Slide FemTechnology Summit Slider02 Sign Up for Updates

Summit 2022

Why Attend?

Join the 2nd Edition of the Summit to discuss, discover and ideate about:

The link between gender and effective therapy in medicine

Bridging the missing data gap

Innovative Tracking + Screening in Women’s Health  

The Real World Consequences

01
History

Throughout history women have been considered ‘aberrations’ from the norm, rather than a crucial and vital part of the population to be included in medical trials and long-term studies.

02
Participants

Women of reproductive age were often excluded out of the fear that menstrual cycles and changes in hormones could pose unnecessary complications and act as unpredictable variables.

03
Data

This has resulted in missing data sets and a lack of understanding, diagnosis and treatment of many gynecological conditions that impact large swaths of the female population, as well as unwanted pharmaceutical side effects for non-gynecological diseases, delays in care, underdiagnoses or undertreatment.

04
Future

However – be it by wearables, mobile apps, home testing devices or kits – this is beginning to change, with the emergence of companies beginning to collect large amounts of new data, conduct subsequent research studies and develop new means of treatment.

Short Takes:

medical systemBy Oriana Kraft

Why we’re talking about medical education at the 2022 Summit:

“The healthcare system is broken”. You’ll hear that sentence uttered by both those delivering care and those on the receiving end of it. The reasons behind the dissatisfaction with the way the healthcare system functions are manifold – but let’s zero in on one: the difference in treatment between men and women. Women are twice as likely as men to say they have had health concerns dismissed by a GP.

Read More “Why we’re talking about medical education at the 2022 Summit:”

EndometriosisBy Oriana Kraft

Why we’re talking about Endometriosis at the 2022 Summit

If you walk into a room with 10 women, chances are 1 of those women is living with Endometriosis: a disease that is both chronic and excruciatingly painful. Currently there is no non-invasive means of diagnosing the disease – nor is there a cure.

Read More “Why we’re talking about Endometriosis at the 2022 Summit”

Chronic painBy Oriana Kraft

Why we’re talking about women and chronic pain at the 2022 Summit

70% of the people impacted by chronic pain are women – however 80% of pain studies are conducted on male mice or human men. Unsurprisingly, there are gender differences in the way women and men respond to analgesic drugs – as well as the way women and men experience the sensation of pain – but this has yet to be incorporated into evidence-based medicine.

Read More “Why we’re talking about women and chronic pain at the 2022 Summit”

PCOSBy Oriana Kraft

Why we’re talking about PCOS at the 2022 Summit

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is the major endocrinopathy among reproductive-aged women. It affects 4%–20% of women of reproductive age worldwide and yet it is not perceived as an important health problem in the world. The variability in symptoms and how they present in different people means that up to 75%of women with PCOS do not receive a diagnosis for their condition.

Read More “Why we’re talking about PCOS at the 2022 Summit”

Summit Schedule

2022
Day I
Day II
Day I
June 1, 2022
3:00 pm

Introductory Remarks

Welcome to the FemTechnology Summit + Overview of the day's topics
1 June
Time:  3:00 pm - 3:45 pm
Location:  Welcome to the FemTechnology Summit + Overview of the day's topics
3:45 pm

Keynote: Women x Digital Health

The stigmatization of women’s reproductive health, the exclusion of women from medical trials, gender bias in healthcare – all of this and more contributes to women spending 19 years of their life in poor health compared to 15 years for men. Shocking, though it may be, women wait 7.5 years on average for an endometriosis diagnosis, 2 years for a PCOS diagnosis. In addition, research shows that doctors often view men with chronic pain as “brave” or “stoic,” but view women with chronic pain as “emotional” or “hysterical”. What can be done about it? Women are 75% more likely to use digital tools for healthcare than men and 66% of women seek their healthcare information online. Could the wave of innovations in digital health (#FemTech) directly connect women to the healthcare solutions they need and help bridge the healthcare gap?
1 June
Time:  3:45 pm - 4:00 pm
Location:  The stigmatization of women’s reproductive health, the exclusion of women from medical trials, gender bias in healthcare – all of this and more contributes to women spending 19 years of their life in poor health compared to 15 years for men. Shocking, though it may be, women wait 7.5 years on average for an endometriosis diagnosis, 2 years for a PCOS diagnosis. In addition, research shows that doctors often view men with chronic pain as “brave” or “stoic,” but view women with chronic pain as “emotional” or “hysterical”. What can be done about it? Women are 75% more likely to use digital tools for healthcare than men and 66% of women seek their healthcare information online. Could the wave of innovations in digital health (#FemTech) directly connect women to the healthcare solutions they need and help bridge the healthcare gap?
4:00 pm

RoundTable: PCOS x Endometriosis x Fertility

PCOS is estimated to affect between 4-20% of women of reproductive age worldwide. The variability in symptoms and how they present in different people means that up to 75%of women with PCOS do not receive a diagnosis for their condition. This is significant because PCOS is linked to other serious health conditions, such as metabolic and cardiovascular comorbidities, infertility, pregnancy complications, psychological disorders, and cancer. Endometriosis affects as many people as Diabetes- and yet Diabetes research has 200 times more funding. Endometriosis is a chronic pain condition with massive health implications down the line if not managed properly. Both PCOS and Endometriosis are the leading causes of infertility in women – we will be exploring the link between these two diseases and fertility and the implications for women’s health in all aspects of their lives, reaching well beyond notions of fertility.
1 June
Time:  4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Location:  PCOS is estimated to affect between 4-20% of women of reproductive age worldwide. The variability in symptoms and how they present in different people means that up to 75%of women with PCOS do not receive a diagnosis for their condition. This is significant because PCOS is linked to other serious health conditions, such as metabolic and cardiovascular comorbidities, infertility, pregnancy complications, psychological disorders, and cancer. Endometriosis affects as many people as Diabetes- and yet Diabetes research has 200 times more funding. Endometriosis is a chronic pain condition with massive health implications down the line if not managed properly. Both PCOS and Endometriosis are the leading causes of infertility in women – we will be exploring the link between these two diseases and fertility and the implications for women’s health in all aspects of their lives, reaching well beyond notions of fertility.
5:00 pm

Virtual Mingling

Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you've listened to, learned + what other innovations you think are needed in the field.
1 June
Time:  5:00 pm - 5:20 pm
Location:  Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you've listened to, learned + what other innovations you think are needed in the field.
5:30 pm

RoundTable: The Gender Data Gap

The Gender Data Gap persists at every echelon of healthcare from trials to treatment. Some examples? 70% of the people affected by chronic pain conditions are women – but 80% of research into pain is conducted on male humans or rodents. Despite being the leading cause of mortality in women, diagnosis of heart disease and models of clinical care draw heavily on previous research conducted only with men. The vaginal microbiome is another example. It is associated with the risk for STIs, Pelvic inflammatory disease, Fertility issues or failed IVF cycles, Pregnancy complications such as miscarriage, preterm birth, neonatal problems, and preeclampsia and much more. And yet, though lots of resources have been invested in understanding other human microbiomes like gut or skin microbiomes, when it comes to the vagina, the microbiome has been overlooked.
Eric Dy
1 June
Time:  5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Location:  The Gender Data Gap persists at every echelon of healthcare from trials to treatment. Some examples? 70% of the people affected by chronic pain conditions are women – but 80% of research into pain is conducted on male humans or rodents. Despite being the leading cause of mortality in women, diagnosis of heart disease and models of clinical care draw heavily on previous research conducted only with men. The vaginal microbiome is another example. It is associated with the risk for STIs, Pelvic inflammatory disease, Fertility issues or failed IVF cycles, Pregnancy complications such as miscarriage, preterm birth, neonatal problems, and preeclampsia and much more. And yet, though lots of resources have been invested in understanding other human microbiomes like gut or skin microbiomes, when it comes to the vagina, the microbiome has been overlooked.
Speaker:  Eric Dy
6:30 pm

Keynote: How Male-Centric Medicine Endangers Women’s Health

Women’s bodies are different from men’s bodies on a cellular level - yet the same treatments are usually prescribed for both sexes, even though women metabolise drugs differently so certain drugs remain in the system for longer or drop to dangerously low levels at certain points of the menstrual cycle. The impact of medication on women's QT (the resting time between heartbeats) is another example of differences between men and women. A woman’s QT is longer than a man’s and many prescription drugs –antidepressants, antihistamines, painkillers, antibiotics – cause incremental QT increases as a side-effect. For women taking multiple medications simultaneously (statistically women are more likely to be on multiple medications at the time), the risk of these combined increases can range from simple arrhythmia to sudden cardiac death.
Dr. Alyson J McGregor, MD
1 June
Time:  6:30 pm - 6:45 pm
Location:  Women’s bodies are different from men’s bodies on a cellular level - yet the same treatments are usually prescribed for both sexes, even though women metabolise drugs differently so certain drugs remain in the system for longer or drop to dangerously low levels at certain points of the menstrual cycle. The impact of medication on women's QT (the resting time between heartbeats) is another example of differences between men and women. A woman’s QT is longer than a man’s and many prescription drugs –antidepressants, antihistamines, painkillers, antibiotics – cause incremental QT increases as a side-effect. For women taking multiple medications simultaneously (statistically women are more likely to be on multiple medications at the time), the risk of these combined increases can range from simple arrhythmia to sudden cardiac death.
Speaker:  Dr. Alyson J McGregor, MD
7:00 pm

Virtual Mingling

Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you've listened to, learned + what other innovations you think are needed.
1 June
Time:  7:00 pm - 7:45 pm
Location:  Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you've listened to, learned + what other innovations you think are needed.
Day II
June 2, 2022
3:30 pm

Introductory Remarks

Welcome to the FemTechnology Summit + Overview of the day's topics
2 June
Time:  3:30 pm - 3:45 pm
Location:  Welcome to the FemTechnology Summit + Overview of the day's topics
3:45 pm

Keynote: TBA

TBA
2 June
Time:  3:45 pm - 4:00 pm
Location:  TBA
4:00 pm

The Link between Gender and Effective Therapy in Medicine

There are sex differences in every single cell in the human body. This Roundtable will explore how those differences influence the way diseases manifest between the genders and how it should influence the way we can diagnose and deliver treatment effectively. Emphasis will be placed on the differences in pain, the immune system and cardiovascular system between men and women and the implications that has.
2 June
Time:  4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Location:  There are sex differences in every single cell in the human body. This Roundtable will explore how those differences influence the way diseases manifest between the genders and how it should influence the way we can diagnose and deliver treatment effectively. Emphasis will be placed on the differences in pain, the immune system and cardiovascular system between men and women and the implications that has.
5:00 pm

Virtual Mingling

Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you've listened to, learned + what other innovations you think are needed in the field of FemTech. Virtual mingling is the perfect opportunity to meet attendees from around the globe.
2 June
Time:  5:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Location:  Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you've listened to, learned + what other innovations you think are needed in the field of FemTech. Virtual mingling is the perfect opportunity to meet attendees from around the globe.
5:30 pm

The Future of Care

Women's Health is undergoing a transformation when it comes to how we deliver care. There are holistic care model, care advocates, personalized care plans. We are changing who we consider to be responsible for care, including the caregiving economy and all its burdens.
2 June
Time:  5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Location:  Women's Health is undergoing a transformation when it comes to how we deliver care. There are holistic care model, care advocates, personalized care plans. We are changing who we consider to be responsible for care, including the caregiving economy and all its burdens.
6:30 pm

Keynote: The Future of Care

How can we revolutionize care to make it more inclusive, allow women to access it better and incorporate sex and gender-based differences in clinical presentation, physical examination, laboratory results, treatment regimens and communication differences between men and women to assist clinicians in their conversations with patients.
Dr. Marjorie Jenkins, MD MEdHP FACP
2 June
Time:  6:30 pm - 6:45 pm
Location:  How can we revolutionize care to make it more inclusive, allow women to access it better and incorporate sex and gender-based differences in clinical presentation, physical examination, laboratory results, treatment regimens and communication differences between men and women to assist clinicians in their conversations with patients.
Speaker:  Dr. Marjorie Jenkins, MD MEdHP FACP
7:00 pm

Virtual Mingling

Connect with other attendees to discuss what you've listened to, learned and what other innovations you think are needed in the field of FemTech. Virtual mingling is the perfect opportunity to meet attendees from around the globe.
2 June
Time:  7:00 pm - 7:45 pm
Location:  Connect with other attendees to discuss what you've listened to, learned and what other innovations you think are needed in the field of FemTech. Virtual mingling is the perfect opportunity to meet attendees from around the globe.

Speakers

2022 Edition

Get a 360-degree perspective from researchers, innovators and tech entrepreneurs about the challenges and solutions emerging in the field of FemTech – Speakers to be Announced soon! Stay Tuned! 

In the Meantime – don’t forget to register below: 

Click here

Updates:

2021 Speakers - what's new?

MOBILE ODT's cervical screening technology will support a national cervical cancer screening project in India

Cervical cancer affects 1 in every 79 Indian women. India contributes to 1/5th of all cervical cancer cases in the world. The EVA cervical screening technology of Mobile ODT will support a national cervical cancer screening project in India. It will be the most comprehensive and largest cervical cancer screening program performed in India, to date. In the words of CEO, Leon A. Boston at the 2021 Summit: "The only way to make an impact on cervical cancer screening is with artificial intelligence. This is going to be a game-changer for cervical cancer across the world."
Click Here

Integrating gender into the curriculum of all Swiss medical schools?

Carole Clair and Joëlle Schwarz, co- heads of the Medical and Gender unit at the University of Lausanne's Centre of General Medicine and Public Health (Unisanté), began introducing courses on the influence of sex and gender on health into the medical curriculum in 2019. They have now received funding from the umbrella organisation Swissuniversities to integrate gender into the program of all Swiss medical schools in collaboration with all Swiss medical universities.
Click Here

Cirqle Biomedical wins the 2021 Index Award

The Index Project foundation focuses on design that solves real needs in society – ‘design to improve life.’ OUI were awarded the Index Award for their innovative non hormonal contraceptive. Based on a completely novel approach to birth control, the OUI capsule reinforces the natural mucus barrier that exists in the cervical canal thereby making ovulatory cervical mucus impenetrable for sperm cells. OUI encourages women to take ownership of their bodies by utilising the female body's own defences to aid birth control.
Click Here

Deep Dives:

An interview with Claudia Barth, PhD - postdoctoral fellow in the Imaging Psychosis Research Group at the Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research, University of Oslo.

Hormonal transition periods and female mental health

Part One of a Series of Deep Dives on Research Being Done in Gender Medicine
An interview with Claudia Barth, PhD

Hormonal transition periods and female mental health

This interview is part of a series of deep dives on sex-specific topics, in the aim of shining a spotlight and connecting university students with cutting-edge research being done in gender medicine.
Click Here

InterUniversity Femtechnology

Challenge
01
What is it?

The InterUniversity FemTechnology Challenge has a 21st design to engage University medical students with complementary disciplines: computer science, mechanical engineering, biomedical, social sciences … to innovate ignored and insufficiently solved challenges facing women’s health.

02
Who can participate?

Anyone currently enrolled in University; Bachelor, Master or PhD. Multidisciplinary teams are encouraged to contribute a diversity of perspectives and approaches to the solution. However, single applicants are also permitted. Team members will use research ideally being conducted at their own university to form the basis for the solutions they propose.

03
Why should you participate?

To help bring about real change! It's estimated that more than 90% of discoveries in medical innovation stay within academia and are not implemented to improve the lives of patients. That's a huge knowledge gap right there! Additionally, due to a variety of factors (lack of funding, historic exclusion from medical trials, sociocultural biases) women's health has been subjected to a lack of innovation. From fibroids to endometriosis to menopause to mental health - the possibilities to improve the diagnosis, care, knowledge and treatment surrounding women's health are endless - so why not you?

04
When will it take place?

The Kick-Off will take place in February. The Deadline for enrolling is at the beginning of March. At the end of the 3 month Challenge – teams will pitch their solutions to an interdisciplinary panel of Judges. The Winners of each Challenge will be awarded a prize as well as presenting at the FemTechnology Summit at the beginning of June.

05
What are the topics?

The topics are related to the main themes of the Summi:

I. Disease Manifestation in Women: Chronic Pain, Depression

II. The Environment and Female Reproductive Health: from PCOS to Infertility

III. Differences in Immunity; from cyclical immunity to autoimmune diseases

06
What will the Format be?

Leading up to the Kick-Off Event in February, a series of introductory videos about each of the topics will be posted online, giving a brief overview of each of the topics, the core obstacle to each of the topics and how different interdisciplinary approaches provide unique opportunities to help solve the issues. Once the challenges have been announced and the teams enrolled - there will be an online session held every 2 weeks where teams will get feedback from the community, researchers and start-ups respectively.

Register Your Interest

Summit 2021

Roundtable Recordings

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aDF9niqcsE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Past Speakers

(2021 Edition)

Get a 360-degree perspective from researchers, innovators and tech entrepreneurs about the challenges and solutions emerging in the field of FemTech

Dr. Carole Clair

Associate Professor and Co-head of Research and Innovation Training Department, UniSanté

Alexandra Alvergne

CNRS Research Fellow (Institute for Evolutionary Sciences, Montpellier University)

Laura Symul

Postdoctoral Fellow Statistics, Stanford University

Past Schedule

(2021 Edition)
Day 1
Day 2
Day 1
May 26, 2021
3:45 pm

Opening Remarks

Dr. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek is a Cardiologist and Founder, Institute of Gender in Medicine at Charité Berlin and of the International Society Gender Medicine (IGM)
Dr. med. h.c. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek
26 May
Time:  3:45 pm - 4:00 pm
Location:  Dr. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek is a Cardiologist and Founder, Institute of Gender in Medicine at Charité Berlin and of the International Society Gender Medicine (IGM)
Speaker:  Dr. med. h.c. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek
4:00 pm

RoundTable: Innovative Screening +Tracking Technologies

One of the largest innovations in the medical sphere has been changing the point of Care for Patients … giving the patients themselves access to the knowledge and tools needed to monitor their conditions remotely and have a better understanding of their health. This Panel will explore how certain companies are doing just that for gynecological issues: .... Leon A. Boston, CEO of Mobile ODT: using artificial intelligence for cervical screening, evaluation, and sexual assault forensics......... Siew-Veena, Founder of Testmate Health: at home STD Kits....... Dr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius, Founder of Haplomind: supporting perinatal depression and anxiety.
Leon A. BostonDr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius
26 May
Time:  4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Location:  One of the largest innovations in the medical sphere has been changing the point of Care for Patients … giving the patients themselves access to the knowledge and tools needed to monitor their conditions remotely and have a better understanding of their health. This Panel will explore how certain companies are doing just that for gynecological issues: .... Leon A. Boston, CEO of Mobile ODT: using artificial intelligence for cervical screening, evaluation, and sexual assault forensics......... Siew-Veena, Founder of Testmate Health: at home STD Kits....... Dr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius, Founder of Haplomind: supporting perinatal depression and anxiety.
Speaker:  Leon A. BostonDr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius
5:45 pm

RoundTable: Gathering Female Specific Data by Innovative Means

This session will cover the innovative ways companies are going about collecting gender specific data in order to: close the data gap and have a better understanding of female specific metrics; ....Eric Dy, CEO + Co-Founder of Bloom Life: remote personalised maternal and fetal healthcare....... Marina Pavlovic Rivas, CEO + Co-Founder of Eli Health: a product monitoring hormones in saliva at home to enable women to make informed decisions about their reproductive and general health........ Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah, Principle Investigator on the Apple Women’s Health Study: the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has teamed up with Apple and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to gain a deeper understanding of how certain demographic and lifestyle factors could have an impact on menstrual cycles and gynecologic conditions.................... Laura Symul, Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford, whose research focuses on women’s health and menstrual health, using a combination of self-tracked data from mobile phone apps and devices and clinical multi-omics data.
Eric DySarah KerruishMarina Pavlovic RivasLaura Symul
26 May
Time:  5:45 pm - 7:15 pm
Location:  This session will cover the innovative ways companies are going about collecting gender specific data in order to: close the data gap and have a better understanding of female specific metrics; ....Eric Dy, CEO + Co-Founder of Bloom Life: remote personalised maternal and fetal healthcare....... Marina Pavlovic Rivas, CEO + Co-Founder of Eli Health: a product monitoring hormones in saliva at home to enable women to make informed decisions about their reproductive and general health........ Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah, Principle Investigator on the Apple Women’s Health Study: the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has teamed up with Apple and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to gain a deeper understanding of how certain demographic and lifestyle factors could have an impact on menstrual cycles and gynecologic conditions.................... Laura Symul, Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford, whose research focuses on women’s health and menstrual health, using a combination of self-tracked data from mobile phone apps and devices and clinical multi-omics data.
Speaker:  Eric DySarah KerruishMarina Pavlovic RivasLaura Symul
7:15 pm

Closing Remarks

Dr. Carole Clair specialises in the differences in clinical management induced by the gender of patients. She is also co-head of the department of training, research and innovation at the Center of general medicine and public health. She is a doctor who graduated from the University of Lausanne, FMH specialist in general internal medicine, Master in Science in Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health.
Dr. Carole Clair
26 May
Time:  7:15 pm - 12:00 am
Location:  Dr. Carole Clair specialises in the differences in clinical management induced by the gender of patients. She is also co-head of the department of training, research and innovation at the Center of general medicine and public health. She is a doctor who graduated from the University of Lausanne, FMH specialist in general internal medicine, Master in Science in Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health.
Speaker:  Dr. Carole Clair
7:30 pm

FemTech Summit Virtual Mingling

Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you've listened to, learned + what other innovations you think are needed in the field of FemTech. Need an Ice-Breaker? How about discussing the way YOU think women w/ gynaecological conditions could best be matched to the appropriate care.
26 May
Time:  7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Location:  Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you've listened to, learned + what other innovations you think are needed in the field of FemTech. Need an Ice-Breaker? How about discussing the way YOU think women w/ gynaecological conditions could best be matched to the appropriate care.
Day 2
May 27, 2021
4:45 pm

Opening Remarks

Dr. Brigitte Leeners, Director of the Clinic for Reproductive Endocrinology at the University Hospital Zurich who will speak about what the daily life of a patient that comes to her looks like/ the issues they face and how innovative technologies can help with treatment/ facilitate their daily life
Dr. Brigitte Leeners
27 May
Time:  4:45 pm - 5:00 pm
Location:  Dr. Brigitte Leeners, Director of the Clinic for Reproductive Endocrinology at the University Hospital Zurich who will speak about what the daily life of a patient that comes to her looks like/ the issues they face and how innovative technologies can help with treatment/ facilitate their daily life
Speaker:  Dr. Brigitte Leeners
5:00 pm

RoundTable: The future of Contraception and Fertility

The field of Fertility and Contraception has long been opaque and difficult to navigate, not mention a field rife with unpleasant and unforeseen Side Effects. Medicine as a whole, however, is entering an era of personalization – this panel will explore in what ways this will revolutionize female contraception (is it impossible to envision a future where female contraception is more specifically tailored to the user?) and fertility....... Pascal Koenig, CEO + Co-Founder of AVA: a bracelet that tracks multiple physiological parameters, including pulse rate, breathing rate, and temperature in order to detect the five most fertile days of a woman’s cycle in real time, while also delivering personalized insight about reproductive health and pregnancy .........Frederik Petursson Madsen, CEO + Co-Founder of Oui: a new approach to contraception that works by topically engineering the cervical mucus to provide effective contraception with minimal side-effects....... Dr. Lynae Brayboy, Chief Medical Officer of Clue: an FDA approved menstrual tracking app........ Eirini Rapti, CEO + Founder of Inne: which uses the hormones found in saliva to determine a woman’s most fertile window thus acting as both a fertility aid or a form of contraception
Eirini RaptiDr. Lynae BrayboyFrederik Petursson MadsenPascal Koenig
27 May
Time:  5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Location:  The field of Fertility and Contraception has long been opaque and difficult to navigate, not mention a field rife with unpleasant and unforeseen Side Effects. Medicine as a whole, however, is entering an era of personalization – this panel will explore in what ways this will revolutionize female contraception (is it impossible to envision a future where female contraception is more specifically tailored to the user?) and fertility....... Pascal Koenig, CEO + Co-Founder of AVA: a bracelet that tracks multiple physiological parameters, including pulse rate, breathing rate, and temperature in order to detect the five most fertile days of a woman’s cycle in real time, while also delivering personalized insight about reproductive health and pregnancy .........Frederik Petursson Madsen, CEO + Co-Founder of Oui: a new approach to contraception that works by topically engineering the cervical mucus to provide effective contraception with minimal side-effects....... Dr. Lynae Brayboy, Chief Medical Officer of Clue: an FDA approved menstrual tracking app........ Eirini Rapti, CEO + Founder of Inne: which uses the hormones found in saliva to determine a woman’s most fertile window thus acting as both a fertility aid or a form of contraception
Speaker:  Eirini RaptiDr. Lynae BrayboyFrederik Petursson MadsenPascal Koenig
6:45 pm

RoundTable: Pain and Symptom Management

From as far back as Ancient Egypt medicine has been rife with recorded descriptions of gynecological conditions and the physiological pain they cause. In fact, ancient Egypt has the first recorded use of the term ‘wandering uterus’ – but it was not until ancient Greece and then Rome after it that the term ‘hysteria’ was coined, often used to dismiss a vast array of symptoms exhibited by women, attributed to their physiological abnormalities. And yet a disturbing lack of innovation to help track, manage and perhaps even cure the pain caused by gynecological conditions has been historically achieved – until today. In this panel we explore the innovative technologies being put forth to treat gynecological conditions: from pre-empting menopausal symptoms, to treating endometriosis with cannaboids to the all importance of tracking the symptoms to help manage them......Alexandra Alvergne; an Oxford Fellow and CNRS researcher whose research focuses on understanding the relationship between reproduction and female health, including working on contraceptive dynamics, infection and menstrual health, diversity in age at menopause and the impact of reproduction on ageing......... Dr, Sari Prutchi Sagiv, VP of R&D at Gynica : a medical company researching and developing cannabinoid solutions to target gynaecological symptoms and diseases......... Cécile Real, Co-Founder + CEO of EndoDiag: company developing new endometriosis diagnostic solutions for healthcare professionals. These solutions are intended to contribute to a better endometriosis diagnosis, a more personalized patient management, more efficient treatment options and fertility strategy.......... Chantelle Bell & Anya Roy, Co-Founders of Syrona Health : a startup that tracks endo and health symptoms, and allows users to access a community of patients with similar symptoms as well as providing doctor approved insights.
Chantelle BellCécile RealAlexandra AlvergneDr. Sari Prutchi SagivAnya Roy
27 May
Time:  6:45 pm - 8:15 pm
Location:  From as far back as Ancient Egypt medicine has been rife with recorded descriptions of gynecological conditions and the physiological pain they cause. In fact, ancient Egypt has the first recorded use of the term ‘wandering uterus’ – but it was not until ancient Greece and then Rome after it that the term ‘hysteria’ was coined, often used to dismiss a vast array of symptoms exhibited by women, attributed to their physiological abnormalities. And yet a disturbing lack of innovation to help track, manage and perhaps even cure the pain caused by gynecological conditions has been historically achieved – until today. In this panel we explore the innovative technologies being put forth to treat gynecological conditions: from pre-empting menopausal symptoms, to treating endometriosis with cannaboids to the all importance of tracking the symptoms to help manage them......Alexandra Alvergne; an Oxford Fellow and CNRS researcher whose research focuses on understanding the relationship between reproduction and female health, including working on contraceptive dynamics, infection and menstrual health, diversity in age at menopause and the impact of reproduction on ageing......... Dr, Sari Prutchi Sagiv, VP of R&D at Gynica : a medical company researching and developing cannabinoid solutions to target gynaecological symptoms and diseases......... Cécile Real, Co-Founder + CEO of EndoDiag: company developing new endometriosis diagnostic solutions for healthcare professionals. These solutions are intended to contribute to a better endometriosis diagnosis, a more personalized patient management, more efficient treatment options and fertility strategy.......... Chantelle Bell & Anya Roy, Co-Founders of Syrona Health : a startup that tracks endo and health symptoms, and allows users to access a community of patients with similar symptoms as well as providing doctor approved insights.
Speaker:  Chantelle BellCécile RealAlexandra AlvergneDr. Sari Prutchi SagivAnya Roy
8:15 pm

Closing Remarks

The Rector of ETH Zurich will deliver the closing remarks to the ETH Zurich FemTech Summit
Prof. Sarah Springman
27 May
Time:  8:15 pm - 8:30 pm
Location:  The Rector of ETH Zurich will deliver the closing remarks to the ETH Zurich FemTech Summit
Speaker:  Prof. Sarah Springman
8:30 pm

FemTech Summit Virtual Mingling

Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you listened to + learned today. Need an Ice-Breaker? Try coming up with what YOU think the biggest data set missing for female health is + how you think one might go about finding it.
27 May
Time:  8:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Location:  Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you listened to + learned today. Need an Ice-Breaker? Try coming up with what YOU think the biggest data set missing for female health is + how you think one might go about finding it.

About the Summit

Hosted annually, the FemTechnology Summit features top Startups, Researchers and Medical Doctors working in the field of women’s health – brining them together to showcase innovations happening in the field and highlight where work still needs to be done. 

ETHZ Human Medicine: The path via ETH Zurich (for the Bachelor’s degree) and one of its partner universities (for the Master’s degree) lays the foundations for an education in human medicine that will go on to open up opportunities for exchange with the world of science and pave the way towards new developments and technologies. Tackling methods used in the world today, for instance in the areas of personalised medicine and medical engineering, provides a greater understanding of the opportunities and limitations of future treatment methods. ETH Zurich was a FemTechnology partner for the first edition of the Summit 

Women at the Table,  founded and based in International Geneva, is the first Civil Society Organization to focus on feminist systems change by exercising leverage points in the key sectors of technology, the economy, sustainability and democratic governance. We accomplish this  by using the prism of technology, innovation & AI.  

Co-founders of the <A+> Alliance for Inclusive Algorithms, we focus on correcting algorithmic bias. This bias is notably present in medical research and outcomes which is why we are proud to co-sponsor the first ETHZ FemTech Summit.   

We are leadership of the UN Women Generation Equality Forum Action Coalition for Technology & Innovation for Gender Equality. 

PODCASTS: 

–> About the Summit <–

https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/how-technology-can-help-with-perinatal-depression/46636416

https://femtechinsider.com/femtechnology-femtech-summit-interview-oriana-kraft/

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3kBEnPmV5pTLbbziyF3riw?si=L8NNgz_7RT6fKdIqNEQm2g&dl_branch=1

https://rss.com/podcasts/epfelles/

–> About Hormones + Female Health <–

 https://helloclue.com/podcast/hormonal-podcast-clue

ARTICLES:

–> About our Panelists <– 

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/07/health/femtech-women-health-care.html

https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/how-an-app-is-helping-women-self-diagnose-perinatal-depression/46515038

https://www.20minutes.fr/sante/2026871-20170310-bientot-solution-faciliter-diagnostic-endometriose

https://www.letemps.ch/societe/carole-clair-une-vocation-legalite

https://www.letemps.ch/societe/laura-symul-un-oeil-regles-jouent-un-role-crucial-survie-espece

Oriana Kraft conceived, curated and produced the first edition of the FemTechnology Summit as her Bachelor’s Research Project at ETH Zurich.  Since then she’s become passionate about improving women’s health; from startup ecosystems, to medical education and convinced of the need to connect the great innovations happening in FemTech with the huge remaining gaps in medicine for women, particularly connecting innovative solutions directly with the patients who need them most. 

Since graduating from ETH Zurich, Oriana decided to produce the second edition of the FemTechnology Summit, is working on a media project regarding the personalisation of women’s health and an Aggregator.

Questions?
Get in touch!
Contact form 1

    Register for 2022
    Click Here