UHS approves stricter PhD rules, launches four new doctoral programmes

The decision has been taken during the 227th meeting of the Advanced Studies and Research Board (ASRB), chaired by Vice Chancellor Prof. Ahsan Waheed Rathore, as part of the university's efforts to enhance the quality of research and postgraduate education

LAHORE:(UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-July 2nd, 2026) The University of Health Sciences (UHS) has introduced stricter eligibility criteria for PhD scholars, making participation in at least three national and one international conference or seminar mandatory before the award of a doctoral degree.

The decision was taken during the 227th meeting of the Advanced Studies and Research Board (ASRB), chaired by Vice Chancellor Prof. Ahsan Waheed Rathore, as part of the university's efforts to enhance the quality of research and postgraduate education.

During the meeting, the board also approved four new competency-based PhD programmes in Medical Education, Nursing, Oral Biology and Public Health. In addition, it endorsed a revised Master of Health Professions Education (MHPE) curriculum and approved the Certificate in Comprehensive Family Medicine Practice and Emergency Care (CCFP-EC) programme.

The board awarded a PhD in Forensic Sciences to Dr. Muhammad Faheem Ashraf for his research on developing a nanoparticle-based sensing device for the real-time detection of lidocaine and its metabolites for forensic investigations. His research was also published as the first author in a Higher Education Commission (HEC) "W" category journal.

The newly approved PhD Nursing programme, developed under the NURTURE Framework, focuses on clinical leadership, research, teaching, healthcare policy and professional ethics.

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It includes 500 hours of clinical residency, 200 hours of teaching residency, competency-based training and compulsory life-saving skills workshops.

The PhD programme in Public Health has been designed to address disease prevention, health promotion, health systems strengthening, implementation science, community-based research and the application of artificial intelligence in public health.

Meanwhile, the PhD Oral Biology curriculum covers advanced subjects such as craniofacial developmental biology, regenerative dentistry, stem cell research, biomaterials, dental forensic sciences, oral microbiology and oral immunology to strengthen research capacity in dental sciences.

The newly approved six-month CCFP-EC programme aims to enhance the clinical skills of general practitioners through blended learning, supervised clinical attachments, emergency care training and mandatory life-saving skills workshops in line with World Health Organization recommendations for Primary healthcare.

Besides approving the new academic programmes, the ASRB also endorsed the PhD thesis report of Dr. Zohra Khanum in Medical Education and reviewed a number of postgraduate research synopses and thesis reports from various disciplines.