Health in Hyperdrive with Dominic James

#2 - Beyond the Microscope: Pathology’s Expanding Role in Modern Medicine - Saghar Missaghian-Cully

• Dominic James • Episode 2

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In this episode of Health in Hyperdrive, host Dominic James is joined by Saghar Missaghian-Cully, Managing Director of North West London Pathology, to explore the evolving role of pathology in modern healthcare. From routine blood tests to advanced genetic screening, pathology underpins nearly every clinical decision—yet its impact is often overlooked.

Together, Dominic and Saghar unpack how innovations in automation, AI, and digital integration are transforming diagnostics. They also explore the rise of at-home testing, the push for community-based care, and the growing emphasis on disease prevention and health equity. Saghar shares her journey from scientist to strategic leader, offering insights into how data-driven diagnostics are shaping a more predictive, personalized, and accessible future for patients and clinicians alike.


Key Topics Covered

  • Demystifying pathology and its central role in clinical decision-making
  • Career progression from biomedical science to executive leadership
  • Transforming human biology into actionable data
  • Diagnostics as a tool for disease prevention and early intervention
  • Automation and technology improving scaled lab diagnostics
  • AI as an assistive tool saving time for scientists
  • At-home testing and decentralized care models
  • Community empowerment through accessible diagnostics


About Saghar

Managing Director of North West London Pathology

Saghar Missaghian-Cully is Managing Director of North West London Pathology, one of the UK’s largest NHS diagnostic networks. With a background in biomedical science, she now leads large-scale lab operations and drives innovation in diagnostics through automation, AI, and digital tools. Her work focuses on improving clinical efficiency and making healthcare more precise and accessible


About Dom

Dominic brings two decades of experience as a former Global Health Innovation Leader for Merck (top 5 pharma), successful Innovation Consultancy Co-Founder, Management Consulting Partner (Deloitte, Ogilvy, SBC) and Data Scientist. With an extensive network in the US, Europe & Asia, he brings together experts and organizations to work tirelessly deliver our mission of improving health by ten times through new technology.

Dominic is on the Advisory Board of Health Start-ups, a stealth co-founder, start-up mentor, and speaker. He holds a BSc in Mathematics & Computing and an MSc In Management Science. Dominic has lived and worked globally, including extended periods in the US, Asia (Singapore, Japan, China), and Europe, and is now based in London, UK.

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Dominic James

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