Writer: Kimberly Andrews
Introduction
For many men, the thought, “I just want to feel safe going to the doctor,” might rarely cross their minds. But for countless women, this concern is deeply ingrained, reflecting systemic failures in healthcare that disproportionately impact them. According to the World’s Economic Forum, For every one woman diagnosed with a health condition, roughly four go undiagnosed. [1] These aren’t just numbers—they represent lives cut short, dreams unrealized, and families left grieving. The emotional and physical toll on women is staggering, yet the healthcare system continues to fall short. Our healthcare systems have historically failed to grasp the intricate complexity of the female body, classifying it as “atypical” and “special.” [2] This begs the question: How can women feel safe when the institutions designed to safeguard them lack understanding and empathy? Addressing this imbalance isn’t just about healthcare—it’s about justice, equality, and saving lives.
As a result, a future where the system actually listens to women seems unattainable. Nonetheless, women have always been known to take matters into their own hands. Canan Dagdeviren, Associate Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at MIT, is one of the many women who have moved one step closer to bridging the gender health gap. With her innovative conformable wearable breast patch(cUSBr-Patch), early detection and frequent monitoring(beneficial for interval cancers) for breast cancer just got a lot easier! Before we get to the science of this device, let’s examine the gender health gap.
Gender Disparities in Healthcare
Women were only included in clinical trials as recently as 1993- just 31 years ago. The male body has always been treated as the norm. This is evident even amongst mice as medical researchers often avoid conducting studies on female mice because they fear that the hormonal swings and reproductive system of these mice might affect their study results! It’s no surprise the medical field is still misinformed about how well many drugs and devices work for women. [2]
As recent as 2019, women accounted for about 40% of participants in clinical trials for diseases like: cancer, cardiovascular disease, and psychiatric disorders- conditions that primarily affect women. This tragic reality is even bleaker for women of color, who are often entirely excluded from these trials. [2] Women’s healthcare continues to suffer due to a lack of funding for clinical research, insufficient technological advancements, and widespread misdiagnosis resulting from minimal education about women’s health at all levels.
The psychological toll is huge. Women are often reduced to attention seekers when they voice their symptoms, leading to misdiagnosis and high mortality rates from delayed treatments. Without helpful resources, women can feel isolated when it comes to understanding their health.
This, however, is not stopping women from taking charge of innovation! Cutting-edge technology such as the cUSBr-Patch can provide women with on-the-go care. Here’s everything you need to know about these patches:
Canan Dagdeviren’s cUSBr-Patch
Ultrasound, like echolocation, uses sound waves to look at the inside of your body parts. With breast cancer, healthcare providers use this technology to find problems like tumors and cysts within your breasts. Medical ultrasound imaging has been deemed advantageous over computer tomography (CT) which uses ionizing radiation, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which is costly and limited in most rural areas. Despite this fact, ultrasound technology has its limitations. Precise image reconstruction over large body parts such as the breasts and shoulders is currently not possible. Moreover, the geometry and appearance of the breast differ among patients, making it difficult to use a “one-size-fits-all” approach.
Nonetheless, Canan hopes her ultrasound patches, which already aid with early detection, will be able to (1) miniaturize current technologies and make them widely accessible to women across the globe, (2) provide non-invasive, comfortable, and user-friendly detection, and (3) use her team’s system to review the potency of breast cancer drugs. Between her goals for her patches and their current strides, non-invasive early detection will certainly become more widespread and implemented in women’s healthcare! [3]
The Future of Women’s Healthcare
According to the Imperial College of London, less than 2% of medical research funding is spent on pregnancy, childbirth, and female reproductive health. [1] Women are being medically denied and left with profound unmet needs. As Justine Greening, UK Development Secretary, once said, “No country can truly develop if half its population is left behind.” [4] Gender equality isn’t enough. We need equity! Gender equity focuses on tailoring healthcare to address the different needs of each gender. Women will be saved if we allocate time and resources to study and provide adequate treatments for women.
Each day, nearly 800 women around the world die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, with 95% of maternal deaths happening in low-income countries. What’s worse is that more than 80% of these deaths were deemed preventable. [5] Women are some of the strongest people we know— this cannot excuse the real pain they experience. No woman should have her pain dismissed because “that’s what it means to be a woman.” No woman should suffer blame because of society’s lack of awareness about common diseases such as Polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS), which affects nearly 10% of the female population. [6] Women like Canan are the change other women wish to see in the healthcare system. We’re not quite there yet, but I’m confident that our healthcare institutions will become a safe place for women.
Sources & Works Cited
[1] “Women are second-class citizens when it comes to health. Closing the gap could be worth $1 trillion”, January 17th, 2024, World Economic Forum: https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/01/women-healthcare-gap/
[2] “Why we know so little about women’s health”, March 26, 2024, AAMC News: https://www.aamc.org/news/why-we-know-so-little-about-women-s-health#:~:text=1993%3A%20The%20FDA%20reverses%20its,the%20disease%20only%20affects%20men
[3] “Revolutionizing Breast Cancer Detection: Canan Dagdeviren’s Wearable Ultrasound Patch”, Winner Interview 2024, Falling Walls Foundation: https://falling-walls.com/revolutionizing-breast-cancer-detection-canan-dagdevirens-wearable-ultrasound-patch
[4] 8 top quotes on gender parity from Davos 2016, January 23, 2016, World Economic Forum: https://www.weforum.org/stories/2016/01/7-quotes-on-gender-parity-from-davos-2016/
[5] “Women’s healthcare needs are changing: How do we meet them where they are?”, January 1st, 2024, World Economic Forum: https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/01/women-s-healthcare-needs-are-changing-how-do-we-meet-them-where-they-are/
[6] “How to Close the Gender Health Gap”, October 22, 2024, WIRED: https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-close-the-gender-health-gap/
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