National Institute of Medical and Social Sciences (NIMSS) is a not-for-profit trust, which was launched in late 2010 to carry forward the project of setting up a Medical and Social Science University along with a supporting 500 bed hospital. It is located in the Defense Housing Authority Islamabad (DHAI) developing fast into one of the most central and sought after locations in the northern region of Pakistan.
The goal of this institute is to develop manpower and build capacity through educational programs, infrastructure development, community outreach and public education in order to improve and enhance communication skills, healthcare delivery, humanities, public health and other social science sectors across Pakistan and the region.
Pakistan having a population size of 180 million with one of the best information technology infrastructure and vast mobile phone networks sets the stage to launch distance learning & online education. The curricula developed by NIMSS for both face-to-face teaching and distance learning will undoubtedly open the doors to not only the local but also the international job market for our students. Promoting linguistics, health care or any other form of education, NIMSS’s vision combined with the current and upcoming collaborations can markedly help empower the youth of Pakistan.
NIMSS is managed by a collaborative management company ‘Overseas Education Management Group’ (OMG), established by US based Pakistanis with the goal of providing an exceptional learning environment while meeting international standards for educating professionals and scholars who are capable of pursuing effective careers in the changing world, dedicated to serving society, their profession and the global community.
NIMSS, in order to achieve the highest level of excellence, has tasked OMG to collaborate with leading International Universities including the University of Cambridge, Harvard University institution Partner Harvard Medical International (PHMI), Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and Mass College of Pharmacy for providing academic linkages and external examination/ certifications so that our students are able to enter and compete in the international job market. Along with collaborations with local bodies such as National Vocational and Technical Training Commission of Pakistan (NAVTTC) for providing quality vocational and technical training leading to higher education degrees.
NIMSS in its second year of operations has established a College of Post Graduate Studies (CPGS) and has successfully completed a one-year certificate program for faculty development of 100 students in collaboration with Partners Harvard Medical International and recently College of Post graduate Studies has launched Cambridge International Certificate for Teachers & Trainers with Cambridge University. CPGS is expected to launch Masters in Health Education, Public Health, Nursing, and Hospital Administration by this fall.
Competency based curricula for Radiology, Lab Technology and Physiotherapy has been developed by NIMSS and approved by NAVTTC as National Curricula, hence laying the foundation for College of Allied Health Sciences (CAHS). CAHS became operational in fall 2012 and today enrolls over 300 students in the above-mentioned fields. Today NIMSS has 54 partner centers all over the country in far-flung rural towns to impart training to its students close to their homes.
The College of Linguistics has been recently established in collaboration with University of Cambridge ESOL and Cambridge International Examination (CIE). NIMSS has been granted the status of a Cambridge University Professional Development Centre and aims to start various Teachers Training Programs and English as a Secondary Language Programs for students from primary school to university level across Pakistan using both face-to-face and distance learning techniques.
College of Information and Communication Technology: provides the backbone for online education. E-learning requires application of information and communication technology (ICT) via web based learning management system LMS and live interactive lectures. The students however require a wireless device for Internet connectivity and a laptop or notebook with battery backup of 3-4 hours, to attend the online lectures uninterrupted by power failures. The course webpage of College of Information and Communication Technology (CICT) displays all the details of reading materials and schedules for real-time online lectures, discussions and quizzes. The calendar will be reminding and displaying all the activities to students on weekly as well as on monthly basis. The students will therefore have whole schedule of their current course in advance along with the reading materials and due dates of lectures followed by discussions questions and quizzes/assignments.
Another college set to start by Spring 2014 is the College of Pharmacy: this is expected to be in collaboration with Mass College of Pharmacy. Detailed information is available at: www.nimss.edu.pk