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Omar S. Aljitawi, M.B.B.S.

Cancer

UR Medicine Faculty

Accountable Health Partner

Accepting New Patients

Contact

Appointment (585) 275-5823

Fax (585) 273-1051

Omar S. Aljitawi, M.B.B.S.

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Locations
About Me
Credentials
Research
Publications
Ratings & Reviews

Locations

Wilmot Cancer Center

90 Crittenden Boulevard
Rochester, NY 14642

(585) 275-5830 Get Directions

About Me

I am committed to providing my patients complete medical care that takes into account their physical and emotional wellbeing. When I approach my patients, I think of them as a whole, a person behind the story. I enjoy and cherish this special relationship and I always strive to give my patients the best care.

I believe that knowledge is power; I want my patients to be informed when they make decisions that involve their care and their lives. I achieve that by discussing the patient's case with the patient's referring oncologist and by consulting with my colleagues at Wilmot Cancer Center or at other institutions.

I am a firm believer that physician-patient trust is important to deliver effective and complete medical care. This trust develops based on the patient's own experience dealing with their medical team. My goal is to work closely with our medical team to help our patients deal with their illnesses.

My goal in choosing a career in treating cancer patients is to "make a difference" in their lives. I do that not only by doing my best to take care of my patients, but also by researching new ways to help our patients. Our current treatments are not optimal and certainly can be improved to help our patients have better outcomes, which is my ultimate goal in my research career.

Faculty Appointments

Professor - Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology (SMD)

Credentials

Residency & Fellowship

Fellowship, Blood & Marrow Transplantation, City of Hope National Medical Center. 2007 - 2008

Fellowship, Hematology & Oncology, University of Kansas Medical Center-Kansas City. 2004 - 2007

Residency, Internal Medicine, East Tennessee State University College of Medicine. 2002 - 2004

Internship, Internal Medicine, East Tennessee State University College of Medicine. 2001 - 2002

Internship, Internal Medicine, Bashir Hospital (Jordan). 1999 - 2000

Education

MBBS | University of Jordan (Jordan). 1999

Awards

Faculty Travel Award to present Abstract Poster. 2014

Faculty Travel Award to Present Abstract. 2011

2010 Best Abstract Award. 2010

Karl & Irene Eisemann Fellowship Award for best Hematology Paper. 2006

Caduceus Award Nominee. 2004

First Place Award, residents/fellows division, 18th Annual Student Research Forum, James H. Quillen College of Medicine. 2002

Research

Dr. Aljitawi's laboratory is primarily focused on studying the human hematopoietic stem cells and their interaction with their microenvironment. He utilizes this knowledge in studying translational research concepts that apply to patient care. Dr. Aljitawi's work has involved umbilical cord blood stem cells, Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stromal cells, Wharton's jelly matrix, and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. Dr. Aljitawi's main projects are:

1.Studying umbilical cord blood (UCB) CD34+ cell interaction with erythropoietin (EPO) as a soluble factor in UCB CD34+ microenvironment. Dr. Aljitawi has been investigating EPO signaling through EPO receptor (EPOR) effects on UCB CD34+ cell homing and engraftment. Dr. Aljitawi and his research team discovered that exposure to erythropoietin impairs UCB CD34+ cell homing to the bone marrow. To translate this finding to patient care, Dr. Aljitawi and his research team investigated the use of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) as a modality to lower systemic EPO with the aim of improving UCB CD34+ cell homing and engraftment. This work in its entirety was recently published in Blood.

2. Developing in vitro 3D leukemia and myeloma models for chemotherapy drug testing: Dr. Aljitawi's lab has developed a 3D stromal-based co-culture model to grow leukemia and myeloma cells with stromal cells and used it to test the sensitivity of these cancer cells to chemotherapy. More recently, his lab has focused on studying decellularized Wharton's jelly matrix to create an extracellular matrix-based model to test leukemia cell responses to chemotherapy.

3. Studying the interactions between Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stromal cells and Wharton's jelly decellularized matrix for tissue regenerative medicine applications. Dr. Aljitawi's has been studying decellularized Wharton's jelly matrix as a scaffolding material for tissue regenerative applications, including wound and bone healing.

Research Lab

The Hematology and Transplantation Lab

Visit Lab Website