Dr. Saima Alvi is a pediatric hematologist/oncologist specializing in childhood malignancies, with a particular focus on childhood cancer survivorship and late effects. She is currently working as Assistant Professor, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, at Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital, Saskatoon, where she has practiced since January 2022. Her work focuses on pediatric oncology clinical care, survivorship research in adolescents and young adults, and the development of clinical practice guidelines, and she serves as the lead physician for the childhood cancer survivorship and late effects program in Saskatchewan.
Current Position
- Assistant Professor, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology — Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital, Saskatoon, SK (January 2022 – Present)
- Lead Physician, Childhood Cancer Survivorship and Late Effects Program — Saskatchewan
- Active Member, Children’s Oncology Group (COG) – Long Term Follow-up, Clinical Care Translation Task Force
Education
- Undergraduate and postgraduate training in Paediatrics — Pakistan
- Fellowship in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology — Pakistan
- Membership in the discipline of Pediatrics, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan (FCPS)
- Clinical Fellowship (3 years), Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant — BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, Canada (2009–2012)
Professional Experience
- Clinical Fellow, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant — BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, Canada (2009–2012)
- Hematology/Oncology/Bone Marrow Transplant — The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto (2012)
- Pediatric Oncologist — Saskatchewan Cancer Agency (5 years)
- Assistant Professor, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology — Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital, Saskatoon (January 2022 – Present)
Research Activity
- Childhood cancer survivorship and late effects
- Research in adolescents and young adults with cancer
- Collaborative research projects in pediatric cancers with Canadian Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant centers
- Pediatric Hematology/Oncology clinical practice guidelines
- Quality improvement projects in pediatric hematology/oncology
- Supportive care in pediatric oncology
Areas of Specialization
- Pediatric hematology/oncology
- Childhood cancer survivorship and late effects
- Bone marrow transplant
- Pediatric neuro-oncology
- Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis
- Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
- Acute myeloid leukemia
- Supportive care and febrile neutropenia management in pediatric oncology
Memberships / Honors / Awards
- Member, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan (FCPS), Discipline of Pediatrics
- Active Member, Children’s Oncology Group (COG) – Long Term Follow-up, Clinical Care Translation Task Force
Guidelines Development
- Provincial Febrile Neutropenia Guidelines: Pediatric Hematology/Oncology — Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital and Saskatchewan Cancer Agency (2019)
- Supportive Care Guidelines for Blood & Marrow Transplant Unit — Division of Hematology/Oncology/Blood & Marrow Transplant, BC Children’s Hospital (2012)
- Designed and updated local protocols for different conditioning regimens for malignant and non-malignant transplants — BC Children’s Hospital (2011–2012)
Publications
Dr. Saima Alvi has authored multiple peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations spanning pediatric hematology/oncology, including studies on leukemia, lymphoma, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, kidney tumors, and survivorship outcomes. Selected publications are listed below.
Published Articles
Canadian Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Standards of Practice. Frontiers in Oncology, Section Pediatric Oncology. August 2020.
Advances in the diagnosis and management of Haemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis: A review of literature. Lymphosign Journal 5:1–15. 2018.
Diagnosis of central nervous system relapse of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia—Impact of routine cytological CSF analysis at the time of intrathecal chemotherapy. Pediatric Blood & Cancer 61(12):2215-7. December 2014.
Successful Treatment of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in a Child with Trisomy 21 and Complex Congenital Heart Disease with Mechanical Prosthetic Valve. Case Reports in Pediatrics, Volume 2012, Article ID 193093.
Acute myeloid leukemia in children: Experience at a tertiary care facility of Pakistan. Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association 62(2). February 2012.
Vaccination Guidelines for Children with Cancer and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Living in Resource-Poor Countries. Pediatric Blood & Cancer. 2009.
Kidney tumors in children: A single center experience from a developing country. Turkish Journal of Cancer 39(4):133. 2009.
Patent ductus arteriosus: An uncommon cause of tracheobronchial compression in infants. Heart, Lung & Circulation 13:426-428. 2004.
Posters Published
Real-World Experience of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Patients with Recurrent Bone Tumors: A CanSaRCC (Canadian Sarcoma Research and Clinical Collaboration) Study. ASCO. June 2022.
A real-world experience with long-term elapegademase treatment for adenosine deaminase deficiency. Clinical Immunology Society (CIS). April 2022.
Association between socioeconomic characteristics and childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia and survival related outcome—A CYPC-Project oral abstract presentation. SIOP. October 2020.
Pediatric Lymphoma: A 10 Years’ Experience at a Tertiary Care Hospital. 14th Annual PGME Conference, Aga Khan University. 2009.
Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia: 7 Years’ Experience at a Tertiary Care Hospital. 12th National Health Science Research Assembly, Aga Khan University. 2008.
Acute Myeloid Leukemia in a Tertiary Care Facility of Pakistan. Conference on Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, St. Jude Asia Forum, Singapore. 2007.
AML based therapy in combination with Cis-Retinoic Acid—Case report & review of literature. 3rd International Oncology & Nuclear Medicine Conference & 1st International Conference on Pediatric Oncology, Pakistan. July 2005.
Childhood Cancers: A hospital based epidemiological data of 536 cases. National Symposium—Current Challenges in Oncology, Aga Khan University. 2002.