IHHN Research Associate Leads Two Studies Recognised at AKU International Student Research Conference

Dr. Zobiyah Sajid Charolia, Research Associate at Indus Hospital & Health Network (IHHN), led two research studies that were recognised at the International Student Research Conference (ISRC) at Aga Khan University (AKU), reflecting her work in advancing community-focused and evidence-based healthcare research.

One of the studies, “Operational Feasibility of a Portable Dental Unit for Delivering Comprehensive Outreach Dental Care in Coastal Sindh,” received the Best Poster Presentation Award at the conference. The study evaluated the feasibility of taking comprehensive dental services to underserved coastal communities using a portable dental unit. Omer Abdullah presented the study at ISRC, where it received the award.

Dr. Zobiyah also served as Principal Investigator for the study “Barriers to Digital Health Adoption Among Underserved Populations in Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study on Health Equity and Health-System Factors.” The study was selected for poster presentation from more than 1,600 submissions to ISRC and examines patient-level, socioeconomic, digital, and health-system factors influencing access to and adoption of digital health services among underserved populations in Pakistan.

The digital health study received Institutional Review Board approval from Indus Hospital & Health Network (IHHN). It was presented at ISRC by Abdullah Hasan, ORIC Intern at IHHN.

Both studies were developed and conducted through Ebtekar Rah Roshan (ERR), a student-led healthcare organisation co-founded by Dr. Zobiyah Sajid Charolia, focused on improving healthcare access in underserved communities. The research reflects their efforts to translate challenges observed through community healthcare into research questions, evaluate innovative solutions, and generate evidence for more equitable healthcare delivery.

The achievement also highlights the role of IHHN’s Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC) in nurturing emerging researchers. Both cofounders, Dr. Zobiyah Sajid Charolia and Abdullah Hasan were ORIC interns at IHHN, and their progression from research training to leading, presenting, and receiving recognition for research at a major academic conference demonstrates the value of providing young researchers with opportunities to develop and disseminate meaningful healthcare research.