On Friday, November 28th, I had the opportunity to attend the Women in Government’s Seventh Annual Healthcare Summit as a part of the Future Women in Government Program. The program selects undergraduate and graduate students who demonstrate a passion for women’s leadership to participate in the conference, as well as network with current legislators. The programming was diverse in nature ranging on talks about rare diseases, Alzheimer’s, and the regulation of medical devices in the European Union. I appreciated being able to hear about different disease areas, as well as hear from a variety of patient advocacy groups. When I reflect upon my experience in the program, the most formative impact comes in the form of a reminder about why I am so passionate about health and, particularly, women’s leadership in health.
This reminder came in the form of presentations that were unapologetically focused on women. One particular presentation on bleeding disorders stood out to me. While bleeding disorders can affect both men and women, they are often not correctly diagnosed in women. Many clinicians will miss the warning signs and simply normalize the symptoms as a natural function of menstruation. Due to this, women with undiagnosed bleeding disorders will often suffer from chronic fatigue as a result of anemia, difficulties healing after sustaining cuts of injuries, and heavy and prolonged menstrual periods. While this is just one example, it reminded me of how fundamentally underrepresented and understudied women’s health issues are. So often in society women’s voices are lost or are systematically unheard. In the healthcare field it manifests in the lack of studies about women’s health, the lack of women in clinical trials, or how women’s pain is often downplayed. According to a study “The Girl Who Cried Pain,” there is a definitive gender bias when it comes to clinical pain management where women are “more likely to be treated less aggressively in their initial encounters with the health-care system until they ‘prove that they are as sick as male patients.’” The pervasive disregard of women’s pain and women’s health issues is a definitive example of how political power, or lack thereof, can have an impact on one’s health outcomes . When it comes to healthcare, I am interested in exploring the relationship between availability and accessibility. The existence of healthcare infrastructure does not mean there is homogenous patient engagement across different demographics. This idea is best illustrated in studies of OECD(Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) nations that offer universal healthcare, yet still have differing levels of engagement in the healthcare system and differing health outcomes across demographics. Even when there universal healthcare coverage, populations residing within the most deprived areas in England have the poorest health outcomes; residents of the most deprived areas have life expectancies that are on average shortened by seven years. High levels of morbidity, multi-morbidity, and low life expectancy afflict these populations compared to their least deprived counters. In addition to this, people living within deprived areas in England are more likely to suffer from public health issues including smoking, alcohol related diseases, and obesity. Although a universal healthcare system provides a solution to the problem availability, it becomes clear that positive health outcomes are more tightly linked with accessibility. Social determinants of health such as gender, race, education, and socioeconomic position have an immense influence on one’s health outcomes because they paint a larger narrative about accessibility. In a modern society where medical advancements are vast, it is important to consider other factors that may influence an individual’s or population’s health outcomes. In the case of bleeding disorders the importance of addressing social determinants of health is paramount. For this specific ailment, gender had a decisive impact on health outcome
Furthermore, this presentation reminded me of the importance of having meaningful advocates and representation in healthcare. In a system where women’s health issues are trivialized, it is extremely important to have women at the decision table. Awareness of undiagnosed and misdiagnosed bleeding disorders is a direct result of the work of women’s organizations. Women leaders have been able to bring a unique perspective to the table owing to their individual experiences. Being a woman in a position of leadership means having to face marginalization, oppression or ridicule, and having the strength to persevere. It means standing in solidarity with others to combat the darker parts of our society and our antiquated way of promoting inequities among humans. Women leaders are in a unique position to bring power and voice for those rendered powerless and voiceless. This is especially true when it comes to women’s health.
Overall, I was grateful to be able to participate in a program that not only featured women’s health issues, but also empowered young women to engage with the subject matter as well as empower them to rise to positons of leadership.
This reminder came in the form of presentations that were unapologetically focused on women. One particular presentation on bleeding disorders stood out to me. While bleeding disorders can affect both men and women, they are often not correctly diagnosed in women. Many clinicians will miss the warning signs and simply normalize the symptoms as a natural function of menstruation. Due to this, women with undiagnosed bleeding disorders will often suffer from chronic fatigue as a result of anemia, difficulties healing after sustaining cuts of injuries, and heavy and prolonged menstrual periods. While this is just one example, it reminded me of how fundamentally underrepresented and understudied women’s health issues are. So often in society women’s voices are lost or are systematically unheard. In the healthcare field it manifests in the lack of studies about women’s health, the lack of women in clinical trials, or how women’s pain is often downplayed. According to a study “The Girl Who Cried Pain,” there is a definitive gender bias when it comes to clinical pain management where women are “more likely to be treated less aggressively in their initial encounters with the health-care system until they ‘prove that they are as sick as male patients.’” The pervasive disregard of women’s pain and women’s health issues is a definitive example of how political power, or lack thereof, can have an impact on one’s health outcomes . When it comes to healthcare, I am interested in exploring the relationship between availability and accessibility. The existence of healthcare infrastructure does not mean there is homogenous patient engagement across different demographics. This idea is best illustrated in studies of OECD(Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) nations that offer universal healthcare, yet still have differing levels of engagement in the healthcare system and differing health outcomes across demographics. Even when there universal healthcare coverage, populations residing within the most deprived areas in England have the poorest health outcomes; residents of the most deprived areas have life expectancies that are on average shortened by seven years. High levels of morbidity, multi-morbidity, and low life expectancy afflict these populations compared to their least deprived counters. In addition to this, people living within deprived areas in England are more likely to suffer from public health issues including smoking, alcohol related diseases, and obesity. Although a universal healthcare system provides a solution to the problem availability, it becomes clear that positive health outcomes are more tightly linked with accessibility. Social determinants of health such as gender, race, education, and socioeconomic position have an immense influence on one’s health outcomes because they paint a larger narrative about accessibility. In a modern society where medical advancements are vast, it is important to consider other factors that may influence an individual’s or population’s health outcomes. In the case of bleeding disorders the importance of addressing social determinants of health is paramount. For this specific ailment, gender had a decisive impact on health outcome
Furthermore, this presentation reminded me of the importance of having meaningful advocates and representation in healthcare. In a system where women’s health issues are trivialized, it is extremely important to have women at the decision table. Awareness of undiagnosed and misdiagnosed bleeding disorders is a direct result of the work of women’s organizations. Women leaders have been able to bring a unique perspective to the table owing to their individual experiences. Being a woman in a position of leadership means having to face marginalization, oppression or ridicule, and having the strength to persevere. It means standing in solidarity with others to combat the darker parts of our society and our antiquated way of promoting inequities among humans. Women leaders are in a unique position to bring power and voice for those rendered powerless and voiceless. This is especially true when it comes to women’s health.
Overall, I was grateful to be able to participate in a program that not only featured women’s health issues, but also empowered young women to engage with the subject matter as well as empower them to rise to positons of leadership.