Karachi: The Internship Program 2024 for medical students and graduates was successfully concluded at the Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research (PCMD), University of Karachi.
Organized annually, the program aims to enlighten medical graduates about ongoing research on prevalent diseases. This year, 13 final-year students and recent graduates of MBBS and BDS completed their training in various areas of biomedical sciences, said a spokesperson on Monday.
Director of the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi, Prof. Dr. Farzana Shaheen distributed internship certificates to participants from various medical universities across Pakistan, including Dow University of Health Sciences, Fatima Jinnah Dental College, Isra University Hyderabad, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi Medical and Dental College, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical College.
During the certificate distribution ceremony held at ICCBS, University of Karachi, Prof. Dr. Farzana Shaheen congratulated Prof. Dr. Asmat Salim and her team for organizing such an impactful and unique internship program.
The event was attended by a large number of students and faculty members.
Prof. Dr. Farzana Shaheen emphasized the significance of research training for medical and dental students, stating that the program aims to provide short-term, hands-on exposure to basic and clinical research in a world-class environment.
She also emphasized on increasing the collaboration between researchers at PCMD and clinicians. She highlighted that such exposure is expected to inspire medical students to engage in research.
She further praised the ICCBS for its strong commitment to science, research, and academia, as evidenced by the successful completion of the program.
Prof. Dr. Asmat Salim, the internship program coordinator, noted that the Dr. Panjwani Center organizes this internship annually in December for recent medical and dental graduates and students.
The program's objective is to involve participants in research activities at the molecular and cellular levels, enabling them to achieve preliminary proficiency in conducting clinically relevant research, formulating research questions, applying appropriate methods, and critically interpreting findings.
Participants received training at various ICCBS research centers, focusing on fields such as Bioinformatics and Computational Chemistry, Cancer Research, Genomics, Medicinal Chemistry, Metabolic Disorders, Virology, Proteomics, Microbiology and Immunology, Pharmacology, Molecular Biology, Structural Biology, Stem Cell Research, Enzyme Inhibition Studies, and Bioequivalence Studies.