Salman Fazal, MD, a hematologist and stem cell transplant and cellular therapy expert at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Harrisburg, has been named a 2026 Castle Connolly Top Doctor for the third consecutive year. The designation, awarded to only 7 percent of the nation's licensed physicians, recognizes Dr. Fazal's expertise in treating complex blood cancers and his commitment to advancing patient care through innovative therapies.
Dr. Fazal specializes in high-risk, relapsed, and refractory hematologic malignancies, including myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), B- and T-cell lymphomas, and multiple myeloma. He is a leader in bispecific antibody therapy in Central Pennsylvania and performs hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, cellular therapies, and targeted treatments. His work at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, provides patients with access to cutting-edge clinical research and advanced care.
With over 16 years of experience, Dr. Fazal previously served as Director of the Cell Transplantation Program at Allegheny Health Network, where he led a turnaround of the transplant program, improving survival rates to meet expected benchmarks. He has performed nearly 200 allogeneic transplants and established a dedicated long-term follow-up clinic for transplant patients, offering access to graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) clinical trials. His leadership also guided successful FACT accreditation inspections over nine years.
Dr. Fazal's approach to medicine is rooted in compassion. 'I've trained in different systems, but the most important lesson wasn't medical; it was human,' he said. 'Expertise matters, but compassion is what truly defines care — and it shapes how I practice every day.' To enhance accessibility, his practice offers both in-person and virtual telemedicine consultations.
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, 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.
An educator at heart, Dr. Fazal was named Teaching Faculty of the Year (2018-2019) by the Hematology Oncology Fellowship at Allegheny Health Network. He has served as Assistant Professor of Medicine at Temple University and Drexel University and has been a principal investigator on numerous phase II and III clinical trials. His research 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.
Castle Connolly Top Doctors are selected through a rigorous process that includes peer nominations and evaluation by a physician-led research team. Criteria include medical education, training, hospital appointments, and disciplinary histories. Doctors cannot pay for selection. For more information, visit Castle Connolly's website.
