Abigail Zamorano, MD

2025 Health Equity Research Grant

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Project Summary
This project will study the distress and basic needs of people who help take care of patients with gynecologic cancers, including a spouse, child, friend, or other family member. We will use this information to provide resources to address basic needs (like housing, transportation, food) to caregivers and patients. We will develop a way for caregivers to answer question on what they may need and be provided resources through our medical record system. We will then see how providing these resources affects how patients feel and do during their cancer treatment.

Bio
Dr. Abigail Smith Zamorano is an Assistant Professor in the Gynecologic Oncology Division at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, where she is also an active researcher and educator. She completed her undergraduate studies at Princeton University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Religion with a Certificate in Spanish Language and Literature, before obtaining her MD from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Zamorano completed her OB/GYN residency and Gynecologic Oncology fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis. She also completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Cancer Prevention and Control, focusing on the intersection of clinical care, public health, and cancer research and received a Master’s in Population Health Sciences. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Zamorano is the Assistant Director of Clinical Research in the Gynecologic Oncology Division, where she leads several impactful projects aimed at improving cervical cancer screening and addressing disparities in cancer care.

Dr. Zamorano is deeply committed to both community service and mentoring the next generation of medical professionals. She is the Director of the Houston PAP Project, providing no-cost cervical cancer screenings in the Houston area, and serves on multiple boards, including Judy’s Mission, an ovarian cancer awareness organization. Her research focuses on health disparities in gynecologic oncology, particularly in underserved populations, and she has secured substantial funding for her work, including grants from the Healthy Americas Foundation, VICTORY Houston, and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). She is an active member of several professional organizations, including the Society of Gynecologic Oncology and NRG Oncology, and is a frequent lecturer and mentor at McGovern Medical School. Dr. Zamorano has received numerous awards for her contributions to teaching and research, including multiple Dean’s Teaching Excellence Awards and the GOG Foundation New Investigator Award.