2026 Antman Bair-Merritt Gender Equity Endowed Fund Award
We are pleased to announce DOM’s Dr. Maya Abdallah was one of two recipients of the 2026 of the Antman Bair-Merritt Gender Equity Endowed Fund award. Created in 2021 through a donor gift and a $50,000 NIH prize, the fund supports BU faculty pursuing research or educational projects on gender equity in biomedical science. Two $5,000 awards were offered this year, usable for career-advancing needs such as project costs, grant writing, conferences or caregiving.
Maya Abdallah, MD, assistant professor of medicine/hematology & medical oncology, will examine how factors including gender shape patients’ and caregivers’ communication needs, navigation challenges and experiences engaging with supportive care services in safety-net oncology settings. Dr. Abdallah is conducting a study focused on integrating guideline-recommended geriatric assessments (GA) into real-world oncology practice. Although GA improves communication and treatment decision-making for older adults, its implementation remains limited by workflow constraints, documentation burden, interpreter needs and care-navigation challenges. These barriers meaningfully impact care and disproportionately affect women, who more often shoulder caregiving responsibilities and face compounded communication and system-level challenges.