2023
Reasons You Should Get Involved in Co-Creating Solutions to Women’s Health Issues
On Thursday 28th September and Thursday 5th October, researchers, students, clinicians and members of the public from varied backgrounds will come together in UCC to develop solutions to a number of problems and needs within women's health.
The FemTech Rapid Innovation Days, organised by Health Innovation Hub Ireland are part of a series of activities aimed at raising awareness and discussion about women's health. The events aim to bring varied opinions and expertise together to co-create solutions which will make a difference to the health and lives of Irish women.
Speaking ahead of the Fem Tech Innovation Day events, Dr Tanya Mulcahy, Director of Health Innovation Hub Ireland said: “There is a significant lack of research in women's health, with less than 2% of the global health research budget applied to women's health. It has only been 30 years since the FDA re-introduced women of childbearing age into clinical trials and there are still so many areas of women’s health that are under-researched and under-resourced. Our FemTech Rapid Innovation Days aim to address these issues in women’s health and bridge those gaps through inviting people from a variety of different backgrounds to work together – interdisciplinary and diverse input will deliver better solutions.”
Here are some reasons to get involved in co-creating solutions to women’s health issues:
- 1 in 10 people are living with endometriosis yet it takes on average 10 years to diagnose
- The majority of disruptive health products such as trackers, monitors and wearables are developed based on the average male
- Women make up 50% of the global population yet historically, less than 2% of the global health budget has been spent on women’s health. This is changing as the discussion on women’s health and opportunities in FemTech are gathering the attention of funders. A recent Nature.com publication showed the disparity in funding for conditions that affect women disproportionally.
The development of FemTech solutions requires multidisciplinary expertise and is of relevance to all genders.
The September event is fully booked but to express your interest in attending a future Health Innovation Hub Rapid Innovation event join the Femtech @ Health Innovation Hub Ireland network here.