Department of Munafeul Aza, Aligarh Muslim University

Shout out to my newest followers! Excited to have you onboard! Faheem Khan, Syed Ahsan Raza, Naem Baba, Aabrar Alve

Following NEP 2020 guidelines , National Council for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) framed Competency Based Dynamic Curriculum for Undergraduate BUMS program. The new curriculum lays focus on skill development and hence more non- Lecture hours are alloted for each unit with variety of student oriented Teaching- Learning methods. We at the Department of Manafeul Aza, Faculty of Unani Medicine, A.M.U are determined to implement the new curriculum in letter and spirit. Recently various topics were covered by Flipped Classroom sessions among BUMS I Prof (2023 Batch) students.These sessions ran during 5th-19th March 2024. Ten students namely Sumaiyah Fatimah, Saniya, Ume Raheema, Shaziya Shaikh, Al Shifa Fatima, Sumaiyyah Shehroz, Azhar, Shahla Noor, Abdullah Azmi and Mohd Tauseef participated. During each session the students delivered a lecture on their selected topic for 20 minutes. All the presentations were quite promising. The department wishes all the students a bright future. Dr. Aisha Aijaz Assistant Professor at the department conducted the flipped classrooms.

Faculty members and the Junior residents of the department welcomed new Principal of Ajmal Khan Tibbiya College Prof B. D. Khan. Prof. Khan took the charge of principal today. Earlier he has served as Provost SS Hall South. He assured his full cooperation towards the development of the department.

The smile on their faces, says it all. First batch of MD submitted their Theses.
In 2019 the department started its three year Post Graduate MD program and this week after completion of three years, the first batch of doctors submitted their theses. Despite COVID 19 pandemic and other hurdles, these young doctors put in a lot of effort and hard work to complete their research work and ultimately reached their goal. . Congratulations to Dr. Atiya Samad, Dr. Tuba Zafar, Dr. Uzair and Dr Ghazala for excellent work. Their research Supervisors also deserve appreciation. Prof SM Khan, Dr. Hira Younus, Dr. M Saad Khan, Dr. Saba Zaidi, Dr. Aisha Aijaz and Dr. H Iqtidar Ahmad worked diligently as research guides.

A sensitisation workshop on Sexual harassment of Women at workplace prevention Act 2013 was held at the department. The sexual harassment of women at work place is a common menace and it is the women who need to stand courageous and fight against it, said the guest speaker of this workshop Dr. Tabassum choudhary, Assistant Professor from Faculty of Law, AMU. Women should not remain silent and immediately speak up to stop any advances whether verbal or physical in this regard, she further added. This workshop was attended by all teaching, non teaching staff and PG students of the department. Dr. Saba zaidi was the coordinator of this workshop. Dr Aisha Aijaz presented the vote of thanks and Dr H Iqtidar Ahmed gave the welcome address.

DMA organised various programs during last two months:
From time to time the department organises different extracurricular activities under various National Programs. A colloquium on " Awareness to deal with Cybercrimes" was organized by the department on 15th of October. On this occasion Dr. Saim Farooqui from the Faculty of Law, AMU delivered an informative talk on various legal provisions to combat cyber crime.
On 15th of November a debate competition to commemorate Tribal freedom fighters was organized. Many students participated in this debate. Dr. Arshi Riyaz, Assistant Professor in department of Kulliyat, AMU judged this debate competition. The winners received certificates from the judge and the end. This program was organized as a part Janjati Gourav Diwas.
Similarly Vigilance awareness Week was also observed by the department from 31st October to 6th of November. Various activities were carried out during this week. A lecture on " Corruption free India for a developed Nation" was also organized during this week. The lecture was delivered by Dr. Farooq A. Dar, Chairman of the department.
To celebrate Samvidhan Diwas an awareness lecture on the rights and duties of the citizens as envisaged in the Constitution of India was organized on 26th of November. Dr. Adil Ghaznavi from the department of Political Science, AMU delivered this awareness lecture.
As a part of our responsibility to contribute towards the sucess of " Pradhaan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan" and to spread awareness about TB prevention a Guest Lecture was organized by the department on 30th of November. Dr. Abdul Aziz Khan from department of Tahafuzzi wa Samaji Tib, AMU delivered this lecture. He highlighted various provisions of this abhiyaan and emphasised on various preventive measures to combat Tuberculosis in India.
All these programs were conducted and managed efficiently by the faculty members of the department, Dr. Aisha Aijaz, Dr. Saba Zaidi and Dr. Hafiz Iqtidar Ahmad. PG students and other staff of the department played crucial role in the sucess of these programs.

27 September 2022: Dr. K Jagannathan visited the department:
President Board of Unani, Siddha and Sowa Rigpa, National Council for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM), Ministry of AYUSH, New Delhi Dr K Jagannathan on his visit to AMU to attend a CME program as chief guest, also paid a visit to department of Munafeul Aza. Faculty members gave him a tour of the infrastructure and various research facilities of the department. Future development plans were also apprised to him.

14 September 2022
Dr. Ali Jafar Abidi delivered a guest lecture at departmental Seminar:
Every month one departmental seminar is delivered by a guest speaker from other speciality. Usually the guest seminar is held at the end of the month, but this time it was held earlier to integrate this lecture with another event "Swachhta Pakhwada" organized by the department. The topic of the lecture " Clean Hospitals " was also apt for the Swachhta theme. Dr. Ali Jafar Abidi from department of Community Medicine, JN Medical College, AMU explained various SoPs for cleaner hospitals and working places. His eloquent lecture was very informative and enjoyed by all. Dr. Saba Zaidi presented the vote of thanks.

Department welcomed new PG's:

A graceful freshers party was organized by the Junior Residents of 2019 and 2020 batch to welcome the new PG's. Dean Faculty of Unani Medicine also graced the ceremony with his presence.

Dr. Sumbul Rehman delivered guest lecture:
Seminars are held in the department and include faculty and MD students of the department as speakers. However, in last seminar of every month a guest is invited to deliver a lecture. This month Dr. Sumbul Rehman, Assistant Professor Department of Ilmul Advia, AMU delivered her talk on Research publication and writing. It was a thought provoking lecture and all students got to learn important aspects of scientific writing.

Department of Munafeul Aza celebrates Independence Week (11th-17th August 2022): The department of Munafeul Aza organized an Essay writing competition among PG students on the topic "Achievements of AYUSH systems in India after Independence". This competition was judged by Dr. Abdur Rauf, Chairman department of Ilmul Advia, AKTC, AMU. Dr. Afreen Israr MD II secured first prize, Dr. Uzair Ahmad got the second prize while Dr. Sana Ikram won the third prize in this competition. During the prize distribution ceremony held on 17th August 2022, Prof. F. S. Sherani Dean Faculty of Unani Medicine, presented the winners certificates and graced the occasion with his motivational words. The program started with recitation of holy Quran by Dr. Hafiz iqtidar Ahmad followed by the welcome address by the chairman Dr. Farooq A Dar. After that Dr. Abdur Rauf appreciated the performance of the students in the competition and shared his judgement criteria. The program was conducted by Dr. Aisha Aijaz and concluded with the formal vote of thanks by Dr. Saba Zaidi.
Other programs were also organized by the department during Independence Week like flag distribution among UG and PG students on 13th August 2022, pinning the National flag by all the members of the department at their locations and uploading their selfies with Tiranga on the portal https://harghartiranga.com

Azadi ka Amrit Mohatsav.. Har ghar Tiranga:

DMA today organised a jubilant program to commemorate 75th years of Independence in which Flags were distributed among the students and the staff. The students also took selfies with the National flag and uploaded these on various social media platforms. This program was coordinated by Dr. Aisha Aijaz. Dr. H. Iqtidar Ahmad and other staff of the department were also present on the occasion..

Departmental Seminars resumed Offline:
Seminars are held in the department and include departmental faculty and MD students, and speakers from outside the department (both on- and off-campus). These seminars consist of a formal presentations which are followed by a question-and-answer session that sometimes leads to lively discussions. Topics incorporate the breadth of scientific sub-disciplines represented in the department. Seminars provide a platform for exchange of ideas and are a critical component of PG medical education. During COVID 19 lockdown the seminars were conducted in online mode. From past one month the department of Munafeul Aza has resumed regular seminars offline.

Department joining celebration party by MD 1st year Students....

18 May 2022, An interactive session with Superintendent Government Unan Pharmacy Bhopal, held:
Dr Mohd Azam, Superintendent Government Unani pharmacy, Ministry of AYUSH, Government of Madhya Pradesh interacted with the PG students of the department. He shared his valuable experiences and urged the students to focus on learning. He emphasized the importance of hard work and advised the students to work for the Upliftment and betterment of Unani System of Medicine. Dr Mohd Azam an alumnus of AMU ( BUMS gold medalist) is versatile personality. During his student days he represented AMU in badminton, Dramatics and Poetry at different platforms. The session started with the recitation of holy Quran by Dr. Mumtaz an MD 2nd year resident. The session was moderated by Dr. Hafiz Iqtidar Ahmad and Dr. Aisha Aijaz presented the vote of thanks.

DMA organized workshop on Mendeley:
17 May 2022: Today a workshop with hands on training on Reference management with Mendeley was organised by the department. The workshop was attended by MD residents of the faculty of Unani Medicine. Faculty members and teachers of the department and other departments joined this workshop. Dr. Abdur Rauf, Chairman Department of Ilmul Advia was also present. He provided the conference room of his department for smooth conduct of this workshop. The resource person of this workshop Dr. M Yousuf Ansari from department of Petroleum Studies, AMU explained various features of Mendeley software and also provided hands on training on the use of Mendeley to the participants. At the end a free interactive Q&A session was conducted. Previous year a similar workshop was organized by the department in online mode.

DMA faculty member delivered a guest lecture in the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka

February 11: Dr. Farooq Ahmad Dar, Associate professor and Chairman, Depart of Munafeul Aza, Faculty of Unani Medicine, Aligarh Muslim University delivered an invited talk in an International Webinar on World Unani Day 2022, organized by the Institute of Indigenous Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Dr. Farooq spoke on the Contribution of Unani Medicine to health Care challenges of 21st Century. He delineated the role of safe and effective Unani therapies in the management of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) including the role of Unani medicine in disease prevention and health promotion which are becoming exceedingly important components of public health with the increasing burden of Chronic diseases.
He further discussed how in medicine the Post-modern approach is aligning back with the age old holistic principle of Unani Medicine. He also elaborated how Unani Detox regimens are much broader and effective than the contemporary Detox therapies which are based merely on diet modifications.

Prize distribution ceremony held today:

In a small yet graceful ceremony, certificates were distributed to the winners of debate competition held on 1st November 2021 to commemorate Vigilance awareness week 2021. Speaking on this occasion Dr. Ataullah Fahad who was also the judge of this debate competition congratulated the winners and praised the efforts of the department in polishing the talent of the students by organizing such programs. Dr Saba Zaidi, organizing secretary of this event welcomed the guests and also presented the vote of thanks.
Dr. Tuba Zafar an MD Munafeul Aza 2nd year student won the first prize.

Department of Munafeul Aza celebrated Gandhi Jayanti 2021 during 1st -10th October 2021. During this celebration the following activities were conducted:

1. An online lecture was delivered by Dr. Aisha Aijaz on 6th October 2021 on the life of Mahatma Gandhi, the goals of Swacch Bharat Mission and the importance of food hygiene.

2. A sanitation campaign was organized under Swacch Bharat Mission with the theme “Spreading Gandhigiri of food hygiene”. During this campaign BUMS Students were trained to educate at least one non-medico person in their family or neighborhood on importance of food hygiene. They were asked to record a 1 min video of their interaction.

Webinar Series on Pharmacovigilance:

The fourth webinar on Pharmacovigilance series is scheduled on 7th of October 2021.The guest speaker of the webinar is Prof. Tanzeel Ahmad from department of Moalijat, AMU. The link to join the webinar is given in the poster. There will be a Q&A session at the end of the webinar.

Ms. Rida Khan won the first prize:

Apart from various events organised during Swachhta Pakhwada 1-15 September 2021, DMA also organized a poster making competition among BUMS I year students on 11september 2021 on the theme "lmportance of personal hygiene in COVID-19 prevention". Ms Rida Khan, won the first prize and Ms Faiza Noor won the second prize while Ms. Nashrah Khanam won the third prize. This event was convened by Dr. Aisha Aijaz.

3rd Webinar on Pharmacovigilance:
The DMA today successfully organized the 3rd webinar on Pharmacovigilance. The guest speaker for this webinar Dr. Mohammad Khalid, Assistant Drugs Controller, Government of NCT, New Delhi delivered a very detailed lecture on Drugs and Cosmetics Act and elaborated various rules related to Unani drug manufacturing. He further emphasized on how proper implementation of these regulations will lead to effective Pharmacovigilance of ASU drugs. Dr. Saba Zaidi Assistant Professor DMA conducted this webinar. Students from different departments attended this program. Dr. Aisha Aijaz presented the formal vote of thanks. Dr. Hafiz Iqtidar Ahmad moderated the sessions.

Webinar Series on Pharmacovigilance:

The second webinar on Pharmacovigilance was held today (25th of September 2021). The webinar started with the recitation from Holy Quran by. Mr. Iqramul Haq. The guest speaker of today's webinar Dr. Younis Munshi, Dy. Director RRIUM, Kolkata delivered his lecture on Pharmacovigilance of ASU drugs - responsibility of Industry, physician & patient. He also elucidated various herb-drug interaction important for a physician to ponder while prescribing medicine to a patient. Chairman department of Munafeul Aza Dr. Farooq A Dar welcomed the guests and delegates. Dr. Aisha Aijaz, Assistant professor DMA conducted this webinar. Dr. Hafiz Iqtidar Ahmad and Dr. Saba Zaidi Assistant professors DMA presented vote of thanks and moderated the sessions respectively.

Webinar Series on Pharmacovigilance inaugurated:

The first webinar in the the series of webinars to be organised on Pharmacovigilance was held on 16th of September 2021. Teachers and PG students participated in this webinar. The guest speaker of this webinar Prof. Syed Ziaur Rahmam from department of Pharmacology, JN Medical College, AMU delivered a comprehensive lecture on basics of Pharmacovigilance. He also emphasized on the role of Pharmacovigilance in improving patient safety and how Pharmacovigilance has developed over the years into a full fledged medical subject. In his welcome address, Chairman department of Munafeul Aza Dr. Farooq A Dar highlighted the efforts of the department in achieving academic excellence. Dr. Aisha Aijaz, Assistant professor DMA conducted this webinar. Dr. Hafiz Iqtidar Ahmad, Assistant professor DMA presented vote of thanks. Dr. Saba Zaidi, Assistant professor DMA moderated the sessions.

Swachhta Pakhwada (1-15 September 2021):

DMA Kickstarted Swachhta Pakhwada with taking of swachhta pledge in an online ceremony held on 1st of September. As a part of this fortnight program a plantation drive was also conducted. Principal AKTC Prof Shagufta Aleem and Chairperson DMA Dr. Farooq Ahmad Dar planted medicinal plant saplings at various places of AKTC campus. Dr. Aisha Aijaz, Dr. Saba Zaidi and other staff of DMA was also present at the occasion. As a part of this program a poster making competition for the students is also planned.

DMA faculty delivered invited talks:

Dr. Farooq Ahmad Dar, Associate Professor, DMA delivered invited talks at various National and International platforms. He represented Unani medicine fraternity at the National Webinar organized by AIIA, Ministry of AYUSH and delivered a lecture on " Unani Interventions in COVID 19 management". He also presented a research paper in Monthly Webinar on Mizaj Research, organized by Traditional Medicine & History of Medical Sciences Research Center, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Iran.

DMA welcomes new Principal:
Department of Munafeul Aza today in a graceful ceremony held at Ajmal Khan Tibbiya College, congratulated Prof Shagufta Aleem for her appointment as Principal, Ajmal Khan Tibbiya College AMU. Speaking on the occasion Dr. Farooq A. Dar Chairperson DMA said that he is confident that under the able leadership of Prof. Shagufta Aleem, the college will reach new heights of development and progress with an all-round creation of positivity and cordial atmosphere. He pledged her all cooperation from the department. Prof Shagufta Aleem, Principal AKTC, AMU assured that she will provide all support to the department for its developmental works. Other faculty members of DMA Dr. Saba Zaidi, Dr. Aisha Aijaz, Dr. Hafiz Iqtidar Ahmad were also present at the occasion.

Azadi ka Amrit Mohatsav:
To commemorate 75 years of Indian Independence DMA celebrated Azadi ka Amrit Mohatsav. As a part of this Mohatsav various programs were conducted by the department including singing of National Anthem. In continuation of this Mohatsav on 21st of August a webinar was organised by the department on the topic Role of AYUSH Systems in Health Care of Independent India. The guest speaker of this webinar was Dr. Nishi Arora, Associate Professor, A&U Tibbia College, New Delhi. Both UG and PG students of the department attended this webinar. Dr. Aisha Aijaz, Assistant Professor, department of Munafeul Aza Convened and Conducted this program.

Research Advisory Board meeting held:
DMA strives for high quality Research and education. To pursue need based, industry driven and multidisciplinary research, the department constituted a Research Advisory Board (RAB) with members from diverse fields and expertise for valuable inputs. The first meeting of RAB was held on 10th February 2021 at department conference room. The members put forth many suggestions for improvement of quality of research and education. The members also assured of their continuous support to the department. The following honorable members were present: Prof. Iqtidarul Hasan Zaidi (Former Dean, F/O Unani Medicine, AMU); Prof. Hk. Naeem Ahmad Khan (Former Dean, F/O Unani Medicine, AMU); Prof. Usha Singhal (Former HoD Physiology, NIMS, Jaipur); Prof. F.S. Sherani (Dean, Faculty of Unani Medicine, AMU); Prof. Syed Ziaur Rahman (D/O Pharmacology, JN Medical College, AMU); Prof. Ghufran Ahmad (Chairman, D/O Ilmul Advia, AKTC); Dr. Mohammad Athar (D/O Forensic Science, Institute for Excellence in Higher Education, Bhopal); Dr. M.Zakariya (MD, New Life Laboratories Pvt. Ltd); Dr. Gul Ar Navi Khan (D/O Physiology, JNMC, AMU); Dr. Hina Younus (Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit, AMU); Dr. Mohammad Sarfaraz (D/O Electric Engineering, ZHCET, AMU).
Besides the Faculty members of the department, Dr. Aisha Aijaz, Dr. Saba Zaidi, and Dr. Hafiz Iqtidar Ahmad were also present. Dr. Farooq Ahmad Dar, Chairman DMA convened the meeting and presented the vote of Thanks.

DMA welcomes new Dean:
Department of Munafeul Aza today in a ceremony held at Faculty of Unani Medicine congratulated Prof F. S. Sherani for his appointment as Dean, Faculty of Unani Medicine, AMU. Dr. Aisha Aijaz and Dr. Saba Zaidi presented Prof. Sherani a bouquet. Chairperson, Department of Munafeul Aza Dr. Farooq A Dar and Dr. H. Iqtidar Ahmad were also present at the occasion.