NUMS bestowed ‘Remote Site’ status by USA institute

Varsity has trained hundreds of medical professionals in clinical research

RAWALPINDI:

The National University of Medical Sciences(NUMS), in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA, has trained hundreds of medical professionals in clinical research which will help broaden the research base and improve Pakistan’s international funding prospects for its promotion, said the organiser of the training, Dr Rehama Gilani here on Sunday.

The Covid-19 pandemic, in particular, has reinforced the importance of clinical research in the country.

NUMS Vice Chancellor Lt Gen (retd) Syed Muhammad Imran Majeed said: “In the current scenario, there is a vital need to conduct clinical trials for Covid-19 vaccines to determine their effectiveness and clinical efficacy in the Pakistani population and our collaboration with NIH, the USA will provide trained human resource, dedicated infrastructure and understanding of the ethical and legal processes.”

Dr Rehama Gilani who is certified in Principles and Practices of Clinical Research from Harvard Medical School, US and has completed Clinical Research Management training at NIH said that Introduction to the Principles and Practices of Clinical Research" (IPPCR) was a specialised clinical research training for clinicians, nurses and medical students.

NUMS has already trained 250 healthcare workers and students since 2018. A Certificate of Completion is awarded to the participants who score 75 percent or higher marks in the final exam conducted by NIH USA, she added. NUMS has been accorded the prestigious status of a ‘Remote Site’ by NIH USA being a national and research-focused university and having met their strict criterion for the purpose of conducting this course which is being offered by the university through its own resources.

“The aim of this course is capacity building of physicians, scientists, medical and dental students, nurses, public health professionals to design and perform observational and experimental clinical research, analyse, interpret and present clinical research data, write and revise successful grant proposals and lead clinical teams across a variety of health care settings in Pakistan,” Dr Rehema said. It was of vital importance to train participants in research ethics to ensure protection, confidentiality and rights of subjects participating in the clinical trials, she said.

Clinical trials are important for approving new treatment and diagnostic modalities for diseases. They are conducted to learn whether experiments first conducted in the laboratory and on animals can be applied to human beings.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2021.