Medical students and medical research in Pakistan

Madam, South Asia contributes to only 1.2% of research articles despite being one-fifth of the world s population. The situation is worse, particularly in Pakistan where there is a notable lack of physician-scientists. One of the main culprits could be lack of research training from the initial years of medical schooling.Furthermore, it has been shown that medical students involved in research were more likely to be interested in academic career and continue research activities later in their lives.This strategy of involving medical students in research has been proposed as a solution to declining numbers of physicianinvestigators.