{"doi":"10.1136/bmjopen-2022-066460","title":"Opportunities and challenges to non-communicable disease (NCD) research and training in Pakistan: a qualitative study from Pakistan","abstract":"INTRODUCTION: Most of the global non-communicable disease (NCD)-related death burden is borne by low and middle-income countries (LMICs). In LMICs like Pakistan, however, a major gap in responding to NCDs is a lack of high-quality research leading to policy development and implementation of NCDs. To assess institutional opportunities and constraints to NCD research and training we conducted a situational analysis for NCD research and training at Aga Khan University Pakistan. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive exploratory study using grounded theory as a qualitative approach: semistructured interviews of 16 NCD stakeholders (three excluded) and two focus group discussions with postgraduate and undergraduate trainees were conducted. A simple thematic analysis was done where themes were identified, and then recurring ideas were critically placed in their specific themes and refined based on the consensus of the investigators. RESULTS: The major themes derived were priority research areas in NCDs; methods to improve NCD research integration; barriers to NCD research in LMICs like Pakistan; design of NCD research programme and career paths; and NCD prevention at mass level, policy and link to the government. In general, participants opined that while there was an appetite for NCD research and training, but few high-quality research training programmes in NCDs existed, such programmes needed to be established. The ideal NCD research and training programmes would have in-built protected time, career guidance and dedicated mentorship. Most participants identified cardiovascular diseases as a priority thematic area and health information technology and data science as key methodological approaches to be introduced into research training. CONCLUSION: We conclude from this qualitative study on NCD research and training that high-quality research training programmes for NCDs are rare. Such programmes need to be established with in-built protected time, career guidance and mentorship for the trainees to improve their research capacity in Pakistan.","journal":"BMJ Open","year":2022,"id":261645,"datarank":0.0,"base_score":0.0,"endowment":0.0,"self_citation_contribution":0.0,"citation_network_contribution":0.0,"self_endowment_contribution":0.0,"citer_contribution":0.0,"corpus_percentile":null,"corpus_rank":null,"citation_count":15,"citer_count":0,"citers_with_citation_signal":0,"citers_with_endowment":0,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"is_dataset":false,"is_dataset_confidence":0.9544,"is_data_producer":false,"deposit_databanks":null,"is_oa":true,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"has_version_chain":false,"published_date":"2022-01-01","fair_score":null,"fair_percentile":null,"algorithm_id":"datarank_citation_only_1hop_v6","ranking_scope":"data_only","authors":[{"id":530063,"name":"Safia Awan","orcid":"0000-0001-8284-7800","position":1,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":329844,"name":"Gerald S. Bloomfield","orcid":"0000-0002-7176-1611","position":2,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":22695,"name":"Muhammad Imran Nisar","orcid":"0000-0002-2378-4720","position":3,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":430479,"name":"Sameen Siddiqi","orcid":"0000-0001-8289-0964","position":4,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":916507,"name":"Asma Ahmed","orcid":"0000-0001-8878-1072","position":5,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":227046,"name":"Asad Ali","orcid":"0000-0001-5274-7665","position":6,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":916944,"name":"Saad Shafqat","orcid":null,"position":7,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":22283,"name":"Zulfiqar A. Bhutta","orcid":"0000-0003-0637-599X","position":8,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":85283,"name":"Daniel B. Mark","orcid":"0000-0001-6340-8087","position":9,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":282488,"name":"Pamela S. Douglas","orcid":"0000-0001-9876-4049","position":10,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":407715,"name":"John Bartlett","orcid":"0000-0001-9529-6198","position":11,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":364535,"name":"Tazeen H. Jafar","orcid":"0000-0001-7454-8376","position":12,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":48674,"name":"Zainab Samad","orcid":"0000-0003-2422-3199","position":13,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":916506,"name":"Aysha Almas","orcid":"0000-0001-7146-7183","position":0,"is_corresponding":true}],"reference_count":48,"raw_metadata":null,"created_at":"2026-07-19T00:26:16.663144Z","pmid":"36535721","pmcid":null,"fwci":null,"citation_percentile":null,"influential_citations":0,"oa_status":null,"license":null,"views":0,"total_file_size_bytes":0,"version_count":0,"fair_f":null,"fair_a":null,"fair_i":null,"fair_r":null,"fair_zscore":null,"fair_rationale":null,"fair_model":null,"fair_agent_version":null,"fair_fulltext_source":null,"fair_has_llm":null,"fair_computed_at":null,"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"db_accessions":[],"linked_datasets":[],"topics":[]}