A Call to Action: The need to transform Women's Health Life presents us with moments that stir our hearts and minds—moments when we fall in love with a problem, feeling both passion and responsibility to drive change. For me, that moment came with women's health. The realities are eye-opening: - Women experience 25% lower quality of life compared to men - Heart disease: #1 killer of women in US, yet only 33% of clinical trial participants are female - Even though 100% of women living into late life experience menopause, it is woefully under-researched and poorly understood; - 1 in 5 women consider leaving their careers during menopause due to lack of support and care And the list continues… As a health leader, a woman, and a mother of three girls, I'm amazed by how much remains unknown and unaddressed. The gaps in women's healthcare aren't just statistics—they represent untapped potential that could be immeasurably improved. I've fallen in love with this problem, and I'm committed to be part of the solution. I’m on a mission to stregnthen women's healthcare. To unlock the potential of every woman, at every stage of life. To create a world where women thrive in their lives. This is a human issue. Healthier women mean stronger families, more vibrant communities, and a brighter future for all. I would welcome hearing your perspective or your involvement on this topic on what are the biggest gaps that remain unsolved.
Thank you for these inspiring words to an important challenge, Rute. By addressing the gaps in women's healthcare, we are not only improving the lives of individual women but also contributing to the well-being of families, communities, and society. Raising awareness, advocating for research, and promoting support and care for women at every stage of life, is so important. I stand with you and support your mission to unlock the potential of every woman. We should all work towards a future where women's health is prioritized, understood, and optimized. Thank you for your inspiring leadership in this important cause. I am 100% sure you will make a difference!
Wonderful call to action. I appreciate that you are calling to action the broad definition of women’s health … beyond traditional “bikini medicine”. I worked on an action plan with a broad group of cross-sectoral stakeholder to create women’s centric cancer policies as a guide not only for patients and care givers, but also for all the actors involved in delivery health care. Here is the paper: https://femtechnology.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/WCCC-Discussion-Paper.pdf
Indeed a very complex topic, Rute. I work in the field of insomnia, a very common sleep disorder, and women are affected significantly more often than men. The impact on health, society and economy is known to be huge and problem solutions are available. But to get enough awareness and be on the priority list of (political) decisions takers in times of permanent crisis modes and scarce budgets is a different story…
Dr. Haver and Dr Vondra Wright are two that I follow.
Dr Mary Clare Haver and Dr Lisa Mosconi are two amazing doctors researching and offering solutions to menopause. Personally I found menopause to be a piece of cake, I don't have heart issues and my doctor has always taken me seriously, so I have no personal experience of the gaps.
Nils Peters
3mo
Thanks Rute, love the post. Besides the fact that closing the women’s health gap could add years to life and life to years — it could potentially boost the global economy by $1 trillion annually by 2040. Check out the report that my colleagues Valentina Sartori, Anouk Petersen and Lucy Perez published: https://www.mckinsey.com/mhi/our-insights/closing-the-womens-health-gap-a-1-trillion-dollar-opportunity-to-improve-lives-and-economies
Francesca Lianza
3mo
The level of investments in the area of women’s health diseases is still low. There must be a collective action here to fill the gaps. A lot to do to bring the actors together: VCs Pharma Biotech universities and healthcare system.
Yvonne Moeller
3mo
Rute Fernandes thank you for supporting needed education, raised awareness and data begin all the facts 🫶👏 hopefully 🤞 we collectively can change this. #needforchange #womenshealth
Kirsten Harkins
3mo
💯- thanks for sharing your thoughts, Rute! The women of the world need strong, thoughtful women like you to champion our cause! I agree with the others who have mentioned Dr. Mary Clare Haver. Her book “The New Menopause” is a must read.
DACH Cluster Medical Lead / Certified Coach / DEI Leader
3moThis is such an important topic, Rute. Despite the statistics and apparent need for action, progress seems slow, and often, it feels like we are putting a band-aid on the wound rather than solving the problem. You highlighted what I believe are the two most important challenges or opportunities (did someone say glass half full? 😉). 1) Data and knowledge generation! Our understanding of Women's Health is still grossly underdeveloped, and a large part of that stems from gender bias and discrimination in evidence generation. I believe that FemTech will partially start solving this, but there should also be a concerted partnership approach across healthcare stakeholders to drive inclusivity and equitable access to research for Women. 2) Leveraging Knowledge to drive change. Even when we have the facts, they don't get enough attention, and the commitment of stakeholders to drive tangible change beyond "tick-the-box exercises" is limited. We need collaborative leadership and stakeholders from different parts of the system to step up and raise the share of voice for this issue to the point where not talking about it simply isn't an option anymore