Syed A. Abutalib, MD – Hematologist and Medical Oncologist
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Dr. Syed Abutalib has always treated his patients as though they were family members—not merely as “diseases, medical records or numbers.” When an opportunity came along in 2008 to join Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), where every doctor, practitioner and support staff member treats patients with such high regard, dignity and compassion, Dr. Abutalib couldn’t resist.
Dr. Abutalib’s patients mean the world to him. That’s why he goes so far as to give them his cell and home phone numbers to call should they ever have concerns or questions. The hematologist/oncologist devotes ample time to each of his patients. He listens to and addresses their concerns, carefully considers all of their ailments, and works with other specialists at CTCA to provide the most complete care possible.
Dr. Abutalib earned a medical degree from Dow Medical College in Karachi, Pakistan. He completed an internal medicine residency at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. Most recently, he completed a fellowship in hematology/oncology at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), in addition to research at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University hospitals. While working on his fellowship, Dr. Abutalib spearheaded “The Thrombosis and Homeostasis” conference at UIC.
His expertise is in benign and malignant hematology and diseases such as sickle cell disease, thrombophilias, bleeding disorders, leukemias, myelodysplastic syndromes, as well as breast, lung, pancreatic, prostate, and colon cancers.
The board-certified medical oncologist has long been interested in clinical research. He is about to initiate a phase II study involving almost all of the major universities in Chicagoland area.
Dr. Abutalib has been published in a number of medical journals, including Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, the American Journal of Clinical Pathology, Clinical Lymphoma & Myeloma, Clinical Leukemia, Thrombosis and Hemostasis, and The Oncology Journal. He has also written chapters for medical textbooks, including Acute Leukemias (2007) and Evidence-Based Hematology (2008). Additionally, he has presented at clinical conferences and meetings on a variety of topics.
Whenever possible, Dr. Abutalib lends his support to the community as a volunteer. He is an active member of the Christian Children’s Fund and a contributor to the Layton Rahmatulla Benevolent Trust, which provides surgical and medical eye care to Pakistan’s indigent population.