UPMC Enterprises recently convened a cross-functional group of women’s health experts to build a roadmap for closing gaps in women’s health. Our report offers insight to the discussion by leaders in health care, life sciences, and venture capital.
The solutions-oriented conversations highlighted in the report took place at Women’s Health @ Top of Mind with an overarching theme of how partnerships among key stakeholders can accelerate health care innovation.
The report seeks to move beyond a renumeration of the problems confronting women and identify actions that participants can take individually and in concert with fellow attendees and their own organizations. It includes summaries of the key takeaways from the formal discussions and opportunities for action that participants agreed all stakeholders can and should take to advance women’s health equity and care.
The spirit of collaboration is evident across the program with participation from experts from a variety of health care verticals, including pharma, biotech, medtech, clinical care, insurance, and venture capital. The program was produced in collaboration with Magee-Womens Research Institute, UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, Women’s Health Access Matters (WHAM), and Lightstone Ventures.
Partnerships and Collaboration: A Path to Women’s Health Equity
There is a need for collaboration among health care systems, academia, industry, and policymakers to close gaps in women’s health care. Three key areas that are essential for closing gaps are covered in-depth:
- Research: Building inclusive clinical trials and targeted studies to better understand sex-specific health outcomes.
- Funding: Increasing investment in women-focused research to catalyze innovation.
- Access: Creating equitable care pathways, improving reimbursement policies, leveraging virtual care to reach underserved populations, and enhancing medical education.
Numerous Opportunities for Action Outlined in Report
Panel discussions and breakout sessions explored actionable solutions to long-standing challenges in women’s health. In each of the three topic areas explored, opportunities for action were identified, including:
Research: The lack of representation of women in clinical trials has led to gaps in data, ineffective treatments, and higher risks of side effects. Speakers emphasized the need for intentional trial design, better incentives for diversity, and innovative data collection methods, like wearable technologies tailored for women.
A total of eight opportunities for action were identified.
Funding: Despite women accounting for 51% of the population, funding for women’s health research remains disproportionately low. The symposium highlighted the economic benefits of increased investment, citing studies showing that improving women’s health outcomes positively impacts the economy and society.
A total of nine opportunities for action were identified from the funding discussion.
Access: Access to health care remains a significant barrier, particularly for rural and underserved communities. Discussions centered on leveraging telehealth, enhancing medical education to drive awareness of women-specific health issues, standardizing clinical guidelines, and advocating for equitable reimbursement to expand care pathways and improve outcomes for women across all demographics.
A total of seven opportunities for action were identified.
To read all the opportunities for action and detailed summaries of the discussions, download the full report.
Next Steps
- Download the full report from Women’s Health @ Top of Mind.
- Read about UPMC Enterprises joining the WHAM Investment Collaborative.
- Learn how UPMC is partnering with Elektra Health to revolutionize menopause care.
