Renowned surgeon Dr Umar Sadat has said that Pakistan should establish a medical research centre of excellence where research at the international level can be carried out, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

“In Pakistan, we do not have a research culture, and there is hardly a research infrastructure in healthcare of international level, thus the government must develop research institutions in the country “he added while delivering a lecture at the Fatima Jinnah Medical University (FJMU) here on Friday.

Dr Umar is a Pakistani-born doctor and scientist who has become the first surgeon in the 200-year history of the Royal College of Surgeons of England to be awarded the ‘Hunterian Professor Award’ for his research work.

He was accorded a warm welcome by the FJMU Vice Chancellor Dr. Khalid Masood Gondal.

Pro Vice-Chancellor Dr Shamsa Humayun, Dr Muneeza Qayyum, Dr. Munaza Iqbal, Dr. Zahra Khanum, Dr. Mohammad Nadeem, all faculty members, and a large number of students attended his lecture.

Earlier, Director Quality Enhancement Cell Prof. Dr. Balqis Shabirne while giving a brief introduction to Hunterian Prof. Dr. Umar Sadat said Dr Sadat has been awarded Hunterian Professorship for his long-standing contributions to developing special techniques using magnetic resonance imaging that can identify atherosclerotic plaques in great detail, help risk stratify patient cohorts and guide treatment with known and novel anti-atherosclerotic therapies.

“His award is rather unique in the long history of awards of Hunterian Professorships spanning over 200 years since 1810, as his research spanning over 15 years brings together diverse fields of cardiovascular medicine, MR physics, radiology, and vascular surgery to develop this technique,” she added. She further said that his services in the fields of vascular surgery, bioengineering, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), physics, and vascular medicine are laudable.

Dr Umar Sadat while addressing the audience said the battles of today in developed countries are being fought in the field of research. “Our mindset as a nation must change and we must encourage students in our institutions to participate in research projects,” he added.

He also presented common suggestions for developing a research portfolio at the beginning of the research. He explained how research skills can be improved. He highlighted the research methodology, data, and important principles related to it.