Early Diagnosis: The Key to Advancing Women's Health

Every woman's health journey includes pivotal moments, and one of the most important is the moment they receive a diagnosis. Getting that diagnosis right, and getting it early, shapes everything that follows.

In my practice, I see how a single diagnostic result can shift the entire course of a woman's care. That result comes from the laboratory, where pathologists examine tissue and cells to determine what disease is present and how serious it is. The information we provide guides treatment decisions, influences the urgency of care, and helps women understand their options.

When a diagnosis comes too late, or when access to timely testing varies by community, the consequences can be lifelong. Many women still face delays related to routine preventive screenings, limited access to specialty services, or inconsistent follow-up after abnormal findings. These challenges are more common in rural areas, underserved communities, and populations that have historically experienced barriers to care. Reducing these gaps means strengthening access to testing and ensuring consistent quality at every step of the diagnostic process.

One sunny summer day, I was enjoying my work rhythm—reviewing slides of colon biopsies identifying inflammatory conditions that could easily be remedied with mild treatments. As a pathologist, I enjoy diagnosing all conditions, but find the greatest joy excluding the presence of serious diseases—such as cancer—and relieving concerned patients and their physicians. Unfortunately, my rhythm was interrupted by a breast biopsy that showed cancer. Accustomed to diagnosing malignancies, I was preparing to call the treating physician to communicate my findings immediately.

When I looked at the top of the patient information sheet to identify the doctor, I noted that the woman with this high-grade breast cancer I'd just diagnosed was only 23 years old. She had waited until it was large, visible, and palpable before she sought medical attention. Before I could even process the information, the tears flowed down my cheeks. I will never forget that moment. No matter how seasoned we are, unexpected findings still affect us deeply. That's why prevention and early detection of disease is crucial to advancing the health of our communities.

Progress in women's health often focuses on new technologies such as digital tools, artificial intelligence, or innovations in imaging. These advancements matter, but they depend on strong diagnostic systems. Laboratories and pathology services are the foundations that allow new technologies to reach patients quickly and reliably. When these systems function well, they may take more effort to implement and maintain, but women receive results faster and with greater accuracy. When the systems don't function well, even the most promising innovations can’t benefit patients as intended.

Laboratory medicine is evolving in ways that can directly benefit women's health. Modern pathology techniques support more precise disease classifications and help tailor treatments to individual patients. Improved coordination across care teams strengthens follow-up after abnormal test results. Having quality systems in place helps ensure that women can count on accurate results, no matter where they're tested.

The best examples are the Cancer Case Summaries provided by the College of American Pathologists to all pathologists worldwide. These standardized protocols allow consistent communication of results and accurate staging that is reproducible.

To improve outcomes for women, diagnosis must be recognized as a central part of both equity and innovation. Strengthening access to high-quality testing in every community, investing in laboratory infrastructure and workforce, building reliable follow-up pathways, and including diagnostic leaders in policy and innovation discussions are all essential steps. When diagnostics are fully integrated into the broader work of advancing women’s health, progress becomes more consistent and more sustainable.

Women deserve care systems that move with urgency and precision. The period after an abnormal result is often one of the most stressful moments in a woman's life. Timely diagnosis provides essential information at a moment of uncertainty. Protecting and supporting that moment gives women time, options, and hope.

Kalisha Hill, MD, MBA, FCAP, is a board-certified anatomic and clinical pathologist, specializing in multidisciplinary breast pathology. She is chief medical officer of Ascension Saint Mary Kankakee in Illinois, owner and president of her independent medical practice, Mediexperts, LLC, and is a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) director in Florida.

Dr. Hill is an alumnus of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and earned her medical degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She completed her anatomic and clinical pathology residency at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, and obtained her master’s in business administration and in health care management from Western Governors University in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Dr. Hill authored Amita Health’s COVID-19 Clinician Testing Guidelines. She is a consultant for the Illinois Department of Public Health CLIA Laboratories and a recipient of the 2022 Pearl Foundation’s Trailblazer Award for her work in youth empowerment and mentorship. Additionally, Dr. Hill is a local and national media consultant providing education on medical topics including COVID-19, the autopsy findings of Mr. George Floyd, and artificial intelligence impact on pathologists’ workforce.

Dr. Hill is active in several medical and pathology organizations, including the American Society for Clinical Pathology and the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology. She is a member of the board of directors for Uplifted Care Hospice and Kankakee County Medical Society, a mentor for the I Am Abel Foundation, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and the Lake Shore (Illinois) chapter of The Links, Inc., which focuses on educational and health-related community service programs for youths and adults. Dr. Hill also is a past president of the Illinois Society of Pathologists.

As a fellow of the College of American Pathologists (CAP), Dr. Hill has been an active member of several of its councils and committees, including currently serving as vice chair of its Council on Education and Audit Committee. Dr. Hill was the 2018 recipient of the CAP Distinguished Patient Care Award in recognition for her active engagement in community health-related activities.

In 2025, Dr. Hill was elected to a two-year term as the CAP’s president-elect with a subsequent two-year term, beginning in fall 2027, to serve as its 40th president.