RASCON: Future of Rehabilitation and Allied Health Sciences in Pakistan

Abstract

Healthcare is a crucial aspect in our society. With the improvement in technology and education, more people are opting for this profession. In recent decades, rehabilitation, allied health sciences and emerging fields in biological sciences have received considerable attention at both international and national platforms. The Superior University has the largest and highly qualified faculty in the key disciplines of Rehabilitation & Allied Health Sciences.  In Current Senior, Faculty of Allied Health has Organized RASCON, the first ever international conference, on 9th-11th December 2022 under the theme “Interdisciplinary approaches to create socio-economic impact through research, innovation and commercialization for healthcare professionals and scientists.”  The conference has attributed to augmentation and expansion of research, education and commercialization in these domains. The main objective of this conference is to bring together the health care professionals, Allied Health care professionals, Rehabilitation specialists, Physical Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, Clinical Psychologists, Clinical Nutritionists, Occupational Therapists, Leading scientists, Researchers, Educationists and allied health care professionals to exchange interdisciplinary approaches to contribute to socio-economic impact to achieve SDGs. It has been planned to provide an intercontinental platform for the sharing of scientific knowledge and hands on training sessions. Similar to other conferences, while the major audience included researchers around the globe, it specifically provided a research knowledge sharing venture for the students, which are going to be our future researchers In this regard, various workshops (26) were conducted on 9th December in collaboration with different hospitals and industries. The main objective of these workshops was to provide hands on training and facilitate students to grab emerging technologies relating to their respective fields. On 10 and 11 December, around 17 International and 56 National keynote speakers attended the conference to present their latest research in their specialized fields. . Our global speakers included professors from USA, Canada, Malaysia, Uk, Iran, China, Germany, Sri Lanka, Australia, Russia, Sweden, Turkey, Thailand and South Korea. Furthermore, participants of this conference also presented scientific posters highlighting the outcomes of their recent projects. Additionally, several talk sessions were also conducted to answer the queries of the students and other participants. This conference was successfully held with the collaboration of National/Multinational industries including food industries, academic institutes and healthcare sectors. The prime knowledge products of RASCON 22 were: research articles, patents, books, research protocols, manuals, policies, advanced technologies in therapeutics, outreach and assessment resources, blogs on socio-economic impacts of research, and finally the entrepreneurial implications of research. Of all the planned undertakings, the greatest impact was seen in societal projects, followed by manuals, advanced therapeutic technologies, blogs, policies and protocols, in ascending order. The manuals provided information and necessary steps for improvements in physiotherapy and rehabilitation. Some key protocols included posture control, communication and swallowing management along with a stepwise diagnosis protocol for dyslexia – a learning disability that has affected more than 700 million people worldwide and 12 million children in Pakistan alone. Correspondingly, the advanced therapeutic technologies included robotic rehabilitation options in the fields of orthotics, cochlear implantation and prosthetics. Major polices focused on the investment and management so as to build a high-quality workforces and services for improving rehabilitation combined with a feedback system via data collection for continual improvement. All of these would ultimately have a strong societal impact in the form of community-based rehabilitation culminating in the better quality of life. Overall it was a fantastic conference, we are grateful to have of thoughtful and effective organization.” The level of expertise and knowledge of the presenters are excellent. In addition, I appreciate their positive attitudes, willingness to explain concepts, clarity of visual aids and handouts, and opportunities to ask questions. The insights I have gained from this one conference far exceed any other conference I have attended to date. Wonderful, insightful, well presented! Excellent sessions, challenging and thought-provoking. I am always impressed with the commitment and efficiency of those who plan this conference.” “I really enjoyed my time at the conference. I am looking forward to next year's conference.”