The Fifth Wave

In this episode of The Fifth Wave, Avis Favaro shows us the quiet crisis in women’s health.  Underfunded research.  Outdated medical devices.  And training tools that are so inadequate, they border on the unbelievable - like teaching perineal suturing on a sponge.  Through conversations with innovators reshaping Femtech and reproductive health, including Christine Goudie of Granville Biomedical, Rashmi Prakash of Aruna Revolution and Rachel Bartholomew of HighIvy Health, we explore why women continue to be left behind in medical research, product design and clinical training. 

From pacemakers never tested on women, to menstrual products dismissed as “niche” , this episode shines a light on systemic biases and barriers.  And it highlights the entrepreneurs who are fighting to build a healthcare system where women are finally prioritized.  

Key Takeways: 
Women’s health is dangerously under researched.  Diseases affecting men receive double the funding.  Many medical devices, from pacemakers to pelvic tools, were developed without accounting for women’s bodies.  
Outdated and inadequate training harms patient safety.  Medical residents have long been trained using sponges, fruit or cow tongues, leaving them unprepared for real procedures on women’s bodies.
Femtech leaders are rewriting the system from the ground up.  Innovators like Goudrie, Prakash and Bartholomew are creating accurate anatomical models, rethinking menstrual care and driving policy advocacy.  

The thing you NEED to know: 
Women make up 50% of the population, yet are still excluded from medical studies, device testing, funding priorities and even basic clinical training.  The consequences are harming real women every day.  Change starts with education, advocacy and refusing to accept that “This is the way we’ve always done it.”

---
Guest Info/CTAs/Resources (pertaining to the episode):
Christine Goudie, Co founder and CEO, Granville Biomedical:  LinkedIn Profile
Rashmi Prakash, CEO Aruna Revolution:  LinkedIn Profile
Rachel Bartholomew, founder and CEO, HighIvy Health, Femtech Canada and Femtech Across Borders: LinkedIn Profile
Jennifer Gillivan, President and CEO of the IWK Foundation:  LinkedIn Profile

his episode explores the fast growing FemTech sector, where we talk about the technology being created to address women’s health needs.   Our guests Rachel Bartholomew and Dr. Jennifer Johnston are both FemTech founders, who created their companies in response to personal and professional frustrations with outdated tools and knowledge in women’s health.  They shed light on the persistent gender data gap, the importance of designing inclusive diagnostics and the massive economic and social opportunities that exist in women’s health innovation.  

Key Takeaways:
Innovation is born of necessity.  Both Bartholomew and Johnston developed new tech after identifying major gaps in women’s care and treatment options. 
Data is power.  FemTech offers new ways to generate objective, consistent health data.  This is essential to closing the gender data gap in medicine and in diagnostics. 
It’s a sector on the rise.  FemTech in Canada is becoming a global player, but still receives just a fraction of healthcare funding. 
----

Rachel Bartholomew, founder and CEO  of Hyivy and founder of FemTech Canada
Dr. Jennifer Johnston, family physician and founder of Elle, MD
The Fifth Wave is produced by Story Studio Network.

Artificial Intelligence is not just here, it’s constantly advancing.  In this episode, we look at how AI can reshape women’s healthcare.  And the risks that come with it.  From smartwatches that collect gender specific data, to algorithms that are trained on male dominated data sets, we look at the promise, as well as the pitfalls of AI in a space that has long been underserved by medical research.  Our guests weigh in on how bias, data quality, and culture affect the tools shaping our future.  And what it will take to close the gender health gap.  

Key Takeaways: 

If there is bias going in, we’ll have bias coming out.  AI tools often rely on existing healthcare data that skews male, which creates risks for misdiagnosis and inequity for women’s healthcare. 
Wearables, like smart watches and rings, may be the tool that helps crack the gender data gap by providing a proliferation of gender specific health data. 
AI is a support, not a substitute for medical advice.  While it can empower patients with more precise language and self tracking, we still need expert diagnosis and human oversight.
----

Giles Crouch, Digital Anthropologist https://www.gilescrouch.com/
Dr. Gillian Einstein – University of Toronto Dr. Gillian Einstein U of T
Dr. Maria Migas, Menopause Specialist, Halifax, NS
Ujwal Arkalgud, Cultural Anthropologist, Author and Entrepreneur

The Jetsons Pillcam Episode 1962:  The Jetsons Pillcam (1962)

The Fifth Wave is produced by Story Studio Network.

Where does Canada sit on the world stage when it comes to women’s healthcare?  We have some catching up to do.  In this episode of The Fifth Wave: Curing the Healthcare Bias Against Women, we look at what places like the UK, Australia and Nordic countries are doing right, and what we can learn from them.  Expert voices Dr. Jocelynn Cook and Dr. Martha Hickey weigh in on the importance of data, as well as tailored policies and community informed research.  While systems differ, it’s clear that in order to move forward, Canada must build a women centred strategy that reflects its own reality.  And that starts by listening to women and gathering the right data. 
 
Key Takeaways:
Countries like the UK and Australia have national strategies for women’s health that include menopause care, stillbirth prevention and access to contraception and abortion. 
The barrier in Canada is solvable.  Differences in delivery from province to province can make national coordination difficult, but we can still adopt best practices rooted in solid gender specific data.
It has to start with listening to women.  With accurate data on women’s health issues, we can start to build an effective strategy.  Asking women what they want is the first step towards real progress.
----
Dr. Jocelynn Cook, Chief Scientific Officer for the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada.  https://www.pehe-esep.ca/jocelynn-cook
Dr. Martha Hickey, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Melbourne.  https://www.thewomens.org.au/research/research-centres/womens-gynaecology-research-centre/wgrc-our-people/martha-hickey
The Fifth Wave is produced by Story Studio Network.

In this episode of The Fifth Wave, host Avis Favaro sits around the virtual kitchen table with women to share deeply personal stories about gender bias.  From life threatening misdiagnosis to breaking down barriers in male dominated fields, the conversation reveals the hidden ways gender shapes women’s lived experiences.  And why talking about it matters.  Our guests, Rose Fisher and Carliegh Bell tell us about the consequences of being unheard, and the importance of creating inclusive spaces where women can be fully recognized.  

Key Takeaways:
Gender bias is not just systemic, it is also personal.  Rose tells us how her heart attack was initially misdiagnosed as anxiety.  Carliegh describes the emotional toll it takes on women to be accepted in a male dominated sector.  
Women’s voices are data.  The importance of listening to women’s stories to help bridge the gender data gap, and improve systems that have been designed without women in mind.  
Representation is vital for equity and survival.  As Rose points out, women are not just “small men”,  and solutions have to account for gender specific realities.
The Fifth Wave is produced by Story Studio Network.