KU, CHWB organise first well-being symposium

KARACHI: Recently, the Center of Health and Well Being, in collaboration with the Office of Research, Innovation, and Commercialization of the University of Karachi, organised its first well-being symposium at the Arts Auditorium.

To analyse and spotlight the significant role of well-being to not only save lives but also empower individuals to live quality lives and to move the discussion away from disease burden towards sustainable behavioural change and healthy longevity, the Center of Health and Well Being (CHWB) in association with Office of Research, Innovation, and Commercialization of the University of Karachi organised well-being symposium.

Prof Dr Farah Iqbal, Director, psychological health and strategy, CHWB, greets the participants by accentuating the well-being symposium's meaningful role, which aims to bring together academia, trades, communities, and individuals for essential discussion on well-being the global predicament. 

She accentuated that the focus on well-being could facilitate humans navigating uncertainty and digging mechanisms of hope.  

Later, Dr Farah Iqbal and Dr Sadaf Ahmed introduced the centre for health and well-being and illustrated the goals, programs, and potentials of CHWB. 

Prof Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi, Vice-Chancellor, University of Karachi, addressed the audience on the essence of bringing together health experts and practitioners in higher education to reckon the urgent need for more effective partnerships. 

Prof Dr Khalid Iraqi said people had to be deep-seated and creative in looking for blueprints, including partnering with staff and pupils, local communities and cities, and partnering across corporate and state sectors. 

He cited that now citizens had a full-time developed institute at the campus named the 'Centre of Health and Well Being' to aid students and employees. He added that this institute included the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. 

Meanwhile, Prof Dr Syed A. Aziz from the University of Ottawa and Health Canada delivered the plenary talk on heredity and variation, inherited genes that play a role in our well-being or ill-being. 

Later, a panel session was followed on "Well-being: a matter of health, happiness or social change?" moderated by Dr Faizan Mirza, Department of Physiology, University of Karachi. The panel was equipped by Prof Dr Iqbal Afridi, Dr Syed A Aziz, Dr Farah Iqbal, Dr Asma Makhani, Dr Farah Essa Abdullah, Dr Imran Yousuf, Dr Aatir Rajput and Dr Fahad Laasi. 

There was a poster exhibition session for young researchers following the panel discussion, including more than 30 research and thematic posters.  

Dr Nusrat Idress, Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, said that the one-day symposium aimed to bring all the issues concerned with individuals' occupational, psychological, physical, intellectual, and spiritual well-being to one platform and be listened to by healthcare and intellectual experts. 

Prof Dr Tanveer Abass, Director, CHWB, concluded by mentioning that sessions like this would help build more robust and stable communities with productive members and constructive minds.  

After the pandemic, he said community health and well-being should be the priority, and according to him, this seminar was the first leap towards it.