Salman Fazal, MD, has been named a 2026 Castle Connolly Top Doctor, marking the third consecutive year he has earned this prestigious recognition. This honor is bestowed upon only 7 percent of the nation's licensed physicians each year, based on peer nominations and a rigorous selection process by the physician-led Castle Connolly research team.
Dr. Fazal brings more than 16 years of experience to his role as a hematologist and stem cell transplant and cellular therapy expert at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. At the Harrisburg location, he provides advanced cancer care, cutting-edge therapies, and comprehensive clinical research.
His practice focuses on evaluating and treating complex malignant hematologic conditions, including myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), B- and T-cell lymphomas, and multiple myeloma. He has a particular emphasis on high-risk, relapsed, and refractory disease, offering patients options when conventional therapies fall short. Key procedures he performs include hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, cellular therapies, bispecific antibodies, and innovative targeted treatments. Dr. Fazal also leads the bispecific therapy program in Central Pennsylvania.
Previously, as Director of the Cell Transplantation Program in the Division of Hematology and Cellular Therapy at Allegheny Health Network for nearly a decade, he provided clinical, operational, and strategic leadership for allogeneic transplant and cellular therapy programs, including CAR-T and emerging immune effector therapies. Notably, he took over a transplant program with below-par survival rates and led its turnaround, performing nearly 200 allogeneic transplants and achieving expected benchmarks. He also established a dedicated long-term follow-up clinic for transplant patients, offering access to graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) clinical trials, and oversaw successful FACT accreditation inspections over nine years.
To enhance patient accessibility, the practice offers versatile consultation options, including both in-person office appointments and virtual telemedicine video visits. Dr. Fazal earned his medical degree from King Edward Medical College in Pakistan, completed his internal medicine residency at Rosalind Franklin University/Chicago Medical School and Griffin Hospital (a Yale School of Medicine affiliate), and finished his fellowship in hematology and oncology at Allegheny General Hospital, where he served as Chief Fellow. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Hematology, and Medical Oncology.
Beyond patient care, Dr. Fazal is a dedicated educator, having been named Teaching Faculty of the Year (2018–2019) by the Hematology Oncology Fellowship at Allegheny Health Network. He has served as an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Temple University and Drexel University and has been a principal investigator on numerous phase II and phase III clinical trials. His research on transplantation outcomes, GVHD, and hematologic malignancies has been published in leading journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, Blood, and the Journal of Clinical Oncology. He was honored as an 'MPN Hero' in 2025 and serves as a medical advisor and board member for the Western Pennsylvania/West Virginia Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Commenting on his approach, Dr. Fazal stated, "I've trained in different systems, but the most important lesson wasn't medical; it was human. Expertise matters, but compassion is what truly defines care — and it shapes how I practice every day." This philosophy underscores his commitment to both cutting-edge science and compassionate patient care, making him a deserving recipient of this honor for the third time.
