Dr Shahzadi Resham, Assistant Professor at the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health & Department of Oncology, has been awarded the Young SIOP Rising Award for her contribution to Pediatric Oncology as an emerging pediatrics palliative care physician, by the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP).
Dr Resham was handpicked from AKU’s Haematology Oncology Fellowship program by Dr Sadaf Altaf, Assistant Professor of Paediatric Oncology, to champion paediatric palliative care (PPC) within AKU and across Pakistan. Within a short span of time, Dr Resham became the face of PPC at AKU after receiving on-job mentorship by adult palliative care physician, Dr Atif Waqar. Due to the lack of accessible training programs in the region, she applied to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Global Palliative Care Program in 2021 and was selected as their first Pediatric Palliative Care Fellow from the Eastern Mediterranean and South Asian region.
“PPC involves getting to know the patient and their families, understanding their hopes and concerns, identifying their sources of strength during difficult times, and finding ways to improve their daily lives. It includes interdisciplinary care coordination, therapeutic listening, strengthening patient support systems, managing symptoms for the child, providing essential psychosocial support, and discussing care goals with families” explains Dr Resham.
She was appointed as the co-chair of SIOP’s Palliative Working Group representing lower- and middle-income countries for 3 years. She returned to Pakistan as a key leader in pediatric palliative care and has carried out numerous initiatives at AKU to address crucial care gaps such as the establishment of a new Quality-of-Life (QoL) service within the Oncology and Pediatrics departments, encompassing inpatient and outpatient consultations and home-based care.
Dr Resham is a key member of the East and Mediterranean Region office (EMRO) to represent pediatric palliative care to the WHO working group on palliative care. She is currently leading a project of Assessing Doctors' Attitudes on Palliative Treatment (ADAPT) across the Eastern Mediterranean region to identify knowledge gaps and barriers in the region.
Dr Shahzadi Resham, Assistant Professor at the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health & Department of Oncology, has been awarded the Young SIOP Rising Award for her contribution to Pediatric Oncology as an emerging pediatrics palliative care physician, by the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP).
Dr Resham was handpicked from AKU’s Haematology Oncology Fellowship program by Dr Sadaf Altaf, Assistant Professor of Paediatric Oncology, to champion paediatric palliative care (PPC) within AKU and across Pakistan. Within a short span of time, Dr Resham became the face of PPC at AKU after receiving on-job mentorship by adult palliative care physician, Dr Atif Waqar. Due to the lack of accessible training programs in the region, she applied to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Global Palliative Care Program in 2021 and was selected as their first Pediatric Palliative Care Fellow from the Eastern Mediterranean and South Asian region.
“PPC involves getting to know the patient and their families, understanding their hopes and concerns, identifying their sources of strength during difficult times, and finding ways to improve their daily lives. It includes interdisciplinary care coordination, therapeutic listening, strengthening patient support systems, managing symptoms for the child, providing essential psychosocial support, and discussing care goals with families” explains Dr Resham.
She was appointed as the co-chair of SIOP’s Palliative Working Group representing lower- and middle-income countries for 3 years. She returned to Pakistan as a key leader in pediatric palliative care and has carried out numerous initiatives at AKU to address crucial care gaps such as the establishment of a new Quality-of-Life (QoL) service within the Oncology and Pediatrics departments, encompassing inpatient and outpatient consultations and home-based care.
Dr Resham is a key member of the East and Mediterranean Region office (EMRO) to represent pediatric palliative care to the WHO working group on palliative care. She is currently leading a project of Assessing Doctors' Attitudes on Palliative Treatment (ADAPT) across the Eastern Mediterranean region to identify knowledge gaps and barriers in the region.