Episode 386: The State of Women's Health

It’s Women’s Health Month — which means a lot of awareness messaging and a lot of conversation about why women’s health matters. But today, we’re going a level deeper. Because awareness doesn’t save lives. Action does. Infrastructure does. Investment does. And honest conversations about why the system isn’t working equally for everyone — those matter too.
My guest today is Jenica Patterson — a neuroscientist turned health systems architect who is doing the hard work of figuring out why women’s health is so chronically underinvested and what it will take to fix it. She leads the Women’s Health Network at the Milken Institute, one of the most powerful cross-sector coalitions in this space. Before that, she built a $113 million federal program at ARPA-H (the Advanced Research Project Agency for Health) specifically designed to fast track innovation in women’s health.

Komen is focused on breast health access — and the sobering reality that where you live and what you look like still determine whether you get a timely mammogram, an accurate diagnosis or the best possible care. Jenica has the research, the relationships and the conviction to tell us exactly why that is — and what’s possible.

Key Takeaways:

• Women’s health inequities are systemic, not individual.
• Nearly 30% of U.S. counties do not have a mammography machine.
• Women’s health has historically been underrepresented in research and clinical development.
• Innovation alone is not enough without integration.
• Momentum in women’s health is growing.

Chapters

00:00 Jenica Patterson’s journey from neuroscience to women’s health systems leadership
05:45 Why women’s health is at a major inflection point
08:40 The shocking mammography access gaps across the United States
14:02 Why solving women’s health requires system-wide integration
20:03 Where momentum and hope are growing in women’s health equity

Learn more at realpink.komen.org and komen.org

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Real Pink, by Susan G. Komen, shares real stories and expert insights to support people navigating breast cancer, from diagnosis through survivorship.