Aga Khan University is a partner in the UAB-South Asia ITREOH Program with the Sparkman Center.

Partnership Profile

UAB has collaborated with various academic, research, and community organizations in Karachi, Pakistan, including the Aga Khan University, Sindh AIDS Control Program, Dow Medical College, Jinnah Post-Graduate Medical College, and two non-governmental organizations, BRIDGE and the Pakistan AIDS Prevention Society since 1994.

Most recently, the UAB-South Asia ITREOH Program , with support from the Sparkman Center, worked collaboratively with faculty at the Aga Khan University to create an Environmental and Occupational Health certificate program, offering those who wish to develop their thesis work in EOH-related applications to do so with the advantage of more in-depth preparation in this area. AKU is Pakistan’s first private university and a component of the Aga Khan Development Network, whose mission is to train health personnel appropriate to the needs of Pakistan and the developing world.

Accomplishments

Over 200 participants in Pakistan have participated in workshops designed to provide environmental and occupational health research expertise as well as skills in proposal development, research ethics, research implementation and scientific writing. Additionally, the ITREOH project has sponsored students to obtain graduate level degrees in Public Health at UAB and to attend the SCGH Summer Institute.

Trainee-led pilot research projects in Pakistan include:

• Prenatal Lead Exposure Study (PLES)
• Tobacco use among adults in Sindh, Pakistan: An epidemiological evaluation of prevalence, knowledge and dependence
• Tasman Spirit Oil Spill Study, Pakistan
• Knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding pesticide use among the farmers of District Khairpur, Sindh, Pakistan
• Prevalence of chronic respiratory illnesses and symptoms among cotton textile workers of Karachi, Pakistan
• Characterizing built environment and its relation with physical activity and BMI among adult population of Karachi- A pilot project
• Distance of residence from pesticide-laden fields and chronic respiratory symptoms among adults of Rural Sind, Pakistan

Publications

• Janjua NZ, et al. Determinants of low birth weight in urban Pakistan. Public Health Nutr 2009;12:789-98.
• Kadir MM, et al. Status of children's blood lead levels in Pakistan: implications for research and policy. Public Health 2008;122:708-15.
• Janjua NZ, et al. Maternal nutritional status during pregnancy and surma use determine cord lead levels in Karachi, Pakistan. Environ Res 2008;108:69-79.
• Ali S, et al. Prevalence and socio-demographic factors associated with tobacco smoking among adult males in rural Sindh, Pakistan. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health 2006;37:1054-60.
• Janjua NZ, et al. Acute health effects of the Tasman Spirit oil spill on residents of Karachi, Pakistan. BMC Public Health 2006;6:84.
• Kadir M, et al. Knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding pesticide use among the farmers of District Khairpur, Sindh, Pakistan. Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source Journal. Under review.