Spring 2025
By Michael Quinn
Photography by Michael Blanchard, Sam Ogden
Longtime supporter Homai Khanna and her family have trusted in the Institute’s world-class cancer care since her late husband, Radhey, was first treated here. At that time, and more recently after her own cancer diagnosis, Homai became acutely aware that many people face barriers to such care, impeding access to the best treatments, support programs, and quality of life they deserve.
As a breast cancer patient herself, Khanna has experienced firsthand how challenging it can be to manage the complexities of one’s care. She is especially mindful of patients from socially and economically marginalized populations who, despite enormous advances in the field, still bear a disproportionate burden of cancer incidence and mortality. For example, non-Hispanic Black women have a 41% higher death rate from breast cancer than non-Hispanic white women according to the American Cancer Society. Such staggering statistics demonstrate the dire need for dedicated navigators to guide and support patients throughout their cancer journey.
“I want patients with breast cancer not to give up hope, but to know the patient navigator can help them get the treatment they need.”
Homai Khanna
Determined to address this challenge and help these patients, Khanna and her sons, Raja and Samir, made a generous $1 million gift to establish The Khanna Family Fund for Breast Cancer Equity and Access, which supports a patient navigator in Dana-Farber’s Breast Oncology Program, and The Khanna Family Endowment for Breast Cancer Equity and Access, which supports the Institute’s Patient Navigator Program in perpetuity.
Grounded in the Institute’s commitment to extraordinary, equitable care for everyone, the Patient Navigator Program provides personalized support for patients from diagnosis through survivorship, ensuring they receive timely treatment and assisting them with housing, transportation, language services, insurance, nutrition, out-of-pocket costs, and other potential health barriers. These crucial interventions have been proven to significantly enhance patient experiences and outcomes, but they are not covered by insurance, underscoring the importance of private philanthropy like the Khannas’.
Magnolia Contreras, vice president of community health at Dana-Farber, emphasized the impact of this gift on patients who benefit from this comprehensive support. “Homai’s thoughtful generosity is changing lives,” Contreras said. “And we are all inspired by her commitment to her fellow patients.”
By funding a patient navigator in breast oncology, Khanna aimed to encourage and assist others who may not have the resources she has. She said: “I want patients with breast cancer not to give up hope, but to know the patient navigator can help them get the treatment they need.”