Karachi Medical Education Conference

Karachi:A two-day Medical Education Conference, focusing on Capacity Building in Medical Education, began at the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) on Saturday. Deans and Principals from more than 60 public and private sector medical colleges and universities shared their experiences in medical education, from under-graduate to post-graduate to continuing professional development levels.

The Dean, Aga Khan University, Dr Farhat Abbas, speaking on the occasion, emphasised the importance of teaching and training of students so as to enable them to cope with the demands of healthcare in the future.

This, he said was possible through improving curriculum of under-graduates medical education.

Dr Abbas said the medical educators must remember that faculty development can play a critical role in curricular and organisational change.

“This enlarges the scope of faculty development by moving beyond formal, structured activities, incorporating notions of self-directed learning, peer mentoring, and work-based learning,” he said.

The senior teacher of the country’s first private sector medical university said that faculty development could also play a critical role in promoting culture change at a number of levels. He urged the medical educators to broaden the focus of faculty development and target various roles that clinicians and basic scientists play, including those of leader and scholar.

The Vice-Chancellor, Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS), Prof Masood Hameed Khan, said Pakistan is very fortunate to have a very dynamic and dedicated faculty in its medical institutions. Many colleges across Pakistan were in the process of implementing curricular reforms, he said.

The DUHS Vice-Chancellor said medical educators needed to stimulate faculty development in a more global context and collaborate with international colleagues in the transformation of medical education and health care delivery.

Participants of the conference were of the general view that it would a provide a platform to exchange ideas and knowledge that may ultimately enhance their professional growth.

This, they said would help produce the best medical graduates in the world.

The Principal, Dow Medical College, Prof. Junaid Ashraf, in his welcome address briefed the participants about the objectives of the conference.

A part of the capacity building component of the conference was dedicated to “Hands on Workshop” and the faculty would get the chance to practice educationally relevant and important topics, he said. Prof. Junaid Ashraf said DUHS takes pride in being an institute with an excellence in health sciences.

The vision and mission of the University is focused on three domains that include academic excellence, human resource development and community healthcare.

Earlier, in the plenary session Dr Syed Moyn Ali, Visiting Faculty of Medical Education-DUHS, Director Medical Education, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Taif University, Saudi Arabia, discussed engendering problem-solving skills among under-graduate learners.The news.