Dr. Rihani loves children and she is always deeply moved when she sees a sick child. For her, children with cancer are the most vulnerable and the sickest. She always wondered, “What if all children lived healthier lives and childhood cancer was prevented? Or what if all childhood diseases and childhood cancer were cured?” For sure, the world will be a better place! Wanting to make a difference and the world a better place, Dr. Rihani embarked on being a pediatrician, then a pediatric oncologist.
Her major interests and specializations are in pediatric leukemias, pediatric bone marrow and stem cell transplantation.
Dr. Rihani currently works in the King Hussein Cancer Center in Amman, Jordan where she is an Associate Member, the Deputy Chairman in the Department of Pediatrics, a Consultant in the Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, and a Consultant in the Department of Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplantation. She has a joint appointment as an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Jordan. Dr. Rihani is also the Chairperson of the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Board of the Jordan Medical Council. She is the Deputy Chairperson of the Institutional Review Board of the King Hussein cancer Center. Dr. Rihani is also the liaison for the King Hussein Cancer Center-St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital collaboration.
Dr. Rihani earned her medical degree in 2000 from The University of Jordan in Amman, Jordan. She also completed a Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Fellowship at The Centre of Children’s Cancers and Blood Disorders (CCCBD) within the Sydney Children’s Hospital at the University of New South Wales from 2001-2004 in Sydney, Australia.
“St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is simply a miracle! It is a beacon that shines light into the darkness of childhood cancer all over the world. I treat with children with cancer in Jordan and children with cancer from the region, such as refugees and displaced children. One of my roles is to liaise and streamline efforts of the Department of Pediatrics within the King Hussein Cancer Centers in the region. This includes assisting in establishing, developing, and supporting Pediatric Oncology Units in nearby countries. It also includes facilitating capacity building in the regions and training pediatric oncology fellows, nurses and pharmacists from the region through the KHCC/POEM/SJCRH fellowship program at KHCC.”
“I see global health as the continuum of our work in the region. The best approach to close or narrow the gaps in survival in pediatric oncology is by establishing global strategies, which will develop and strengthen health systems and patient-centered initiatives to treat and prevent childhood cancers across the globe and improve survival rates of children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases worldwide.”
Education
MD, MSc - University of Jordan
Pediatric Hem/Onc & HSCT Fellowship - Sydney Children’s Hospital, University of New South Wales
Publications
Halahleh K*, Dahabreh L, Manasrah M, Sarrawi H, Rihani R, Ma’kosa M, Abu Jazar H, Tbacki A and Sarhan M. High-dose therapy and autologous hematopoietic progenitor cells transplantation for relapsed or refractory hodgkin lymphoma: a follow up analysis of king Hussein cancer center, results and prognostic variables. Trends in Transplantation volume 11(2): 1-5, 2018.
Al Omar S, Moumani D, Rihani R. Antibacterial prophylaxis in pediatric patients with leukemia. Saudi Pharm J. volume 26(6): 810-816, 2018.
Alsous M, Yousef AM, Abdel Jalil M, Zawiah M, Yacoub S, Momani D,Gharabli A, Omar S, Rihani R. Genetic Polymorphism of Thiopurine S-methyltransferase in Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Jordan. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev volume 19(1): 199-205, 2018.
Alsous M, Abu Farha R, Alefishat E, Al Omar S, Momani D, Gharabli A, McElnay J, Horne R, Rihani R. Adherence to 6-Mercaptopurine in children and adolescents with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. PLoS One. Volume 12(9): 2017.
Al Omar S, Anabtawi N, Al Qasem W, Rihani R. Bacterial Infections in Children With Acute Myeloid Leukemia Receiving Ciprofloxacin Prophylaxis. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. Volume 39(3): 2017.
Madanat F, Jaber H, Azayyat I, Kamal N, Barakat F, Al-Kayed K, Rihani R. Features and outcomes of pediatric early T cell leukemia: King Hussein Cancer Center Experience. Hematol Oncol Stem Cell Ther. 2015 Sep 25. pii: S1658-3876(15)00082-5. doi: 10.1016/j.hemonc.2015.09.001. [Epub ahead of print]
Al-Kzayer LF, Sakashita K, Al-Jadiry MF, Al-Hadad SA, Ghali HH, Uyen le TN, Liu T, Matsuda K, Abdulkadhim JM, Al-Shujairi TA, Matti ZI, Sughayer MA, Rihani R, Madanat FF, Inoshita T, Kamata M, Koike K. Analysis of KRAS and NRAS Gene Mutations in Arab Asian Children With Acute Leukemia: High Frequency of RAS Mutations in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Pediatr Blood Cancer. Volume 62(12): 2157-61, 2015.
Saad M, Hayajneh W, Mubarak S, Yousef I, Awad H, Elbjeirami W, Rihani R. Clinical Presentations and Outcomes of Influenza Infections among Hematology/Oncology Patients from a Single Cancer Center: Pandemic and Post-Pandemic Seasons. Scand J Infect Dis. Volume 46(11): 770-8, 2014.
Rihani R, Barbar M, Faqih N, Halalsheh H, Hussein AA, Al-Zaben AH, Rahman FA, Sarhan M. Unrelated cord blood transplantation can restore hematologic and immunologic functions in patients with Chediak-Higashi syndrome. Pediatr Transplant. Volume 16 (4): E99-E105, 2012.
Faqih NA, Qabba'h SH, Rihani RS, Ghonimat IM, Yamani YM, Sultan IY. The use of high frequency oscillatory ventilation in a pediatric oncology intensive care unit. Pediatric Blood Cancer. 2011 Aug 4. doi: 10.1002/pbc.23294.