On 20 May, the doors of the Clinical Trials Unit at Ziauddin University, Karachi, Pakistan, were opened to the public to celebrate International Clinical Trials Day 2024. Members of the public and local community had a chance to hear about current clinical trials, patient safety in research as well as the role of patient public involvement and engagement (PPIE) in trials. The event also featured the world premiere of an animated video in Urdu explaining clinical trials in easy-to-understand, lay language. Over 100 members of the community attended the Open House event, of whom 80% had never heard about clinical trials. Attendees expressed huge enthusiasm for learning more, supporting local clinical trials, and spreading the word about clinical trials to their fellow community members.

This Open House event was organized by a MORU-funded PPIE group, led by Prof Madiha Hashmi (Ziauddin University) and coordinated by Dr Arishay Hussaini (Ziauddin University), Prof Nikhat Ahmed (public member,) and Critical Care Asia Research Coordinator Dr Timo Tolppa (University of British Columbia).