The earliest contributors to Dr. Rafie Raza’s achievements as a Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist was the influence of his mentor Dr. Shamvil Ashraf, one of the first trained pediatric oncologists in Pakistan. At that time, there were only few pediatric oncologists and limited facilities for childhood cáncer treatment. In 2005, Rafie decided to join pediatric oncology. During his tenure as a fellow, he developed a special interest in a research and outreach program and started work a Pediatric Oncology Capacity Building in Pakistan project.
Dr. Raza earned his medical degree in 1997 from Bahauddin Zakariya University in Multan, Pakistan. He completed his pediatrics residency, followed by a second fellowship in Hematology/Oncology from Children Cancer Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan.
Dr. Raza currently works at Indus Hospital & Health Network where he is a Senior Consultant and Head of Department of Pediatric Hematology & Oncology. His specialty and area of interest are bone and soft tissue sarcomas and histiocytic disorders. Dr. Raza is particularly passionate about research and development focused on the progress of childhood cancer in Pakistan. He manages a My Child Matters (MCM) outreach program involving 10 small-scale pediatric oncology units across Pakistan; the program focuses on educational activities for pediatric oncology multi-disciplinary teams in areas across Pakistan with limited healthcare facilities. He is also actively involved in establishment of a childhood cancer registry, a web-based software developed for improving data management in childhood cancer.
“I am lucky to pursue my passion as a Pediatric Oncologist along with research and outreach training programs. I find this opportunity of Master’s in Global Child Health Program very valuable. My goal is to increase access to treatment of childhood cancer and improve childhood cancer survival in Pakistan through this Global Scholars Program. I want to build my expertise through MS in Global Child Health. Whatever I will learn, I will apply it to improve childhood cancer survival to achieve target set by WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer. Our main issues for low survival rates are advanced disease at presentation, abandonment and treatment related mortality due to high rate of infections. We can improve survival through human resource and capacity building, improving quality of life and data documentation. It can be achieved by early diagnosis through awareness campaigns about childhood cancer on mass level, providing childhood cancer diagnostic guidelines to physicians and pediatricians, uniform National treatment guidelines and protocols and establishing childhood cancer registry. I plan to continue working on these projects during and after completion of MS in Global Child Health to progress. I am very much inspired and motivated by this Global Scholars Program of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and looking forward to learn to serve children suffering from cancer.”
Hometown: Karachi, Pakistan
Education
MD – Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan (1997)
Fellowship, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology – Children Cancer Hospital, Karchi, Pakistan (2010)
Publications
Raza MR, Maqsood S, Habib MA, et al. Establishing Childhood Cancer Registry Status in 3 Pediatric Oncology Units of Pakistan - A Low Middle Income Country. Sci World J Cancer Sci Ther. 1(2);1-4, 2021.
Raza MR, Maqsood S, Rana ZA, et al. Impact of COVID-19 on the Children with Cancer in 6 Pediatric Oncology Units (POU's) of Pakistan-a Multi-Center Study [published online ahead of print, 2021 Apr 18]. Cancer Invest. 1-11, 2021.
Resham S, Raza MR, Qureshi BM, et al. Prognostic factors and their influence on therapeutic outcomes in children and adolescents with parameningeal rhabdomyosarcoma: A multicenter study from Pakistan. Pediatr Hematol Oncol J. 6(1);6-11, 2021.
Saab R, Obeid A, Gachi F, et al. Impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on pediatric oncology care in the Middle East, North Africa, and West Asia region: A report from the Pediatric Oncology East and Mediterranean (POEM) group. Cancer. 126(18):4235-4245, 2020.
Mansoor N, Jabbar N, Arshad U, et al. Outcome of Core Binding Factor Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Children: A Single-Center Experience. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 42(6):e423-e427, 2020.
Muhammad S, Belgaumi AF, Ashraf MS, et al. Evaluation of Baseline Cardiac Function by Echocardiography and its Association With Nutritional Status in Pediatric Cancer Patients at The Indus Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 41(6):e388-e394, 2019.