PESHAWAR, Nov 28 (APP): Dr. Maria Ishaq Khattak, a distinguished female faculty member of Khyber Medical University (KMU), has achieved a historic milestone by becoming the country’s 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 Social Sciences (IPH&SS), has now been promoted to Associate Professor (BPS-20), a …
KMU’s female faculty member becomes youngest-ever Professor-ranked academic in Dental Public Health
PESHAWAR, Nov 28 (APP): Dr. Maria Ishaq Khattak, a distinguished female faculty member of Khyber Medical University (KMU), has achieved a historic milestone by becoming the country’s 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 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.
Internationally, it is uncommon for medical or dental practitioners—whether 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.
In 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.
Consequently, the country faces a significant shortage of academicians who possess both clinical expertise and advanced research training.
This gap is especially visible in public health and specialised fields such as dental public health, where doctoral-level experts remain exceptionally few.
“Hailing 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,” Dr. Maria said while talking to APP.
She noted that very few women from KP rise to senior academic positions in public health, particularly in specialised disciplines like Dental Public Health.
“Holding both a BDS and a PhD—“a rare combination in Pakistan and even rarer for women from our region”, 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.
“My 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,” she said.
“This 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’s health systems and bring Pakistani perspectives into global health research,” she remarked.
Dr. Maria added that her achievement should help spark wider conversations about strengthening opportunities for women in academia.
“This 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–research career pathways for doctors and dentists. These steps are crucial for developing strong, locally grounded research leadership in Pakistan,” she observed.
