A national program led by Pelvic Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) in partnership with nonprofit Project Endo is rolling out free resources to university health centers to improve recognition of endometriosis and connect students with specialty care. The effort supplies educational materials, a symptom-based screening tool and referral pathways so campus clinicians can direct students to appropriate treatment options.
College-age patients are a key target for the initiative. PRM cofounder and chief medical officer Allyson Augusta Shrikhande, M.D., told Fierce Healthcare that students often first notice symptoms after leaving home, and that the stresses of university life—changes in diet, sleep and increased stress—can exacerbate symptoms.
“That’s when patients really need us,” Shrikhande said, noting the program’s goal of getting students to centers focused on endometriosis care.
The initiative offers three primary resources to participating universities:
Shrikhande described the screening tool as simplifying assessment and moving toward a more standardized approach: “It’s what we’re trying to do—is make it more of a science than an art.”
Universities already participating include Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University, Howard University, University of Pennsylvania, Emory University and George Mason University, among others. The initiative is working with about a dozen university partners and aims to expand further.
Project Endo founder Shannon Cohn, who also serves on PRM’s clinical advisory board, said in a press release that students have too often faced debilitating symptoms without adequate information or support. She described the University Health Initiative as a way to bring education and trusted clinical resources directly to campus healthcare settings.
Endometriosis affects up to 10% of women—roughly as common as asthma or diabetes—yet patients commonly wait years for a diagnosis. According to the material cited in the program announcement, women on average take four to 11 years to receive a diagnosis.
The medical standard for a definitive diagnosis has been diagnostic laparoscopy, which can be costly and contribute to delays. Newer guidance from the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends clinicians consider a presumptive diagnosis based on patient history, symptoms and a physical exam to help reduce those delays.
Separately, the U.K.’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recently recommended two saliva tests for endometriosis for use across the National Health Service. The source notes those tests as part of the evolving diagnostic landscape but does not report additional details about their performance or availability in the U.S.
PRM leaders stress that treatment often includes surgery and that patients benefit from surgeons who specialize in endometriosis rather than generalist obstetrician–gynecologists, because the condition can require precise excision. The organization also incorporates assessment and treatment of nerve and pelvic floor dysfunction as part of its protocol.
Because endometriosis is described in the source as a systemic inflammatory disease, PRM’s approach also includes attention to nutrition, mindfulness and hormonal management. Shrikhande emphasized offering patients options and meeting them where they are in their care journey.
PRM operates centers of excellence and specialty care locations in 12 states and provides surgeries, nonoperative care, and virtual programming covering nutrition and mindfulness. While most PRM patients have endometriosis, the provider also treats postpartum patients with pelvic pain and women in menopause. The organization works with commercial payers.
Awareness of endometriosis varies across colleges. Shrikhande said some institutions recognize the problem but lack clear referral destinations, while others have lower awareness and may misdiagnose endometriosis as conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome. The initiative seeks to fill those gaps by equipping campus clinicians with screening tools and referral options.
Students, university health professionals and campus leaders can learn more and access resources at pelvicrehabilitation.com/university and projectendo.org, according to the program announcement.
The announcement did not provide a complete list of all universities participating beyond the examples named, nor did it specify the exact number of students served to date, timelines for expansion, or detailed metrics on how the screening tool performs in practice compared with other approaches. Financial arrangements between PRM and participating universities, or details about coverage and costs for referred care, were not reported in the source.
The university health initiative from PRM and Project Endo delivers a practical package—education, a symptom-based screening tool and defined referral pathways—intended to identify students with possible endometriosis earlier and steer them to specialist care. The effort responds to persistent diagnostic delays and uneven awareness on campuses, and it builds on evolving clinical guidance that supports earlier, presumptive diagnosis based on history and exam. Institutions and students interested in the program are directed to pelvicrehabilitation.com/university and projectendo.org for materials and more information.
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