Professor Zulfiqar Bhutta, the founding director of the Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health and the Institute for Global Health and Development at the Aga Khan University (AKU), is the first Pakistani to receive the John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award for outstanding achievements in global health research.
Announced earlier this year, he received the award at the 2022 Canada Gairdner Awards Gala in Toronto, in the presence of his family, AKU President Dr Sulaiman Shahabuddin and AKU Medical College Dean Dr Adil Haider. The ceremony was also attended by former AKU President Dr Firoz Rasul and Dr Saida Rasul.
The Award recognises Professor Bhutta for his work on the development and evaluation of evidence-based interventions in child and maternal health for marginalized populations focusing on outcomes for the essential ‘first thousand days’ of life covering pregnancy, childbirth and the developmental phases in the first two years of life.
“I receive this award with the greatest humility on behalf of my team and colleagues who have worked on many of these issues diligently over decades,” said Professor Bhutta. “This is a recognition of the power of international collaboration and teamwork in addressing some of the complex problems affecting the poorest of the poor.”
