Name: Late Dr. Tahir Shamsi Named for Sitara-i-Imtiaz
Uploaded: 2026-08-15T08:10:12+00:00
Description: Prof. Dr. Tahir Shamsi, the pioneer of Pakistan’s bone marrow transplant program, has been named for the Sitara-i-Imtiaz posthumously in recognition of his services to medicine. Dr. Shamsi, who passed away in 2021, was a renowned hematologist and a leading figure in the development of bone marrow transplantation in Pakistan.

Prof. Dr. Tahir Shamsi, the pioneer of Pakistan’s bone marrow transplant program, has been named for the Sitara-i-Imtiaz posthumously in recognition of his services to medicine. Dr. Shamsi, who passed away in 2021, was a renowned hematologist and a leading figure in the development of bone marrow transplantation in Pakistan.

Prof. Dr. Tahir Shamsi, the pioneer of Pakistan’s bone marrow transplant program, has been named for the Sitara-i-Imtiaz posthumously in recognition of his services to medicine.

Dr. Shamsi, who passed away in 2021, was a renowned hematologist and a leading figure in the development of bone marrow transplantation in Pakistan.

He is credited with introducing bone marrow transplantation in the country in 1995. Under his leadership, Pakistan’s first-ever bone marrow transplant was performed in October that year, marking a major milestone in the country’s medical history.

During his career, Dr. Shamsi performed around 650 bone marrow transplants and authored more than 100 research articles published in international journals.

He also devoted much of his career to stem cell therapy and blood-related diseases. In 2011, he established the National Institute for Blood Disease and Bone Marrow Transplantation (NIBD) and headed the facility. He also served as director of its Stem Cell Program and was a fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists.

During the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr. Shamsi proposed the use of plasma from recovered patients as a possible treatment for people suffering from the virus.

His contributions to medicine were also recognized during his lifetime. In 2016, the Dow Graduates Association of North America honored him with a lifetime achievement award for his services.

Dr. Shamsi is among five medical recipients in the latest civil awards, two of which are posthumous, including his own and that of late infectious diseases specialist Dr. Naseem Salahuddin.

The remaining medical awards went to SICHN Executive Director Prof. Dr. Syed Jamal Raza, Battagram neurosurgeon Dr. Shah Khalid, and physician Prof. Dr. Muhammad Khurram.

The awards were announced on Independence Day and will be formally conferred at an investiture ceremony on Pakistan Day, March 23, 2027.

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