By: Eva Keller
Many people assume that if a woman has health insurance and an imaging center nearby, breast cancer screening is a solved problem. Dr. Ryan Polselli, founder and CEO of Mammolink, sees the data tell a very different story. More than half of women who should be getting annual mammograms simply aren’t, and the reasons have almost nothing to do with whether the test is available to them.
As a fellowship-trained breast radiologist from Emory University, Ryan spent years inside the traditional hospital system before walking away to build something he felt the field genuinely needed. In just three years, he bootstrapped Mammolink into a team of 90, completed more than 55,000 screenings across five mobile units, and earned consistently high patient ratings across roughly 1,900 reviews. The company now partners with employers like Walmart, Amazon, Costco, and Royal Caribbean.
When asked what he would do differently if he could rebuild Mammolink from scratch, Ryan didn’t hesitate. “I would probably emphasize more on the team,” he said. “Put in simplest words, fire fast. It probably put me back at least six months to a year had I actually taken my own advice there.” For Ryan, building a winning company is no different from building a championship team. There are good people who mean well and have great hearts, but talent is non-negotiable. “If you want to win, you’ve got to have the most talented people,” he said. He has another saying he repeats often, borrowed from an old movie: “When there is a doubt, there is no doubt.” Six months later, he says, you always wish you’d trusted your gut sooner.
That same instinct shapes how Mammolink treats patients. Ryan is quick to push back on being called a mobile mammography company, even though the buses are the most visible part of the operation. “We’re a patient-centric company,” he said. “You can’t be in breast imaging today and not have a mobile component and say you’re completely patient-centric, because it’s such an important piece of giving them access.” The team starts with a thought experiment: if this were a five-star experience, what would make it a six or seven? Patients answered clearly. Show up at work. Get me out for fifteen to thirty minutes. Don’t hurt me. Don’t surprise me with a bill. Don’t make me come back. Give me my results before I go to bed.
That last piece matters more than most people realize. The national average wait time for mammogram results sits between three and ten days, and Ryan believes the delay carries a quiet message. “By delaying it two to three weeks, or even a few days really, you’re basically saying, it’s not that important. You’re not that important,” he said. Same-day results flip that dynamic entirely. In some workplaces, Mammolink has meaningfully increased screening participation within a single year.
The economic case is just as compelling. Early-stage detection means a 99% five-year survival rate, less invasive surgery, less time off work, and often no chemotherapy at all. “When I see a mammogram that has breast cancer, and I know it’s early stage, I’m actually like, oh great, we found it, this patient’s going to be fine,” Ryan said. “I’ll talk to them in 10 years.”
Looking ahead, what excites Ryan most is the proprietary data Mammolink is collecting by observing patients in their natural environment rather than inside the artificial setting of a hospital. Combined with AI, that data set will let the company answer questions about biology, behavior, access, and outcomes that the field has never been able to answer before. “This is the most exciting thing about our company and the future of where we’re going,” he said.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Individuals should consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding breast cancer screening schedules, risk factors, test results, and treatment options.
