Kanwal Mallhi, MD, is a pediatric hematologist/oncologist at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center specializing in hematopoietic stem cell transplants and cellular therapies, helping some of the youngest cancer fighters have better options, and more hope, as they go through treatment.
After going to medical school at Rosalind Franklin University at Chicago Medical School and completing her residency at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine, Dr. Mallhi did her pediatric hematology oncology internship at the University of British Columbia.
It was during her residency she decided to specialize in pediatric cancer care. “I always really enjoyed biology and science and innovative research, and I found that in pediatric hematology,” Dr. Mallhi says. “There were so many aspects of research and biology, and patient care I absolutely loved. It was a field that was ever-changing, trying to cure and help these patients who have such devastating disorders.”
Working toward a brighter future for pediatric patients and their families
The best place to continue her practice and research was at Roswell Park, she says, due to the innovation and novel cancer research happening there, in addition to its strong reputation for patient advocacy.
“There’s a huge push to try new cellular therapies and gene therapies for patients on both the adult and pediatric side, which I’m very passionate about,” she says. "Then I realized how much the institution really reaches out to the patients and advocates for them and all the resources that are available to them, and I knew it was a population that I could help. I wanted to be part of that mission.”
As part of the pediatric team at Roswell Park, Dr. Mallhi not only works with cancer patients, but other children who come in seeking help and treatment options for other non-malignant disorders, including bone marrow failure syndromes, immunodeficiency syndromes, some of which are inherited like sickle cell disease, and other disorders. In addition to treating patients, Dr. Mallhi’s research is focused on these conditions and diseases with the hope of finding new, innovative treatments that can help alleviate the symptoms or, one day, develop new cures.
“There’s so much patient support from our nursing staff and the doctors to take care of a vast variety of pediatric disorders,” she says. “We have a great budding program here for families to really get the care they need.”
Why Roswell Park for pediatric cancers?
At Roswell Park Oishei Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders program, your child will have leading nationally recognized experts in pediatric cancer and blood disorders, plus essential support services, while keeping your family close to home.
Cellular therapy is a central focus, both for Dr. Mallhi and for Roswell Park. “There’s a lot of exciting things happening in cellular therapy. The research and the innovation within the field is expanding every single day. I think there's a lot of work being done to help our patients be cured of these disorders, and I want to be part of that.”
Ultimately, it’s her patients that keep Dr. Mallhi most excited and energized to come to work each day. “They’re going through such challenging experiences in their life, both their families and the patients themselves and their siblings. I want to help alleviate some of that difficulty they’re going through and, hopefully, cure some of the disorders that these patients are experiencing.”
