Central Park Research Society
CPRS has been organizing regular research seminars, webinars, and workshops to assist, guide and polish the skills of our young researchers. Moreover, with the help of our clinical organization, CPRS held the CPC (Clinicopathological Conference) every week, to not only discuss the case reports of Central Park Teaching Hospital where rare diseases are also being managed and treated but also to shed light on new horizons of medical research.
Students at Central Park Medical College have been involved in over 150 research projects, and CPRS has presented their research work at countless renowned platforms, at both national and international levels. It has also published several research papers in collaboration with international universities like University Hafr Al Batin, KSA, in addition to collaborating with Chughtai Healthcare, the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Center of Excellence in Microbiology and Punjab University, Lahore, for molecular and genetics-based research regarding stem cell therapy and coronavirus disease.
This year, over 72 new research projects have been initiated by students of Central Park Medical College, out of which many are underway to completion, some even in the pipeline of publication. The 1st International Central Park Research Conference was also conducted this year where renowned speakers from around the globe joined us and offered their wisdom and insight. Hands-on training workshops were also carried out where students got to hone their skills and master basic research methodology, manuscript writing, designing and statistical analysis.
Dr Tahseen Haider, the head of the research society has published an article on the Burden of noncommunicable diseases in Pakistan
Research Mentoring
The mentorship program takes into consideration activities of undergraduate students related to research, academics and personal well-being. A mentor at CPMC is a role-model, motivator, research trainer and counselor who helps the student in;
- understanding the institution’s culture and the medical course.
- becoming familiar with campus life and its support services.
- Professional development for conducting scientific research and facilitating development of scientific standards (including selection of research question, data, authorship practices, norms of communication, interpretation, and judgment). It applies to all levels of professional development at undergraduate level.
- Transferring knowledge in skills relating to communication, critical thinking, responsibility, flexibility, and teamwork that cannot be learned from books.
Medical students encounter a busy curricula and this leaves them hardly any time to concentrate upon and groom their personality. This demanding and stressful life style of medical students makes them socially isolated, with limited faculty-learner relationship. In order to combat this, a mentoring program has been established at CPMC which aims to provide academic counselling and help in developing research interest. Twenty mentees, including 4 mentees from each year, have been assigned to two mentors and weekly interaction between mentor and mentee are held for the purpose of personal grooming and research activities. It is a group activity in which a formal course work is conducted throughout the 5 academic years including formulation of research question, statistics, writing of the manuscript and other research associated activities through Journal clubs. It contributes to professional development of both mentee and mentor. These faculty members function as faculty advisors to a certain number of students.
Mentoring program is formally structured and faculty has been trained via workshops to mentor students. In order to evaluate the program, both the faculty and students give a written feedback at the end of every academic session. This is done to ensure the successful running of the program.
Research Culture Among Students
CPMC has a very strong focus on research which forms the cornerstone of modern day medical education. Students are encouraged to undertake research work and funding is also made available to projects having potential clinical impact. Under the leadership of Prof. A.S. Chughtai, a research committee is functional at CPMC, which aims to promote research at undergraduate level. Journal clubs and research methodologies are a part of CPMC curriculum for all 5 years. It is the policy of CPMC that by the time the student graduates, he should have two research papers to his credit.
SOME OF THE RECENT PUBLICATIONS BY STUDENTS OF RESEARCH COMMITTEE INCLUDE;
1. Sikandar MZ Alswailmi FK, Shah SIA, Al-Mazaideh GM. Serum Vitamin D and Immunoglobulin E Levels In Patients With Seasonal Allergic Conjunctivitis . IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia,2021;20(3):79-83. https://doi.org/10.31436/imjm.v20i3.1756
2. Sikandar MZ, Fatima A, Shah SIA. Past, present and future of Covid-19 pandemic; review of the pathophysiology and clinical management. Ann Clin Anal Med 2021; DOI: 10.4328/ACAM.20457
3. Sikandar MZ, Bajwa BH, Zahid H, Ali S, Iqbal S, Shah SIA. Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Trends Towards Covid-19 Pandemic: Comparison Between Individuals with Medical and Non-Medical Backgrounds. Proceedings S.Z.M.C [Internet]. 2021Apr.21;35(2):7-13. https://doi.org/10.47489/PSZMC784-35-2-7-13. Available from:
https://www.proceedings-szmc.org.pk/index.php/szmc/article/view/974. Shah SIA, Iqbal S, Sikandar MZ, Qazi, UY, Haq I. Serum Vitamin D and Cardiometabolic Markers: A Comparative Study in Adult Men Based on Body Mass Index. IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia,2021;20(2):67-7 DOI: 10.31436/imjm.v20i2.1640. Retrieved from https://journals.iium.edu.my/kom/index.php/imjm/article/view/1640
4. Shah SIA, Sikandar MZ, Qazi UY, Haq I. Clinical risk factors of acute myocardial infarction in young people: Anxiety in the lead?. Medical Science, 2021; 25(108):501-7.
5. Alswailmi FK, Shah SIA, Al-Mazaideh GM, Sikandar MZ. A cross-sectional analysis of serum vitamin D and immunoglobulin E in allergic disorders. Ann Clin Anal Med 2021; DOI: 10.4328/ACAM.20439.
6. Shah SIA, Sikandar MZ, Qazi UY, Haq I. Comparative assessment of vitamin D and parathyroid hormone as risk factors of myocardial infarction and their correlation with lipid profile. Medical Science, 2021;25(107):185-91.
7. Alswailmi FK, Sikandar MZ, Shah SIA, Parrey MuR, Jelani S. Serum Vitamin D, sun exposure and clinical attributes of local patients with respiratory allergies. Medical Science, 2021;25(107):179-84.9. Nasir N, Waseem MR, Sikandar MZ, Mumtaz A, Shah SIA. Plasma Glycated Hemoglobin and Sleep Patterns in Local Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. J Aziz Fatm Med Den Clg. 2020; 2(2):43-6.
8. Sikandar MZ, Naeem MW, Iqbal S, Nawaz H, Nawaz H, Ifthikar A, Ali Shah SI. A cross-sectional analysis of the effects of everyday life situations on stuttering and associated physical features. J Pak Med Assoc, 2020 May;70(5):946-949. doi: 10.5455/JPMA.16800. PMID: 32400764.
9. Shah SIA, Sikandar MZ, Fatima A, Haq I. Personality Traits, Anxiety and Depression in Post-Myocardial Infarction Patients. Pak J Med Health Sci. JUL – SEP 2020;14(3):706-10.
10. Alswailmi FK, Sikandar MZ, Shah SIA. Biological Roles of Vitamin D and Immunoglobulin E: Implications in Allergic Disorders. Pak J Med Health Sci. JUL – SEP 2020;14(3):495-8.
Dr Tahseen Haider, the head of the research committee has published a new article about the Burden of noncommunicable diseases in Pakistan1020-3397-2022-2811-798-804-eng