I’m a physician, researcher, coach, and leader working to transform the way we value Black women’s health, voices, and lives.
From early on I understood that science and story were inseparable. Medicine was never just about data or diagnoses. It was about the real lives, families, and communities shaped by illness and by healing.
In college, I followed my love for science into biomedical engineering. Soon after, medical school revealed to me the extraordinary complexity of women’s health and the heartbreak of how often it is overlooked or misunderstood. I trained as an OB/GYN and then as a Gynecologic Oncologist, committed to bringing the sharpest clinical tools to the service of women facing life-altering diagnoses.
At the same time, I was living my own story. I have endometriosis, a condition that has brought both pain and clarity into my life. Living with a womb condition taught me in a way no textbook ever could. It deepened my empathy, sharpened my scientific questions, and showed me that my calling was to stand in the space between evidence and experience. That is why I will always be a both/and girl. Science and experience. Evidence and story.
The turning point came when I saw firsthand how Black women with endometrial cancer – a cancer that grows in the heart of the womb – were suffering and dying at far higher rates than their white counterparts, and yet very little research or public conversation addressed this crisis. I could not accept that silence.
This is the heart of my purpose. I am here to build a body of work that honors the fullness of people’s lives. I am here to make sure that the next generation of women, and especially Black women, inherit a different story.
Since 2010, my research has focused on transforming the way we understand and address racial disparities in endometrial cancer. I learned about the reality that Black women are more likely to suffer and die from this disease, and for too long their experiences were left out of the scientific conversation. I could not turn away from that truth. Instead, I chose to dedicate my career to changing it.
As the Founding Director and Principal Investigator of The Gynecologic Research and Cancer Equity (GRACE) Center at the University of Washington, my mission is to uncover the causes of disproportionate suffering in gynecologic health and to create real equity in care and outcomes. My work has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and many others. It has also been published in leading medical journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine and the JAMA Network, and featured in outlets including The New York Times, Good Morning America, NPR, and BET.
I also co-founded and led the national nonprofit organization ECANA, the Endometrial Cancer Action Network for African Americans, which continues to grow and serve today. I am deeply proud that this movement is not only mine but belongs to a community of women and families who deserve to be seen and heard.
Black women are more likely to be misdiagnosed, ignored, and dismissed across nearly every area of healthcare. Their pain is minimized. Their outcomes are worse. Their lives are put at risk.
This is not just about statistics. It is about centuries of systemic neglect. It is about the erasure of our voices and the devaluation of our bodies.
My science focuses on gynecologic cancers and reproductive health because this is where the silence has been loudest. I study the medical systems, the funding structures, the research gaps, and the cultural norms that continue to fail Black women.
Through data, storytelling, and advocacy, I am working to make this crisis visible. Because what is seen can be changed.
I lead studies that uncover the root causes of womb health inequities and push for systemic change in how care is delivered to Black women and womb-holders. My research is peer-reviewed, community informed, and designed to challenge the status quo.
My company guides high-achieving women of color, especially in academia, toward greater clarity, confidence, and funding success. Through my signature programs, I help them claim their power and rewrite the rules that were never built for us.
I bring real talk and real data to stages, classrooms, and institutions across the country. I speak truth to power and make space for healing, learning, and collective growth.
I cherish slow mornings with a strong cup of coffee, quiet walks that clear my mind, and playlists that turn my living room into a dance floor.
You’ll often find me laughing loudly, reading something unexpected, or carving out space to rest. I believe in ease. I believe in beauty. And I believe that how we live matters just as much as what we do.
Dr. Kemi Doll’s voice and work have been featured in leading media outlets and academic platforms that value truth, innovation, and equity.
Her insights have reached wide audiences through interviews, articles, and expert commentary.
This work is just the beginning. If you are ready to learn more, take action, or bring this mission into your world, you are in the right place.
Whether you want to dive into the research, hear the real talk, or take your next bold step, there is a space for you here.
