New Research Publication: Racial Representation Disparity in HNC Trials

The OTO-COATI Lab is pleased to announce a new paper published in Head & Neck: “The Persistence of Racial Representation Disparity in Head and Neck Cancer Clinical Trials in the United States: A Temporal Analysis of 20 Years of Data,” available online February 13, 2026.

Authors include medical student and OTO-COATI lab member Lalita Sabat, Arnavaz Hajizadeh Barfejani, lab alumnus Grace Chow, Melani Zuckerman, Jungwun Lee, Heather Edwards, and lab director Gintas Krisciunas.

This study analyzed enrollment data from more than 100 head and neck cancer (HNC) clinical trials conducted from 2002–2020 and found that minority groups remained consistently underrepresented despite prior efforts to promote equitable trial participation. The work highlights ongoing disparities in clinical research and underscores the need for renewed strategies to ensure clinical trial populations reflect the diversity of patients affected by HNC.

We thank our colleagues in the BU Department of Otolaryngology (Drs. Hajizadeh Barfejani, Zuckerman, and Edwards) and Jungwun Lee from BU SPH for their contributions. Congratulations to the authors for this important contribution to the field!

Click here to read the full paper.