Aga Khan varsity ranked among top 100 global universities

RAWALPINDI: In global rankings, the Aga Khan University (AKU) has been ranked among the top 100 universities for clinical medicine and among the top 200 for public health internationally in the latest ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2019 released by the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), says a press release on Tuesday.

AKU is the only university in Pakistan ranked in clinical medicine and public health in the top 500 universities. In clinical medicine, AKU is in the group of universities ranked between 76th and 100th, a marked improvement from its 2018 position in the 151–200 group. The university is ranked 151–200 in the public health group. “This international ranking is recognition of AKU as a role model for health and education in the developing world,” said AKU President Firoz Rasul. “Even places where resources are scarce, we aim to meet the global quality standards and demonstrate that excellence is a powerful force for transformation.”

ShanghaiRanking Consultancy is a fully independent organisation dedicated to research on higher education intelligence and consultation. It has been ARWU’s official publisher since 2009. This year, ShanghaiRanking published its third round of subject rankings covering 54 subject areas. The ranking draws from Web of Science bibliometric data, InCites, and considers performance in five categories: publications, citations, top journal presence, international collaboration in publications and awards.

An increase in papers published and indexed in major citation indices has improved AKU's ranking over the last three years. “Our clinical investigations are closely linked to teaching to innovate for better healthcare and to research for creating new knowledge,” said Dr Adil Haider, Dean of AKU’s Medical College. “We take great pride in this ranking not only for ourselves but for Pakistan, and will work to use it as an opportunity to enhance clinical care and access to life-saving treatments in the country.”

The Aga Khan University is a pioneering institution of higher education that works to improve quality of life in the developing world and beyond. The University operates programmes in campuses in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and the United Kingdom, and treats more than 2 million patients per year at seven hospitals and more than 350 medical centres.

A study of AKU’s impact in Pakistan, conducted by US-based Centennial Group International, found that AKU has an annual economic impact in Pakistan of $1 billion, and directly and indirectly supports 42,000 jobs annually.