Islamabad (GNP): The 2nd International Conference on Health Professionals’ Education, Research & Entrepreneurship (ICHPERE 2026) concluded successfully at the Health Services Academy (HSA), Islamabad, following two days of academic discussions, research presentations, educational innovation and engagement among national and international experts.
Held on 17–18 September 2026, the conference was organised under the theme “Reimagining Health Professionals’ Education in the Global South: Power, Policy, and Possibility.”
The second and concluding day featured three major plenary sessions, which focused on some of the most important contemporary challenges confronting health professions education, including professionalism, commercialisation, globalisation, accreditation, policy transfer, institutional governance, social accountability, research, entrepreneurship and the relationship between global educational standards and local realities.
The first plenary featured Prof. Dr. Junaid Sarfraz Khan, Rector/Director Academics, Health Services Academy, who spoke on “Professionalism or Performative Professionalism? Identity Formation Under Global Pressure.” He was joined by Prof. Dr. Sabena Jameel Choudhury, Prof. Dr. Alam Sher Malik, Prof. Dr. Sonia Ijaz Haider and Prof. Dr. Lubna Baig, whose presentations examined commercialism and professionalism, leadership and reform, institutional alignment, and the political economy of medical education.
The second plenary session brought together Prof. Dr. Mahwish Arooj, Prof. Dr. Ayesha Sumera Abdullah, Prof. Dr. Mona Hamoud AlSheikh, Prof. Dr. Zarrin Siddiqui and Dr. Bhavani Veasuvalingam. Their discussions explored policy transfer, global standards and local realities, neocolonial influences in health professions education, integration of research into curricula, and the impact of commercialism and neocolonialism on medical professionalism.
The third plenary session featured Prof. Dr. Gominda Ponnamperuma, Prof. Dr. Khalid Masood Gondal, Dr. Kamran Sattar, Prof. Dr. Sumera Badar Ehsan and Dr. Ayesha Junaid. The speakers addressed accreditation and quality assurance in the Global South, challenges in postgraduate medical education, social accountability, competency-based medical education and entrepreneurship, as well as knowledge production, research agendas and academic gatekeeping.
A central message that emerged from the plenary discussions was the need to place context ahead of compliance, strengthen the Global South’s role as a producer rather than merely a consumer of educational knowledge, keep professionalism and social accountability at the centre of educational reform, and promote institutional agency, leadership and responsible innovation.
The conference also recognised outstanding contributions across the Free Paper Oral Presentations, Poster Presentations and Experience Gallery.
In the Free Paper Oral Presentations, Prof. Dr. Fouzia Sultana secured First Prize, Dr. Gul Shaikh received Second Prize, while Prof. Dr. Riaz Shahbaz Janjua and Prof. Dr. Ambreen Shabbir were awarded Third Prize.
In the Poster Presentation category, Prof. Dr. Fouzia Sultana received First Prize, Prof. Dr. Ambreen Shabbir received Second Prize, and Dr. Ayousha Iqbal received Third Prize.
The Experience Gallery, which showcased innovative, transformative and engaging practices in health professions education, awarded First Prize to Dr. Khalid Rahim from the University of Lahore, while Dr. Muhammad Hisaan Anjum received Second Prize.
The conference also featured the Janet Grant Education Innovation & Entrepreneurship Award. Although a number of submissions were received, none met the required criteria for the award this year. The category nevertheless highlighted the need to translate educational innovations into patents and to promote entrepreneurship within health professions education.
The conference formally concluded with the Closing Ceremony at Health Services Academy, Islamabad. Prof. Dr. Junaid Sarfraz Khan presented the conference report, followed by an address by Prof. Dr. Shahzad Ali Khan, Vice Chancellor, Health Services Academy.
Prof. Dr Umer Ali Khan, Pro Vice Chancellor , ISRA University, Islamabad, attended the ceremony as Guest of Honour, while Lt. Gen. (R) Imran Majeed, former Surgeon General Pakistan Army and former Vice Chancellor, National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS), Islamabad, graced the occasion as Chief Guest. The ceremony also included the distribution of shields and souvenirs, followed by a group photograph.
The conference concluded with a forward-looking agenda that included the development of a Global South Framework for Health Professions’ Education, establishment of a Global South HPE Research and Knowledge Network, initiation of institutional demonstration projects to translate conference recommendations into practice, and creation of an annual ICHPERE Global South Education Observatory and Progress Report.
The organisers acknowledged the contributions of the organising and scientific committees, reception, hall, stage and media committees, institutional administrative offices, faculty, students and staff of HSA, as well as the distinguished guests, speakers, facilitators and presenters whose collective efforts contributed to the successful conduct of ICHPERE 2026.
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It was also announced that ICHPERE 2027 would be held on 15–16 September 2027, under the theme “Transformative Health Professions’ Education in Context: Way Forward for Global South.”
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
