LIVTOSHARE

trust in the universe

Author

Livia Han
December 15, 2024

✨This week’s quote: "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." – Paulo Coelho

✨ This week's announcement: This will be the last edition of LIVTOSHARE in 2024! I can't believe we're on Edition #7 already - I started this in November, and it has been the most rewarding experience. Throughout this time together, we've gone to Boston, attended the inaugural women's health summit at HBS, connected with leaders across Harvard, Maven Clinic, Progyny, CAMH, Planned Parenthood, and so many more inspiring organizations.

I'll be taking the next two weeks to do my personal reflections from this year and continue some exciting things for LIVTOSHARE for the new year! Spending some well-needed time with my grandma back in China - I'll see you back on Jan 19th 2025. It's been a pleasure to learn and grow with you, and I'm so excited for what the new year holds for us. 💗

✨ This week's learning: Most people who know me will always hear me passionately talking about how women weren't a part of clinical trials until 1993. Thank you to Dr. Liisa Galea for bringing to light that today, we are still ONLY a part of 15% of clinical trials. Why? While NIH (National Institutes of Health in the US) funded clinical trials were mandated to include women & minorities…these trials only make up 15% of clinical trials altogether. The surprising part? There is no requirement to report findings by sex & no requirement for what percentage of women are to be included. There isn't even a requirement in Canada for inclusion of women in clinical trials?!... We've made progress, but we are only just at the beginning.

So where are the other 85% of trials happening? The pharmaceutical industry is running the show, funding 60-70% of all clinical trials. As someone deeply passionate about women's health innovation, this knowledge gap is striking. We've made progress since 1993, but we still have so much work ahead of us. This is exactly why I get excited when I see more research and funding flowing into women's health - every step forward matters. 💗

✨ This week's highlight: The White House just hosted the first-ever Conference on Women’s Health Research, marking a historic milestone in the pursuit of gender equity in healthcare. The event celebrated the remarkable progress made this year, fostering unity among innovators, researchers, policymakers, medical leaders, advocates, media, and institutions. This collective momentum, especially in the wake of the recent election, has energized the women’s health community like never before. We have so much to celebrate—from the groundbreaking White House Executive Order on Women’s Health Research to the $110 million in ARPA-H funding awarded to women’s health innovators. For those of us who've been in this space watching the historical underinvestment and data gaps, this feels like such a pivotal moment. This is just the beginning - we're about to see some incredible innovations in women's health, and I'm so excited to be on this journey with all of you! 💜💜

✨This week’s reflection exercise: Every year, I’ve had a ritual to reflect using A Year Compass, a booklet to help you close your year and plan for the new one. This will be my 3rd year doing it. I'd highly recommend splitting it into two sessions (one for the past year, and one for the year ahead) as it can be a lot to do in one sitting.  

✨ This week's watch: JOY - The Birth of IVF on Netflix 

✨ This week's song: By Faith - C3

✨ This week's book: The Pivot Year - Brianna West 

🔮 My Predictions for 2024

  • Increased emphasis on sex-based differences in medical research

  • Greater focus on ethics in women's health space, particularly in the fertility space 

  • Expansion beyond current major focuses (fertility, menopause) into neurology, immunology, and oncology

  • Alternative financing pathways for women's health companies

  • More women’s health-focused investment syndicates and accelerators

  • Continued involvement from family offices, but more institutional involvement, and individual individual involvement to come

  • Increased scrutiny over social media's role in health information - and more startups to address the education gap

I’ll go more in depth with these on Linkedin in the next few days… you can find me here if we’re not connected yet!

🍒 WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS THAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION 🍒

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If you enjoyed this edition of LIVTOSHARE, forward it with a friend who's interested in women’s health and growth!

Have a BEAUTIFUL HOLIDAY SEASON & see you in the new year 😉 !!!

With love & light,

Livia Han 💗