Ahmed
Dr Rashida Ahmed is a passionate educationist who, throughout her career at AKU has held multiple leadership roles, including the Chair of the Medical College’s Undergraduate Curriculum Committee. In her leadership position, she has taken on many innovative decisions and played an important role in curriculum review and introduced major changes such as integration in learning, introduction of spiral curriculum, and began the Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) programme. Dr Rashida’s contributions have increased AKU’s recognition in the national focus on reviewing and innovating medical education in Pakistan and aligned it in accordance with the swiftly changing medical learning environment. Dr Rashida has consistently demonstrated extraordinary leadership in undergraduate medical education and, in addition to her heavy service commitments, she continues scholarly activities and has published numerous papers.
Award of excellence in research
Awarded in recognition of outstanding research achievements and contributions to the development of a strong research culture at the University.
Dr Rumina Hasan
Dr Hasan joined AKU in 1984, shortly after the start of the Medical College. The following year, she commenced work on a WHO-TDR supported project – immunology of leprosy in collaboration with the Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. This led to Dr Hasan’s PhD work, but also sparked an interest in mycobacterial diseases: leprosy as well as tuberculosis. Her tuberculosis work contributed to the recognition of AKU as a Supernational Reference Laboratory by WHO. Dr Hasan continues to work nationally and at the regional level towards strengthening TB diagnosis and improving TB care in the region. Funding from USAID/Ministry of Science and Technology enabled Dr Hasan to establish research capacity and advocacy for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) beyond tuberculosis and to provide training opportunities both nationally and internationally for Pakistani trainees. More recently, Dr Hasan has led a team that identified the emergence of extensively drug resistant Salmonella typhi in Pakistan, resulting in implementation of a number of preventative measures including vaccination at the national level. In recognition of her service to research, in 2011, Dr Hasan was awarded the Fellowship of the Pakistan Academy of Science. She has served as an Honorary Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine since 2005.
Distinguished University Professor
Dr Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta
Dr Bhutta is the Noordin Noormohamed Sherriff Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health at AKU; he is also a Professor in the Departments of Paediatrics, Nutritional Sciences and Public Health at the University of Toronto. Additionally, he holds concurrent adjunct professorship at the Schools of Public Health of Johns Hopkins University, Tufts University, Boston University, University of Alberta and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
Dr Bhutta is the founding director of AKU’s Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health and is the co-director of the Centre for Global Child Health at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He has served as the former Chair of the National Research Ethics Committee of Pakistan between 2003 and 2014, and as a member of the Independent Expert Review Group appointed by the UN Secretary-General to review progress in maternal and child health of the Millennium Development Goals between 2011 and 2015.
In October 2018, Dr Bhutta was elected to the US National Academy of Medicine; he is also a Fellow of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan, the Royal College of Physicians of the UK, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. He was award the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz (Medal of Excellence) by the President of Pakistan for contributions towards education and research (2000), the President of Pakistan Gold Medal for contributions to Child Health in Pakistan (2004), and the Outstanding Pediatrician of Asia award by the Asia Pacific Pediatric Association (2006). Dr Bhutta is also the recipient of the Aga Khan University’s Award of Excellence in Research (2005) and the Award of Distinction (2012).
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