The cost of ignoring women's health | Sheena Franklin | TEDxMiami

Key Concepts:

• Women's Health as an Economic Issue
• Autoimmune Diseases in Women
• Gender Bias in Healthcare Research and Treatment
• Economic Impact of Neglecting Women's Health
• Femtech (Female Technology) Industry
• AI and Precision Medicine in Women's Health
• Data-Driven Innovation in Women's Health
• Importance of Comprehensive Policies and Training
• Challenging Outdated Narratives in Healthcare

1. The Personal and Economic Impact of Neglecting Women's Health

• Tiffany's Story: The speaker, Sheena Franklin, opens with the story of her friend Tiffany, who suffered from lupus. Tiffany's diagnosis was delayed due to her doctor dismissing her symptoms, leading to a severe decline in her health and forcing her to step back from her career.
• Economic Problem: Franklin argues that women's health is not just a personal tragedy but also an economic problem. Over 80% of autoimmune disease patients are women, yet 92% of research is conducted on men, leading to $50 billion in annual healthcare costs.
• Personal Experience: Franklin's experience in healthcare policy and corporate innovation revealed a consistent pattern: women's health is often an afterthought.

2. The Blind Spot in Women's Healthcare

• Systemic Neglect: Franklin emphasizes that the neglect of women's health is not merely a lack of awareness but a deeply ingrained blind spot, culturally and historically.
• Economic Costs: The global economy loses over a trillion dollars annually due to lost productivity, absenteeism, and healthcare costs related to women's health. In the US, employers lose over $225 billion a year, according to the CDC Foundation.
• Pharmaceutical Industry: Pharmaceutical companies miss out on billions by focusing only 4% of their pipelines on female-only conditions, despite women being over 50% of the population and the majority of therapeutic patients.

3. Missed Opportunities in Consumer Health and Technology

• Male-Centric Data: Consumer health and technology companies lose out on market opportunities by developing solutions based on male-centric data.
• Wearable Technology Example: Early versions of wrist trackers failed to account for how sleep patterns and heart rates present differently in women, leading to inaccurate results.
• Fintech Stepping In: Fintech companies demonstrated the market potential by addressing women's health needs, highlighting the financial losses incurred by neglecting this area.

4. The Potential of Femtech and AI in Transforming Women's Health

• Economic Opportunity: Franklin argues that women's health should be seen as a significant economic and healthcare opportunity, potentially exceeding a $500 billion market.
• AI and Precision Medicine: The future involves using AI and precision medicine to analyze biomarkers and hormone fluctuations to predict heart disease in women and develop treatments for diseases like diabetes and autoimmune disorders tailored to women's biology.
• Data Infrastructure: A secure data infrastructure using federated machine learning or encryption can unlock new discoveries without compromising privacy.

5. The Emerging Femtech Industry and Global Initiatives

• Industry Shift: The femtech industry is transforming, focusing on the entire life cycle and experiences of women, not just reproductive health.
• Global Initiatives: Corporations and governments are expanding women's health initiatives, such as the UK's women's health strategy, which invests in workplace policies and clinician training.
• Franklin's Contribution: Franklin founded a women's health data and analytics company to address data gaps and advises health technology leaders and investors on women's health strategies. She also leads a working group to create industry standards for technologies built for women's health.

6. Call to Action: Rewriting the Future of Healthcare

• Challenging Narratives: Franklin calls for challenging outdated narratives about healthcare, questioning dismissive care, and recognizing proactive health-seeking behavior.
• Comprehensive Policies: Policymakers, healthcare leaders, and technologists should ensure comprehensive policies and evaluate product development pipelines.
• Medical Training: Physicians should advocate for more comprehensive medical training, question outdated diagnostic criteria, and recognize that women's symptoms often present differently.
• Final Question: Franklin concludes by asking if the audience is ready to rewrite the future of healthcare.

Synthesis/Conclusion:

Sheena Franklin's presentation highlights the critical need to address the systemic neglect of women's health, emphasizing its significant economic and social costs. By reframing women's health as a major economic opportunity and advocating for data-driven innovation, comprehensive policies, and improved medical training, Franklin calls for a collective effort to rewrite the future of healthcare and ensure equitable and effective care for women. The rise of the femtech industry and the application of AI and precision medicine offer promising avenues for transforming women's health outcomes and unlocking substantial economic potential.