PESHAWAR: Prof Ziaul Haq on Friday assumed the charge as the vice-chancellor of the Khyber Medical University, Peshawar.

The 40-year-old is the youngest vice-chancellor in the country.

Prof Zia said his appointment was a sign of trust of the provincial government in him and he was committed to living up to its expectations.

He said being the pioneer faculty member of varsity, he would strive to make KMU one of the leading universities in the country.

Prof Zia remained pro-VC of the university for the last one year and dean (public health) for the last two years.

He received a fellowship from the Royal College of Public Health, UK.

Prof Zia remained the KMU director (research) and held the post of the director of the Institute of Public Health and Social Sciences.

He, the founder of the first Public Health Reference Laboratory in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, established a Business Incubation Centre at KMU and launched a PhD programme in Public Health and Family Medicine for the first time in the province.

Prof Zia received the Best Teacher Award from the Higher Education Commission for his professional services and the Best Young Researcher and Lifetime Achievement Awards for his research and academic contribution in the university.

He also secured Rs1.5 billion grants for various KMU projects and remained part of the health advisory committee of the health department to ensure implementation of the health policy.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2020