Karachi, April 04, 2023 (PPI-OT):Dr Farah Naz Qamar, Associate Professor and Consultant Paediatric Infectious Disease at AKU has been awarded the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz by the President of Pakistan, Dr Arif Alvi, in recognition of her contribution to public health. Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (Medal of Excellence) is the fourth highest honour given to a civilian for their achievements and contributions towards the nation.
Dr Farah is a clinician researcher by profession. Her area of interest and expertise is paediatric infectious diseases. Her research portfolio consists of several large grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization, Wellcome Trust, Sabin Vaccine Institute and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). Dr Farah’s long-term goal is to decrease child mortality by making an impact on policy and advance capacity building in research in paediatric infectious diseases in Pakistan. She has more than 100 publications in peer reviewed journals.
Commenting on how quickly Dr Farah’s work translated into action, Dr Salim Virani, Vice Provost Research at AKU remarked: “It is said that it takes 17 years for knowledge to be translated into clinical practice. Dr Qamar’s work has shown us how to effectively narrow that knowledge translation gap. Her research portfolio has directly benefited the communities that we serve and represents one of the best examples our core principles of impact, quality, relevance, access that define our values as a university.” In 2008, Dr Farah completed her Master’s in Clinical Research at the Aga Khan University and was awarded the Dean’s Award in 2018 and 2021 for Outstanding Junior Research Faculty and Outstanding Senior Research Faculty respectively.
Earlier this month, Dr Farah had the privilege of presenting her research findings to Princess Zahra Aga Khan at AKU’s research showcase ‘At The Tipping Point’. She spoke about her research investigating the outbreak of XDR typhoid in Pakistan and how her findings led to the introduction of the typhoid vaccine in the routine immunization programme of the country.
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