Speakers

Development Expert and applied scientist specialized in Public Policy, Strategic Planning, Human Capital, Sustainable Development and Economies, Information Systems and Civil Registration,. Qualified with MBBS, Master of Applied Science from the University of Sydney, PhD from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia and Training Fellowships from Harvard University, CDC Atlanta, and NCHS Gov. USA.

Dr. Sulaiman Shahabuddin is an experienced academic leader and healthcare executive currently serving as the President and Vice-Chancellor of Aga Khan University. With a strong background in health systems management and institutional development, he has held senior leadership roles across Pakistan and East Africa, including extensive experience in hospital administration and regional health services.

He has played a key role in strengthening healthcare delivery systems, expanding access to quality medical services, and advancing academic and training programs in health sciences. As President of AKU since 2021, he continues to focus on enhancing educational excellence, expanding research impact, and fostering innovation in healthcare and higher education across the regions where the university operates.

Lieutenant General Wasim Alamgir is a highly accomplished medical professional, academic leader and healthcare administrator with extensive experience in clinical medicine, medical education and health systems leadership. Commissioned into the Army Medical Corps in 1985, he has served in a wide range of clinical, academic and command appointments in Pakistan and abroad.

Throughout his distinguished career, he has contributed significantly to the fields of neurology, internal medicine and the advancement of modern healthcare systems. His professional journey includes advanced medical training in the United Kingdom and leadership roles focused on strengthening healthcare delivery, medical education and institutional excellence.

As Vice Chancellor of the National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS), he is spearheading initiatives aimed at advancing medical education, enhancing research capacity and fostering innovation in clinical sciences. His vision emphasizes academic excellence, evidence-based healthcare and alignment of institutional growth with national and global health priorities.

Currently holding the position of RECTOR at Pak-Austria Fachhochschule Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology, Haripur, Pakistan

PhD in Materials Engineering from University of Oxford, UK
Over 30 years of TEACHING, RESEARCH, and ACADEMIC MANAGEMENT experience at places such as:
University of Oxford, UK
Nanyang Technological University (Singapore),
International Islamic University, (Malaysia)
National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) (Islamabad),
Higher Education Commission, (HEC) Islamabad
GIK Institute (Topi), Pakistan
Institute of Space Technology (IST) Islamabad
Published more than 100 articles in refereed international journals and conference proceedings.

Prof. Dr. Shahzad Ali Khan is a graduate of King Edward Medical College, Lahore. Following his MBBS, he earned an MBA, an MPH, and a PhD in Management Sciences, making him one of the few medical professionals in Pakistan with this multidisciplinary academic background.

With over 30 years of leadership experience spanning peripheral health administration to the management of tertiary healthcare institutions, he currently serves as Vice Chancellor and Dean of Public Health at the Health Services Academy, Islamabad.

An internationally recognized public health researcher, he has secured competitive research and development grants from leading international partners and has authored 197 peer-reviewed publications. His scholarly impact is reflected by over 30,000 citations, an H-index of 69, and an i10-index of 624.

Dr Luo Dapeng, a Chinese national, was appointed WHO Representative in Pakistan on 1 February 2024. He was previously the WHO Representative in Afghanistan, where for 3 years he led one of the biggest WHO operations in the country. Dr Luo also served as WHO Representative in Papua New Guinea for about 4 years.

Dr Luo has been working in the field of international public health for more than 24 years. His rich experience spans communicable diseases and prevention and control of emerging diseases; country capacity-building for health security; and health system strengthening, particularly at the primary health care level. He has also led the management of complex emergencies and coordination of humanitarian health response.

Before becoming a country representative, Dr Luo spent 4 years as a team leader in Health Security and Communicable Diseases at the WHO Country Office in Lao People’s Democratic Republic. He also worked for 6 years as a medical officer in the Health Security and Communicable Diseases team of the WHO Country Office in Mongolia.

Other roles he has held with WHO include that of scientist, in the area of malaria and other vector-borne and parasitic diseases, in Papua New Guinea and epidemiologist at WHO headquarters. Before joining WHO, Dr Luo was an advisor with the Asian Development Bank in Indonesia.

Before starting his career in international public health, Dr Luo worked with China’s national malaria control programme, carrying out extensive field work. In this role, he led a field team for Plasmodium falciparum malaria elimination in the south of Henan province, China, for over 10 years.

Dr Luo obtained his medical degree from Henan Medical University, China, and trained in medical parasitology and entomology at the National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. He holds an MSc in Epidemiology and a PhD from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London, United Kingdom.

Prof. Dr. Zia ul Haq is a distinguished public health expert and currently serves as the youngest Vice-Chancellor of Khyber Medical University (KMU), Pakistan’s largest public sector medical university. As the founding Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Public Health & Social Sciences at KMU, he oversees a vast academic network comprising 27 medical and dental colleges, over 210 allied health institutions, and more than 50,000 students.

Dr. Zia holds an MBBS and MPH from Pakistan, a PhD in Public Health from the University of Glasgow, UK, and a Post-Doctoral Fellowship from Keele University, UK. He is also a Fellow of the College of Physicians & Surgeons Pakistan (FCPS Community Medicine) and the UK’s Royal Colleges of Public Health (FFPH). His research contributions include over 70 peer-reviewed publications and three book chapters, with an H-index of 20, reflecting significant scholarly impact.

Internationally recognized, Dr. Zia is a visiting professor at the University of Glasgow and the Director of the Asian Consortium for Health Research at Nanjing University, China. He has secured over PKR 4 billion in research grants from prestigious global organizations such as WHO, GIZ, UN-WFP, ICRC, NIHR, and MRC UK. His leadership was instrumental during Pakistan’s COVID-19 response and in pioneering initiatives like the Family Practice Model and regional public health laboratories.

His accolades include the Higher Education Commission’s Best Researcher, Best University Teacher, Lifetime Achievement Award, and the KMU Best Teacher Award. Renowned as one of Pakistan’s leading public health minds, Prof. Dr. Zia ul Haq continues to shape national health policies and advance public health research, education, and innovation at home and abroad.

Tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, 3D/4D bioprinting, electrospinning, hydrogel synthesis, and scaffold fabrication

Tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, nervous system regeneration, biofabrication, 3D bioprinting, hydrogels for drug delivery, stem cell transplantation, and scaffolds

Dr. Fazli Wahid, a biotechnologist and a fulbright fellow has more than 10 years of teaching and research experience. His research interests include in vitro and in vivo effects of nanomaterials, polymers, and natural products on the modulation of different signalling pathways in chronic diseases as well as the development of therapeutic biomaterials. He is an active researcher in tissue engineering and especially working on the designing of artificial skin. His publication was recognized by the scientific community and got more than 2000 citations. Based on Dr. Wahid scientific contributions, Pakistan Council for Science and Technology (PCST) ranked him 24th among young scientist below 40 years and 124th among all scientists working in the field of biological science including biomedical sciences in Pakistan.