Understand Your Cycle’s Post

Investing in Women-Centric Research and Development (R&D) To achieve true gender equity in healthcare, we must bridge the gap in funding between men’s and women’s health initiatives. By investing in initiatives like the Repro Grants, which awards up to $100,000 for research projects aimed at deepening our understanding of female reproductive biology, we pave the way for better-informed care and improved outcomes. But it doesn't stop there! Clinical trials must embrace inclusivity from the start, with diverse representation informing trial design and biomarker thresholds. This means considering the unique impact of diseases on women and ensuring adequate representation in research organizations. At NPWH, we recognize that increasing women’s representation in healthcare leadership isn't just about fairness – it's about driving innovation. We’ve seen firsthand how teams with diverse gender representation show higher levels of effectiveness, leading to biomedical inventions that directly benefit women's health. Let's work together to continue advocating for equitable funding, inclusive research practices, and diverse representation in healthcare leadership. Together, we can close the women’s health gap and pave the way for a healthier future for all. 💪🚺 Check out the full report here: https://lnkd.in/ejD2zMqr #WomensHealth #GenderEquity #InclusiveHealthcare #WHNP

Revolutionizing the Gender Gap with Bioscience McKinsey Health Institute's recent report reveals that women spend 25% more time in poor health than men, impacting productivity and overall well-being. Closing this gap could reduce women's poor health by two-thirds and add up to $1 trillion annually to the economy by 2040. The root cause? Insufficient research and funding into women's biological makeup. Our CEO, Emily Stein, featured in The Science Times, emphasizes this issue. Despite her extensive research experience, she notes a persistent reliance on male models, leading to suboptimal treatments for women. Moreover, women's health challenges often go unnoticed, with reliance on unverified remedies. However, the rise of social media is amplifying female voices and driving awareness of these issues, urging a shift in medical focus and funding towards tailored research. Within the next few months, Primal Therapies, Inc. will be launching Primal Haven, a new startup dedicated to addressing women’s health needs. Primal Haven will leverage the great learnings from Primal Health to work with a consortium of advisors globally to do community-based learning to develop tailored microbiome impact-focused solutions considering diverse global cultural contexts. Join us in advancing women's health through bioscience innovation! #WomensHealth #GenderEquality #HealthcareInnovation #WomenMicrobiome #WomensHealthInnovation https://lnkd.in/gYPWUjTu

Did you know that...? ♠ Only 29-34% of participants in phase 1 trials are women, where medicine or treatment is tested on humans for the first time.    ♥ Medicines are 3.5 times more likely to be withdrawn due to safety risks in female patients compared to men.    ♦ Less than 2.5% of publicly funded research has been dedicated exclusively to female reproductive health, despite a third of women experiencing severe reproductive health problems in their lifetime.    ♣ Five times more research has been done on male erectile dysfunction than premenstrual syndrome, which affects 90% of women. Why? Read more in AFRY's newly published article on the subject. At AFRY, we are committed to harnessing the power of technology to drive positive change in women's health.  #MakingFuture #Femtech #Femalehealth #Femalehealthgap

Revolutionizing the Gender Gap with Bioscience McKinsey Health Institute's recent report reveals that women spend 25% more time in poor health than men, impacting productivity and overall well-being. Closing this gap could reduce women's poor health by two-thirds and add up to $1 trillion annually to the economy by 2040. The root cause? Insufficient research and funding into women's biological makeup. Our CEO, Emily Stein, featured in The Science Times, emphasizes this issue. Despite her extensive research experience, she notes a persistent reliance on male models, leading to suboptimal treatments for women. Moreover, women's health challenges often go unnoticed, with reliance on unverified remedies. However, the rise of social media is amplifying female voices and driving awareness of these issues, urging a shift in medical focus and funding towards tailored research. Within the next few months, Primal Therapies, Inc. will be launching Primal Haven, a new startup dedicated to addressing women’s health needs. Primal Haven will work with a consortium of advisors globally to do community-based learning to develop tailored microbiome impact-focused solutions considering diverse global cultural contexts. Join us in advancing women's health through bioscience innovation! #WomensHealth #GenderEquality #HealthcareInnovation #WomenMicrobiome #WomensHealthInnovation https://lnkd.in/gYPWUjTu

Participants of the previous #PEOF virtual session ranked the opportunities presented in the IEF Women's Health Innovation Opportunity Map based on the most potential impact on patient outcomes in the next 12-18 months as follows: 1️⃣Advance sex-and gender-intentional research design and analysis during all stages of research (including preclinical and clinical) to generate endpoints, outcome measures, and evidence relevant for women across the life course. 2️⃣Create a partnership with the objective of strengthening the R&D ecosystem across the full scope of women's health. 3️⃣Increase representation of women, sexual and gender minorities, and other marginalized populations in the review of research grants in women's health R&D. Do you agree with this top 3? In your opinion, are there other opportunities that should be considered and that could have a higher impact? Leave us a comment and share your experience with the global community. 🙌 Check the entire list of opportunities here: https://lnkd.in/e_mzpz5m 📍Read last year’s session summary: https://lnkd.in/ewJW_i_x 📍Watch last year's interactive panel: https://lnkd.in/ebgCU3k3 #womenshealthequity #patientengagement #genderequityinhealthcare

Fridays are for good news! I could not let the month pass without highlighting #EqualResearchDay, which took place on June 10. Did you know that it wasn't until June 10, 1993 that women were required to be a part of U.S. clinical research? Only 31 years ago! Leaving half of the population out of clinical research has led to significant holes in our scientific and medical understanding of the female body. Those holes then result in gaps in education, investment, and payment. More importantly, they lead to delays in diagnosis, failed treatments, worse outcomes, medical gaslighting, and more. That's obviously not the good news. The good news is that this year, the founders of Evvy (Laine Bruzek, Priyanka Jain, and Pita Navarro) brought 46 companies together to compile 100 Effed Facts about the Gender Health Gap. 100 shocking truths, all in one place. These facts can be used to spur conversation. To help explain why we must focus on women's health. To advocate for change. That is incredibly powerful. And, it's pretty good news. You can purchase a limited edition coffee table book (I have one currently sitting on mine) here: EqualResearchDay.com. All proceeds benefit Women's Health Access Matters. Evvy also posted a public version on LinkedIn, because the facts were too important to not share widely. Resharing that here so you can scroll and learn more. #equalresearchday2024 #genderhealthgap #closethegenderhealthgap _____ Original post from Evvy: https://lnkd.in/eYW5GkEq

💰 🏦 𝙄𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙒𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣'𝙨 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝 👩 🔬 McKinsey & Company, with World Economic Forum, looks at the potential impacts of investing in women's health. Key insights shed meaningful directions in this yet-to-explore-further area. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙩? 💲 Potential Economic Impact Addressing the women's #health gap could add years to #life and life to years, potentially boosting the #globaleconomy by $1 trillion annually by 2040. 🧬 Healthier Lives Improving women's health could reduce the time women spend in poor health by almost two-thirds, enabling 3.9 billion #women to live healthier, higher quality lives. 📈 Economic Benefits Enabling women to participate more actively in the workforce could boost the #economy by at least $1 trillion annually by 2040. 📉 Underestimation These estimates are likely an underestimation given #data limitations. 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙩 𝘾𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙖𝙥 🦠 #Science The study of #human #biology defaults to the #male body, hindering understanding of sex-based #biological differences and resulting in fewer available and less effective treatments for women. 📊 Data Health burdens for women are systematically underestimated, with datasets that exclude or undervalue important conditions. ❤️🩹 #Care Delivery Women are more likely to face barriers to care, experience diagnostic delays and/or suboptimal treatment. 🏦 Investment There has been lower #investment in women's health conditions relative to their prevalence, driving a reinforcing cycle of weaker scientific understanding about women's bodies and limited data to de-risk new investment. 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙖𝙮 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 🔍 Invest in Women-Centric Research Fill gaps in under-researched, often undiagnosed women-specific conditions and diseases affecting women differently and/or disproportionately. 📊 Strengthen #DataCollection Establish a more accurate representation of women's health burden and evaluate the impact of different interventions. 🩺 Increase Access to Care Ensure women have access to care in all areas, from #prevention to #treatment. 🌟 Create #Incentives for Investment Develop new #financing models and create incentives for investment in areas of women's #healthinnovation. 📃 Implement Policies Support women's health through #academic institutions adapting #medicalschool curricula and employers creating #pregnancy- and #menopause-friendly #workspaces. 🛜 #Ecosystem Approach A multi-sectoral stakeholder approach is needed to accomplish these goals. Let's work together to create better health for women, allowing greater workforce participation and, most importantly, the ability to live healthier lives. #WomensHealthMatters 👩✈️ #WomensMonth 💚 #EcosystemApproach

Women and girls have a critical role to play in the design of health care products intended for them. Bonnie Keith, PATH's Senior Advisor for Reproductive Health, says: “Women and girls have valuable perspectives to offer across all levels of the R&D value chain and need to be represented in the data and institutions that directly impact the safety and efficacy of women’s health treatments.” But persistent weaknesses in our health systems—such as inequitable representation of women in R&D leadership roles and limited inclusion of women in clinical trials—lead to limited markets and ineffective solutions for addressing the unique health needs of women and girls around the world. How can advocates address these barriers? In an article for PATH, Rachel Ndirangu and Taonga Chilalika discuss the need to support efforts such as: ✔️ Promoting the development and implementation of gender-inclusive policies ✔️ Increasing access to and acceptance of STEM education for girls ✔️ Establishing funded programs to expand opportunities for women pursuing careers in health R&D ✔️ And advocating for programs to provide mentorship and networking opportunities. Read more about women's health advocacy at PATH: https://bit.ly/3SomUkR #WomeninScience #February11 Royal Academy of Science International Trust

Agree with caveat. It is not just that a #surgeon is a man that a woman patient may be more likely to die. We need to be careful in connecting “facts” to imply causation. Let’s unpack: If we want to improve #womenshealth, and be #datadriven, we need to stay careful on details. I say this as a patient grateful to male surgeons willing to customize care where women enforced “ standard” rules. We know these is gendered from women more often in HR & compliance roles: https://lnkd.in/eZCcPwWh I know. I used to be that woman in compliance ready to enforce rules on others. Nuanced reality: Male surgeons also take on more risky cases than more cautious surgeons, who may refuse the case. Women are often more cautious on risk. That is a selection bias. Is that difference in risk tolerance good or bad? That is a longer, even more nuanced discussion. I know as this is discussed often in places like Harvard hospitals that get the cases that others will not take. Does Harvard cause deaths or is Harvard attracting a different patient population? I have looked at these “female surgeons are better” studies and they often do not risk adjust. In my own personal experience as a patient, male surgeons were more willing to personalize care and take risks beyond “guidelines” compared to female surgeons. Women doctors and surgeons tell me they must follow the rules and “#evidencebased” guidelines. But if women were not included in #clinicaltrials until 1993, that “evidence” does not include me nor does it predict my #health outcomes. At least 4 separate times, after a female doctor dismissed, refused to test, etc, I needed to educate her on the #data, to show why “guidelines” she religiously followed need to be questioned, not treated as the gospel truth. Also, no guideline is ever intended to be accurate 100% of the time. I do not fault me peers for not being able to keep up with 200+ new publications daily. My issue is with the blind faith in the #system that has known gaps for women. I was only able to have those conversations because my doctors are aware that I used to write treatment guidelines for the Commonwealth and I even defended the Commonwealth in public hearings. The average woman will not be believed as credible and instead will be seen as relying on “Dr. Google.” Even with my credentials the knee jerk response remains to dismiss the patient. This is why now, I prefer the “cowboy” male surgeon who thinks independently and takes risks. Obviously, the male surgeons I choose represent a selection bias too - I screen out doctors (of any gender) who disregard (women) patients. I am sure there are plenty of men overriding women patients. Upshot: The system is not always correct. The #data need to be questioned and examined.

Dive into our latest blog post exploring the critical issue of gender inequalities in health research 🚺 🔬 💊 👩⚕️ . Why is women's health frequently overlooked, and why is it essential to prioritize research in this area? Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/eEdJ4R_c