Expanding cervical cancer screening access: The Teal Health approach to preventive care

Welcome to the first 2026 installment of our “Brief interviews with healthcare innovators” series highlighting the cutting-edge companies in the Labcorp Venture Fund portfolio. The mission of the Labcorp Venture Fund is to strategically invest in innovative businesses that make healthcare more personalized, accessible and convenient. 

These innovators use technology to satisfy their mission of improving health system operations and patient experiences while simplifying and reducing the growing duties of physicians, healthcare staff and administrators. This month, Megann Vaughn Watters, vice president and head of Labcorp Venture Fund, interviewed Kara Egan, co-founder and CEO of Teal Health to discuss the company's mission, innovative solutions and impacts they’ve made in the healthcare industry.

Teal Health was co-founded by Kara and Dr. Ave Thakor to provide women with the tools, access and resources they need to make informed decisions regarding their health— starting with cervical cancer screenings.

Labcorp is proud to support companies like Teal Health who are reimagining preventive care. Their innovative approach to cervical cancer screening represents a significant advancement in women's healthcare, removing barriers that have prevented millions from receiving timely, life-saving screenings.

Origination of innovation

Megann Vaughn Watters: Tell us the company's founding story.

Kara Egan: Teal Health was created to give women the ability to screen for cervical cancer from home with the same effectiveness as an in-clinic Pap smear—but with more comfort and convenience. We were inspired by the need for innovative at-home solutions to make preventive care more accessible and patient-centered.

Megann Vaughn Watters: What specific challenge does Teal Health address in the healthcare system? 

Kara Egan: We recognized significant barriers were preventing millions of women from receiving timely screenings. In fact, over one in four women in the U.S. remain unscreened—even though cervical cancer is 100% preventable through regular screening. 

These obstacles include discomfort, inconvenience, distance from clinics and even prior trauma associated with traditional in-clinic Pap smears, contributing to late diagnoses and deaths. We sought to close these gaps and make sure preventive care is accessible, private and empowering for all women by designing a solution specifically around women's needs and anatomy.

New technology in healthcare 

Megann Vaughn Watters: Can you describe your innovative solution and how it works?

Kara Egan: We developed the Teal Wand™, the first and only FDA-authorized at-home self-collection device for cervical cancer screening. Women can collect a vaginal sample at home without a speculum or a clinic visit and return it via prepaid shipping to partnered laboratories. 

The Teal Wand is integrated with our telehealth platform, where patients can:

• Receive prescriptions
• Complete screening
• Access results at their convenience

Providers can then deliver timely, actionable guidance through our platform. This solution eliminates many of the logistical and emotional barriers to care, while maintaining clinical accuracy and allowing providers to deliver timely, actionable guidance.

Megann Vaughn Watters: What makes your solution unique compared to existing alternatives?

Kara Egan: Three differentiators stand out:

1. True at-home care: Unlike solutions that still require an in-clinic step, our self-collection device enables screening entirely from home. 

2. Clinical validation: In clinical studies, Teal Wand demonstrated 96% sensitivity, comparable to clinician-collected samples. 

3. Human-centered design: We refined the device with patient and provider input to feel similar to a tampon applicator, assuring ease of use while maintaining accuracy. This combination of comfort, usability and accuracy is central to our value proposition. 

The Pap smear had been difficult to replace because creating something both intuitive for home use and clinically precise was challenging. This high level of accuracy combined with the convenience of at-home testing sets us apart from traditional screening methods.

Moreover, our development of the Teal Wand likely played a role in the American Cancer Society revising its guidelines, further validating self-collection methods as an appropriate and effective screening tool. This recognition from a leading authority in cancer prevention underscores the innovative nature of our solution.

Megann Vaughn Watters: How do you gauge the reliability and accuracy of your technology?

Kara Egan: We ran a 16-site nationwide clinical trial. In it, women collected a sample using the Teal Wand, then the clinician collected a sample using the standard of care method (speculum and cervical broom), and then we compared the results of the two samples. What we demonstrated is that we had the exact same accuracy as the clinician detecting disease at 96%. Additionally, 98% of women were able to collect an adequate sample and 97% said it was easy or very easy to use, showing that the collection wand was both accurate and easy to use.

This comprehensive trial validated that we're clinically rigorous and trustworthy for patients and healthcare providers alike.

How technological innovation enhanced patient access, convenience, care and overall experience 

Megann Vaughn Watters: How has your solution improved patient care and operational efficiency?

Kara Egan: The Teal Wand expands access to cervical cancer screening while reducing the operational strain on clinics, as women can screen privately on their own schedules without overburdening providers.

As we've launched the product into the market, we have found that almost half of our patients were behind on their screening, and almost 20% of them had never been screened but were well within screening age. This tells us that women want to be healthy and screened; they just didn't have an option that worked for them. With Teal, they now have an option that fits into their lives.

Patients with vaginismus, which makes in-clinic vaginal exams intolerable, are able to get screened comfortably at home instead of experiencing discomfort or pain previously associated with the doctor’s office during speculum exams.

Megann Vaughn Watters: What metrics do you use to measure success and effectiveness?

Kara Egan: Clinical trials showed high usability and accuracy:

• 99% found it easy to use
• 98% of samples were valid
• 92% completed it in under five minutes
• 4.97 out of 5 customer satisfaction rating 

This combination of clinical accuracy, patient convenience and operational efficiency creates unique value for health systems improving screening rates while reducing burden on clinical staff. We also focus on tangible impact metrics like market penetration, partner revenue recovery from missed screenings and overall volume of screenings.

Megann Vaughn Watters: For our audience of C-suite leaders, strategy, innovation and technology executives, what features will resonate most?

Kara Egan: 

• Expanded access and equity. At-home screening reaches patients who face transportation, childcare, scheduling or trauma-related barriers—improving adherence in the most at-risk populations

• Operational relief. By shifting routine screening out of brick-and-mortar settings, health systems can reduce appointment bottlenecks, free clinical capacity for higher-acuity care and streamline workflows

• Provider enablement. Integrated telehealth and digital reporting allow timely actionability for clinicians, while consistent usability lowers the need for redraws and repeat visits

Megann Vaughn Watters: Beyond clinical outcomes, what is the economic or strategic case for health plans and hospital partners?

Kara Egan: Increasing screening rates reduces downstream costs associated with later-stage diagnoses and aligns with quality metrics tied to reimbursement. 

The future of innovation in healthcare

Megann Vaughn Watters: What are your plans for future innovations?

Kara Egan: Teal Health plans nationwide scaling in early 2026, improving accessibility and user experience. Future innovations may expand into other women's preventive health areas while integrating emerging digital health technologies.

We're exploring areas where preventive care is underutilized due to access barriers, discomfort or stigma, redesigning healthcare experiences around patient convenience and autonomy while maintaining clinical accuracy.

Megann Vaughn Watters: How do you plan to expand your reach and impact?

Kara Egan: By building deep partnerships across the healthcare ecosystem. This includes working with major payers to secure full coverage, alleviating cost as a barrier. 

We're also establishing formal referral programs for clinicians, primary care providers, OB/GYNs and community health organizations. Partnerships with organizations like the Cervical Cancer Roundtable, telehealth providers and community-based groups help expand access, improve adherence and move us closer to eliminating cervical cancer for all.

Megann Vaughn Watters: How do you stay ahead of emerging healthcare trends?

Kara Egan: We actively monitor advances in telehealth, medical devices and digital care delivery and collaborate with public health organizations, participate in industry coalitions, and invest in human-centered design to ensure innovations are patient-first and evidence-based.

Megann Vaughn Watters: Any closing thoughts for health system leaders evaluating innovation in preventive care?

Kara Egan: Reducing friction is the fastest path to better outcomes. When screening is comfortable, private and convenient—and clinically equivalent—adherence climbs. 

Teal Health’s approach brings women-centric design together with rigorous validation and integrated telehealth to expand access, ease operational pressure and improve population health. We’re committed to partnering across the ecosystem to make at-home cervical cancer screening a covered, routine part of care—and to extend this model to other areas of women’s health. 

Partnering for innovation

Teal Health is redefining preventive care by placing women at the center of the cervical cancer screening experience. Combining patient-centered design, rigorous clinical validation and telehealth integration, it’s setting a new standard for accessibility, autonomy and equity in women's health.

Labcorp is proud to support companies like Teal Health who are advancing personalized, data-driven healthcare solutions to empower patients, providers and the entire healthcare ecosystem. To discuss how we can drive continuous improvement and create a more sustainable, efficient and patient-centric healthcare landscape, contact us today.