PESHAWAR
\nDr. Maria Ishaq Khattak, a distinguished female faculty member of Khyber Medical University (KMU), has achieved a historic milestone by becoming the country\u2019s youngest academic to reach the rank equivalent to Professor in the specialty of Dental Public Health.
\nDr. Maria, who previously served as Assistant Professor at the Institute of Public Health and Social Sciences (IPH&SS), has now been promoted to Associate Professor (BPS-20), a rank that currently represents the highest academic position in this field in Pakistan. She is also the only PhD in Dental Public Health in the country at this level.
\nInternationally, it is uncommon for medical or dental practitioners\u2014whether holding BDS or MBBS degrees to also complete a PhD, as the combined clinical and research training requires years of intensive education, mentorship, and institutional support.
\nIn Pakistan, this dual qualification is even rarer due to limited structured pathways, scarce research funding, and a small pool of institutions capable of training clinician-scientists.
\nConsequently, the country faces a significant shortage of academicians who possess both clinical expertise and advanced research training.
\nThis gap is especially visible in public health and specialised fields such as dental public health, where doctoral-level experts remain exceptionally few.
\n\u201cHailing from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, this milestone carries special meaning for me because women from our province still face many limitations in accessing higher education, research pathways, academic mobility and leadership roles,\u201d Dr. Maria said while talking to APP.
\nShe noted that very few women from KP rise to senior academic positions in public health, particularly in specialised disciplines like Dental Public Health.
\n\u201cHolding both a BDS and a PhD\u2014\u201da rare combination in Pakistan and even rarer for women from our region\u201d, she added that her journey reflects not only personal perseverance but also the broader potential of young women in KP who aspire to academic and research careers.
\n\u201cMy journey reflects both personal effort and the broader potential of young women in KP who aspire to careers in academia and research but seldom see role models they can relate to,\u201d she said.
\n\u201cThis achievement shows how regional and gender barriers can be overcome with perseverance and support, and how talent from underserved areas can contribute meaningfully to Pakistan\u2019s health systems and bring Pakistani perspectives into global health research,\u201d she remarked.
\nDr. Maria added that her achievement should help spark wider conversations about strengthening opportunities for women in academia.
\n\u201cThis milestone highlights the need to increase the visibility of women from KP in science, strengthen mentorship and research training for young female scholars, build supportive university policies, invest in regional academic institutions, and encourage dual clinical\u2013research career pathways for doctors and dentists. These steps are crucial for developing strong, locally grounded research leadership in Pakistan,\u201d she observed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PESHAWAR Dr. Maria Ishaq Khattak, a distinguished female faculty member of Khyber Medical University (KMU), has achieved a historic milestone by becoming the country\u2019s youngest academic to reach the rank equivalent to Professor in the specialty of Dental Public Health. Dr. Maria, who previously served as Assistant Professor at the Institute of Public Health and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":517289,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-517264","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-peshawar"},"yoast_head":"\n