According to the AAUW (American Association of University Women), only 25% of C-suite jobs in the top Fortune 1000 companies are held by women and just 7% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women. Women of color are even more severely underrepresented in leadership roles. Despite what the statistics say, women all around the globe are using their intelligence, grit, and determination to change the world.
Health tech is a prime example of an industry where having women in leadership roles is important. Women offer unique perspectives and help create tools that address the health needs of everyone. To celebrate International Women’s day, we want to highlight 10 women trailblazers leading the way in FemTech and HealthTech across the globe.
Jen Nwankwo, PhD; Founder and CEO of 1910 Genetics; Massachusetts, U.S.
Dr. Nwankwo was an HHMI Predoctoral Fellow at the medical schools of Tufts University and Harvard University’s medical schools during her Ph.D. research, and has since worked in life science, technology and business.
1910 Genetics aims to decrease the cost and time of drug development while increasing innovation. They are therapeutic area-agnostic, and have programs ranging from neuroscience to oncology to immunology and more.
Michelle Egger and Leila Strickland, PhD; Co-Founders of BIOMLQ; North Carolina, U.S.
Michelle Egger is an experienced scientist with knowledge on global food systems change. Dr. Strickland has a background in cell biology, with expertise in microscopy, cell culture, and molecular biology.
BIOMLQ uses technology to create a new option for supplemental feeding of newborns that is as close to breastmilk as possible using new technology. Their goals are to nourish healthier babies, empower parents, and contribute to a healthier planet.
Hadeel Ayoub, PhD; Founder and CTO of BrightSign; London, UK
Dr. Ayoub has a background in machine learning and human computer interaction. She leads research and development for the company.
BrightSign is a smart glove that can translate any sign into any spoken language – instantly.
Tito Ovia, Co-founder of Helium Health, Nigeria
Tito Ovia wants to make quality healthcare more accessible to people. She has a background in the biomedical sciences and experience in healthcare.
Helium Health offers EHR, practice management, billing, and more technology solutions for stakeholders in emerging markets in Africa. They currently manage over 165,000 patients monthly.
Shruti Gurudanti; Co-founder and CEO of Televëda; Arizona, U.S.
Shruti Gurudanti wants to combat social isolation and loneliness among older adults by delivering experiences in their own homes. Shruti is a lawyer and has experience in partnerships and community building.
Televeda works with communities to engage active adults through live events that support healthy aging, reduce social isolation, and improve healthy engagement.
Geetha Manjunath, PhD; Founder, CEO, and CTO of Nirami; India
Dr. Manjunath has extensive experience in IT innovation and AI. She has received numerous awards for her innovation and holds many US patents, with more pending.
NIRAMAI (Non-Invasive Risk Assessment with Machine Intelligence) developed a software-based medical device to detect breast cancer at a much earlier stage than traditional methods or self-examination. The solution is low cost, automated, accurate, and portable so that it can be operated in any clinic.
Jen Horonjeff, PhD; Founder of Savvy Cooperation; New York, U.S.
Dr. Horonjeff is a strong patient advocate that cares deeply about patient voices being heard. She has experience in biomechanics, environmental medicine, and engineering.
Savvy Cooperation empowers patients to share their experiences to create new solutions. They also ensure that their advocates are fairly compensated for their important contributions.
Kate Ryder; Founder and CEO of Maven Clinic, New York, U.S.
Kate Ryder founded Maven in 2014. She has a background in English literature, political science, and anthropology.
Maven provides comprehensive virtual care for women and families. With ongoing assessments, Maven identifies problems early to improve outcomes and prevent costly complications due to late diagnosis.
Gloria Lau; Co-founder and CEO of Alpha; California, U.S.
Gloria Lau envisions a future in healthcare where services are personalized and supported by AI technology. She has a background in engineering and data products, and is an Adjunct Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University.
Alpha is a virtual care platform for women to increase access and reduce costs of care. They currently offer services for primary and urgent care, mental and behavioral health, women’s health, dermatology, and nutrition and weight loss.
Subha Airan-Javia, MD, FAMIA; CEO and Founder of CareAlign; Pennsylvania, U.S.
And this list wouldn’t be complete without a shout out to our very own Dr. Subha Airan-Javia. As a physician, she saw the challenges clinicians dealt with because of inefficient workflows and poorly designed technology, so she created a platform to address these problems. In addition to her work at CareAlign, Dr. Airan-Javia is a practicing hospitalist and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine at Penn Medicine.
CareAlign is a care orchestration platform that streamlines workflows and enhances collaboration among interdisciplinary care teams.