Summer 2026
By Michael Quinn
For more than four decades, Pfizer has helped accelerate progress at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute by supporting groundbreaking cancer research and sponsoring key fundraising events such as the Jimmy Fund Walk. In 2025, Pfizer made generous grants totaling $633,405 to advance promising projects led by Rachel Freedman, MD, MPH; Terri Jabaley, PhD, Sarah Sammons, MD, and Adrienne Waks, MD.
With Pfizer’s support, Freedman aims to enhance care for older adults with HR+/HER2− metastatic breast cancer by educating clinicians on the unique needs of this patient population, raising awareness of therapeutic challenges such as dosing and potential side effects, and guiding personalized health assessments. By equipping providers with evidence-based knowledge and practices, this initiative has the potential to bolster clinical decision-making, inform more precise treatments, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.
Jabaley is developing a digital module for safe and effective implementation of B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) bi-specific antibody step up dosing for treating relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma in the outpatient setting. Featuring comprehensive clinical resources and video simulations, the module is designed to educate and empower patients and care teams on the safe and effective use of this immunotherapy, which is given in gradually increasing amounts before reaching the full treatment dose, designed to support a durable response with a reduced likelihood of certain side effects.
Sammons and Waks are working to increase oncology providers’ knowledge, competence, and confidence in optimizing first-line treatments for HER2+ metastatic breast cancer. This includes efforts to address knowledge gaps, improve understanding of care and maintenance approaches, and foster multidisciplinary collaboration to enhance clinical coordination, prevent treatment interruptions, and create better quality of life for patients.