KARACHI: The Aga Khan University’s (AKU) Centre for Innovation in Medical Education (CIME) hosted SIMPACT 2026, bringing together clinicians, educators, healthcare leaders, innovators and students from Pakistan and East Africa to explore the growing role of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies in healthcare education and patient safety.
Held under the theme “Simulation Reimagined: AI & Beyond,” the conference focused on how artificial intelligence, immersive technologies, analytics and next-generation learning systems are reshaping the training of healthcare professionals.
The conference featured pre-conference workshops, more than 80 research presentations, keynote addresses and exhibitions showcasing locally developed innovations alongside the latest healthcare simulation technologies from the industry.
A key feature of the conference was SIMVENTION, an exhibition of locally developed, AI-powered healthcare technologies and software highlighting innovation emerging from Pakistan.
Shortlisted projects included an Urdu-English talking avatar designed for medical training, a culturally sensitive chatbot for adolescent reproductive health and an AI-assisted tuberculosis screening pipeline.
Professor Atta-ur-Rahman, Professor Emeritus at the University of Karachi and former Chairman of the Higher Education Commission, said artificial intelligence was already transforming healthcare in areas ranging from drug discovery and medical diagnosis to precision medicine and patient care.
He said the rapid pace of technological change also required a rethink of how future healthcare professionals were educated and prepared, adding that simulation offered an important environment for developing the skills, judgement and adaptability required to navigate the evolving healthcare landscape.
Chief Guest Dr Dabeer Ahmed Khan, Special Assistant to the Minister for Health and Population Welfare, Government of Sindh, said hospitals could only be as effective as the workforce trained to operate them.
He said simulation and artificial intelligence were increasingly important in preparing a future-ready healthcare workforce with the skills, confidence and experience required to provide safe and high-quality care.
Dr Khan also highlighted Sindh Health and Population Welfare Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho’s vision of upgrading the skills of healthcare professionals to improve the quality of treatment at public-sector hospitals.
AKU said its Centres for Innovation in Medical Education in Karachi and Nairobi, among the largest simulation centres in their respective regions, continued to work towards transforming healthcare education through simulation.
Dr Faisal Ismail, Conference Chair and Regional Director, CIME South Asia, said CIME had remained focused on using simulation to address practical challenges facing healthcare education and practice.
He said SIMPACT provided a platform where ideas, evidence and innovation could be shared across institutions and borders, adding that technology and simulation were powerful tools for teaching and training healthcare staff in Pakistan and were important for promoting patient safety and improving quality of care.
The programme also featured a keynote address by Professor Thomas Thesen, Director of the AI and Digital Health Curriculum at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, as well as two panel discussions examining future directions for artificial intelligence in healthcare.
With its two-city hybrid format connecting Karachi and Nairobi and its focus on AI both as a subject of study and as a tool for simulation, SIMPACT 2026 highlighted developments taking place in healthcare education, professional training and clinical practice.
