The 2024 International Women’s Day (IWD) theme is #InspireInclusion, encouraging everyone to celebrate diversity and empowerment in all aspects of society.
The IWD organization notes that one of the key pillars in this year’s theme is to promote diversity in leadership and decision-making positions. As health care leaders, UPMC Enterprises must amplify the unique perspectives and insights women hold as we research and invest in today’s most pressing health areas.
Our organization is committed to advancing equality and equity of women in health care with all that we do. In recognition of IWD 2024, we reflect on our ongoing initiatives and previous successes to ensure that there are spaces for women as health care leaders, equipped with support to drive change for women’s health challenges. Women’s health continues to be an important area of focus at UPMC Enterprises. Our unique One Enterprises approach means that our Digital Solutions, Translational Sciences, and MyUPMC teams work together to help improve women’s health issues including access to care, reproductive health, chronic conditions, and mental health.
Most recently, we were proud to announce our investment in Elektra Health – a growing, women-lead company that uses a digital health platform for women navigating the menopause journey.
“UPMC is interested in investing in solutions that focus on empowering women and Elektra proved to have all the elements UPMC values in this space: evidence-based education and care that prioritizes women’s health needs and drives outcomes,” Kathryn Heffernan, Senior Director of Strategic Product Management, said in a recent press release on the investment.
This investment builds off our continued commitment to women’s health:
- Anna Mamo, Kathryn Heffernan, and Varsha Raj explored the pressing questions surrounding women’s health in episode five of our Ventured podcast, “Breaking Barriers: Redefining Women’s Health for the Future.”
- Anna Mamo and Rosheema Bala of our Translational Sciences team attended the 2023 Women’s Health Investor Summit, where they added their voices to the conversation about driving change for women’s health care.
- Enterprises spinout Realyze Intelligence is collaborating with Hillman Cancer Center on breast cancer research.
- Mammogram scheduling has been added to the MyUPMC app.
- Many of our portfolio companies are led by highly experienced females including Astrata, Inc., BrainCheck, Elektra Health, Infectious Disease Connect, Mozart Therapeutics, Noema Pharma, Pip Care, and Sempre Health.
Not only do we inspire inclusivity in our external endeavors, we showcase the female physicians collaborating with Enterprises. Their firsthand experiences help further inform our work to solve health care challenges.
Each of these initiatives would not be possible without the guidance of UPMC Enterprises President Jeanne Cunicelli. Enterprises is proud to be backed by talented and experienced female leadership in all areas of our organization. Our strategic investments and innovative solutions are made stronger by the diverse voices that help make them a reality.
As we continue to advance technology and life sciences innovations, UPMC Enterprises keeps gender equality, equity, and inclusion at the forefront. We know that our organization and the success of our goals are not possible without intersectional inclusivity in health care. Join us in celebrating women in health care this International Women’s Day 2024 as we work to #InspireInclusion!
