In his opening remarks Prof Dr. Amir Nawaz Khan (Dean, Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences) welcomed PIPH’s faculty members and on behalf of CDPM thanked the institute for arranging the seminar. Addressing to the students he emphasized on taking full advantage of this wonderful opportunity by actively participating. This was followed by a detailed presentation on “Choosing Public Health as a Career” by Dr. Ihsanul Haq (Director, Health Policy and Research Unit, PIPH). He familiarized the students about the difference between clinical medicine and public health. Dr. Ihsan also gave a brief overview of the current public health scenario in Pakistan, making both local as well as international comparisons with neighboring countries.
Dr. Umair Qazi (Assistant Professor, PIPH) in his presentation on “Career Option in Research and Academia” shed light on the multi-dimensional and multi-disciplinary team approach and the involvement of varying fields such as Health, Social, Lifestyle and Behavioral science all working towards achieving a common goal. He also pointed out the career paths that a non-medical students can choose from after doing MPH.
Later Dr. Usman Raza (Director, Public Health Interventions Unit, PIPH) shared some slides on “Opportunities in Public Health Practice”. He informed the student about the variety of roles that a public health practitioner has to perform as well as the ongoing projects and career prospects.
Lastly a question answer session was held, where PIPH’s faculty answered to a lot of queries regarding the scope of public health in Pakistan, job opportunities and competition from candidates with medical background. The session was concluded by Mr. Mushtaq Ahmad Jan (Director, CDPM). He delivered the closing remarks and presented souvenirs to the Project Director PIPH and faculty members.
