Interview: Tim Simpson
Megan Gaen spoke to Tim Simpson of Hologic about the importance of conducting and publishing research focused on women’s health for both women and the wider healthcare sector
First of all, could you share a brief overview of your career to date and what led you to your current role?
I’m currently the General Manager for UK and Ireland at Hologic – a women’s health company that improves and saves lives through earlier diagnosis and treatment. I joined Hologic in 2019 as UK Country Business Manager, before becoming General Manager in February 2022.
Could you explain a little about Hologic and what it brings to the healthcare sector?
Hologic is a specialist in early detection, diagnosis and treatment of women’s health issues. We cover areas including Gynae Surgical Solutions, Molecular Diagnostics, and Breast Skeletal Health to advance women’s health. As an example, one of our focuses is on detecting deadly diseases early, which includes making progress in the fight against breast and cervical cancers.
We’ve been working for decades with healthcare professionals to offer women around the world improved access to innovative devices and high-quality care, while diagnosing and treating patients with precision, certainty and confidence.
What is your role in the work that Hologic does?
As General Manager for UK and Ireland, I lead Hologic’s business in the UK across Gynae Surgical Solutions, Molecular Diagnostics and Breast and Skeletal Health. Having worked in the industry for a number of years, I’ve become incredibly passionate about championing women’s health to improve and save lives through earlier diagnosis and treatment.
What drew you to work for a company focused on women’s health?
Women’s health is a fundamental human issue, with women being the cornerstone of families, communities, and economies. We know that health outcomes for women can – and should – be better, and ultimately, this is something that impacts all of us.
We all need to play our part and through Hologic, we’re helping to provide the tools needed to support more women achieve better health outcomes across the globe.
We’re helping to provide the tools needed to support more women achieve better health outcomes across the globe
Why is it important that Hologic conducts and publishes its research?
Our annual Hologic Global Women’s Health Index is part of our drive to support and champion women’s health worldwide. We believe that you can’t change what you don’t measure, and are determined to address the lack of robust, quality data on women’s health to track and measure women’s health on a global level. It’s also the world’s most comprehensive study on this topic and directly captures the experiences of women across the globe.
This year – in the second annual report – the main takeaway was that the growing divides between women in high-income and low-income economies, and in urban and rural communities, are preventing all women from achieving better health. It also reinforced that finding cancers earlier – among women from all backgrounds – reduces financial costs and resource use in the overall healthcare systems globally.
In this year’s Hologic Global Health Index, the UK’s women’s health score dropped three points, scoring 60 out of 100. What are the factors that led to this score?
Overall, the data this year showed us that health situations for women and girls worldwide did not get better in 2021, and ultimately, the divide between women in high-income and low-income economies grew even larger than the year before.
In the UK, while we did increase by three points in preventative care, we dropped eight points in emotional health and five points in individual health (pain) which constituted to this overall decrease in score. The data highlighted that the UK is one of the fastest falling countries in emotional health.
What do you think can or should be changed in the UK healthcare sector to benefit women patients?
At a recent roundtable Hologic hosted on heavy menstrual bleeding, England’s Women’s Health ambassador Dame Lesley Regan made a point that really resonated with me – a woman is expected to make and attend separate appointments every time she needs to consult on a gynaecological issue – a cervical smear, unusual periods, or perhaps having contraception device fitted.
This means she must juggle work, a busy life, and perhaps childcare three times over, rather than seeing one clinician and doing all three things in one appointment. A simplified, streamlined approach to appointments would ensure the most efficient and effective engagement for women with health services and ultimately, help to boost health outcomes.
Women’s health is a fundamental human issue
What does the future of women’s health look like to you?
Technology can – and is – playing a more important role in better women’s health outcomes. Innovation is radically changing the face of our healthcare system in more ways than one - whether that’s in early detection, diagnosis and treatment, or improving patient pathways so things happen faster and more efficiently for a resource and cash-strapped NHS. Advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), digitisation and advanced 3D imaging are now widely adopted in healthcare and are contributing significantly to improving health outcomes for more women.