Vivian Pinn Symposium Panel 2: Clinical Research in Women’s Chronic Disease

May 11, 2026

“The issue isn’t that the symptoms are vague; it’s that the framework for recognizing them is too narrow.” – Jonna L. Morris, PhD, RN

This observation emerged as a central theme throughout the panel discussions. Across presentations on gynecologic cancers, endometriosis, and sleep apnea, speakers repeatedly emphasized that many chronic conditions affecting women remain underdiagnosed, not because symptoms go unreported, but because diagnostic frameworks, screening tools, and long-standing clinical assumptions have historically failed to fully capture how disease presents across different populations and life stages.

The panel discussed how these gaps can contribute to years-long diagnostic delays, worsening chronic disease outcomes, barriers to treatment, and persistent disparities in care, particularly for women with non-classic symptoms or historically underserved backgrounds.

Endometrial Cancer Diagnostic Advancements

Rebecca Arend, MD, MPH, discussed efforts to improve earlier and more accessible detection of endometrial cancer, particularly among populations disproportionately affected by delayed diagnosis and poor outcomes. She highlighted rising rates of aggressive endometrial cancer subtypes, especially among non-Hispanic Black women and women under age 50.

Dr. Arend outlined persistent diagnostic challenges, including barriers affecting premenopausal women, and discussed how symptom dismissal, insurance limitations, and unequal access to care can contribute to delayed detection and worse outcomes. She also presented research from the DETECT trial, which is evaluating whether self-collected vaginal tampon samples could support minimally invasive molecular testing for endometrial cancer detection and potentially provide a more accessible tool for earlier diagnosis and prevention.

Rethinking Sleep Apnea in Women

Jonna Morris, PhD, RN, discussed how obstructive sleep apnea is frequently underdiagnosed in women because symptoms often differ from the “classic” presentation historically associated with the condition.

The presentation explored how women may be more likely to report fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, depression, or disturbed sleep rather than the stereotypical symptoms emphasized in many screening tools. Morris also discussed how current diagnostic criteria and insurance guidelines may miss women with milder or different disease presentations, despite significant long-term health impacts.

Dr. Morris emphasized the need for more sex-specific screening approaches and diagnostic frameworks that better reflect how chronic disease can present differently in women.

Endometriosis: Phenotype Matters

“Currently, we lack a reliable biomarker for diagnosis. There is no cure, only symptom management.“

Karen Schliep, PhD, MSPH, discussed the complexity of endometriosis and the long diagnostic delays many women experience before receiving care. She noted that symptoms often begin during adolescence, yet diagnosis still takes an average of seven years, with underserved populations frequently experiencing even longer delays.

The presentation emphasized that “phenotype matters,” with different forms of endometriosis carrying different risks related to infertility, miscarriage, ovarian cancer, and cardiometabolic disease. Dr. Schliep explained that newer research suggests the location and depth of endometriosis lesions may provide more meaningful clinical information than older severity classifications (which labeled disease as minimal, mild, moderate, or severe), particularly when evaluating long-term health risks and reproductive outcomes.

Dr. Schliep highlighted ongoing efforts to develop clinical prediction tools and electronic health record–based symptom flagging systems to help identify endometriosis earlier and reduce downstream chronic disease risks.