3 minute read
Community Leader
DOCTOR DOCTOR THE
BY LIESEL SCHMIDT
IS IN
The dream of becoming a doctor is often one instilled at a young age, when the realities of medical school are a distant worry, when the desire to heal or take away someone’s pain is the singular drive. For some, it is a dream that comes later, one inspired by seeing up-close-and-personal the impact that doctors have on the people they treat. For Dr. Faizan Malik, becoming a medical oncologist was a dream he shared with his best friend, Ali—an aspiration that, for Ali, was taken away just as it was about to happen.
AAli lost his life to Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma before learning that he had matched at his first choice, King Edward Medical University in Lahore, Pakistan,” says Dr. Malik, a native of Dubai. “We tried, desperately, to raise $35,000 dollars for his treatment, but failed in our efforts, and so my dear friend lost his life to cancer.”
That loss—coupled with his long-held desire to help people heal and resume living normal lives— deepened Dr. Malik’s passion to pursue oncology as a specialty. After attending King Edward Medical University, he completed his residency at Jefferson Health System in Philadelphia and his fellowship at University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. In practice since 2013, he later established himself in Covington, where he has been on staff with Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center and a member of Northshore Oncology Associates since 2020.
It is his deep-seated passion that makes Dr. Malik such an effective practitioner and so able to connect with his patients. “Although I know it can sometimes seem like an insurmountable challenge, I will offer endless effort until there is no sorrow, pain or suffering due to a lack of quality medical care,” he says. “What I find most fulfilling about my work is patient care. I especially enjoy the autonomy of the patient-physician relationship ingrained within the fabric of the Cancer Center. Our structure at Mary Bird Perkins allows us to do what’s right for the patient, every time. Community care and bonding with patients and their loved ones is special. We become a part of their families.”
Naturally, oncology comes with a great deal of challenges, though Dr. Malik is tireless in his efforts to overcome those challenges. “Awareness about early diagnosis is a major difficulty that I face with my work,” he notes. “We need to diagnose more cancers early on, as it will provide us with the opportunity to cure more patients. The Cancer Center’s Prevention on the Go program provides free community screenings. I urge everyone to learn more about cancer screenings on our website.”
With the challenges come the triumphs, and Dr. Malik deeply treasures those victories. “I have a wall in my office with notes of appreciation from the patients and their families,” he says. “Looking at those makes me proud and drives me to be better every day. They are a great reminder of what we work to accomplish here.”
Over his 13 years in practice, Dr. Malik has seen a number of changes in cancer treatment—advancements that have made the likelihood of survival so much greater. “Immunotherapy and targeted therapy are now frontline treatments and are much easier to tolerate than chemotherapy,” he says. “Also, outcomes for stage 4 cancers have improved from months to many years. Ongoing research like we do at the Cancer Center keeps bringing in new pathways to understand cancer mechanisms and better treatments. I’m incredibly proud to be a part of the changing face of cancer treatment.”
During his time as a resident of Covington, Dr. Malik has created strong community ties, both through his work at Mary Bird as well as outside of the clinic. “I’ve been involved in fundraisers for cancer patients who are uninsured or under insured, as well as hunger relief efforts following Hurricane Ida,” he says. “I love being a part of this close-knit community, so I want to give back to it as much as I can.”
During his time away from his work, Dr. Malik enjoys spending time with his wife, Kate, who is expecting their first child at the end of June, and engaging in physical pursuits including soccer, cricket and hiking.
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