KENYA
Nairobi
Aga Khan University
The Aga Khan University (AKU) is a non-profit institution that opened in 1983 in Pakistan, under the Aga Khan Development Network. Since then, AKU has expanded to include six campuses and teaching sites in Africa, Asian and the United Kingdom, with over 15,267 faculty and staff.
The Institute of Human Development is hosted under the AKU East Africa Campus in Nairobi, Kenya. The Institute is dedicated to pursuing knowledge with direct relevance for policies, programs, and practices that enhance life experiences at all stages of human development. In its foundational years, the Institute seeks particularly to become a visible instrumental force, locally as well as globally, for advancing knowledge about the earliest years of children’s development and for harnessing such knowledge to shape policies and interventions that ensure a strong start in life for all children wherever they may live.
Recruitment Sites
Paediatric Neurology Service at Aga Khan University Hospital Nairobi
The Paediatric Neurology Service provides daily clinics during which out-patients with different conditions including epilepsy, cerebral palsy, behavioral disorders, developmental delay, and neuro-muscular disorders are reviewed. Two paediatric neurologists are available at this service to review the children and four paediatric neurology fellows. In-patient services for children are also provided.
Developmental Paediatrics Clinic
Developmental paediatrics is a sub-specialty providing holistic care to children and youth with special needs/disabilities and their families, with the aim of improving functioning and quality of life. We monitor the children and youth’s developmental trajectories with the goal of optimizing their potential to achieve their individual goals. We support families through provision of resources and educational sessions on different developmental conditions. We conduct childhood disability research with the objective of understanding developmental diversity and enhancing the care provided to children with special needs.
The AKUHN Biorepository
The Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi (AKUHN) Biorepository was established in September 2019. It is housed within the Department of Pathology and currently supports several projects spanning related to breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, COVID-19, HIV and maternal and child health. The service is currently overseen by two qualified laboratory technologists. The Executive Director of the biorepository, Dr. Shahin Sayed is an experienced Anatomical Pathologist with plans to make the repository a core institutional facility. Services offered by the repository include processing, storage and shipment of biospecimens including blood, saliva, tissue (both Formalin fixed and paraffin embedded and fresh frozen tissue), nasopharyngeal/oral pharyngeal swabs, urine, stool and other biologic samples.
