The most important conversations about women's health will be happening in Asia
A global women's health summit in Hong Kong will bring together some of the world's brightest minds in science, healthcare and femtech to address this neglected area of modern medicine and highlight the business of women's health
Renowned clinicians, cutting-edge tech founders, femtech leaders and influential figures in women's health are converging in Hong Kong this June for the Women's Health in Focus global summit, a groundbreaking event poised to redefine and rewrite the future of women's health.
Hosted by Front & Female Awards nominee Maaike Steinebach's Femtech Future and Gen.T honouree Anca Griffith's OM Health Hub, this two-day summit will take place at the Asia Society Hong Kong on June 16 and 17.
The summit addresses a critical and long-standing disparity: women's health has been historically under-researched, underfunded and underserved. Statistics paint a stark picture: over 700 diseases take between three and seven years longer to diagnose in women compared to men; women spend 25 per cent more time than men in 'poor health'; and 80 per cent of drug withdrawals are attributed to adverse side effects in women, highlighting the research gap in women's health. Furthermore, only 2 per cent of private funding is allocated to women's health initiatives, highlighting a significant investment gap.
See also: Lindsay Davis and Maaike Steinebach on femtech in Asia and the startups to watch
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Tatler Asia
2 days ago
- Tatler Asia
Inside Women's Health in Focus: A global summit driving change in women's healthcare
Women's Health in Focus brought together medical professionals, researchers and wellness enthusiasts at the Asia Society Hong Kong Centre over two intensive days On June 16 and 17, Women's Health in Focus: A Global Summit brought together medical professionals, researchers and wellness enthusiasts at the Asia Society Hong Kong Center. Hosted by Tatler Front & Female Awards nominee Maaike Steinebach and founder of Femtech Future, a boutique advisory firm for women's health and femtech; and Gen.T honouree Anca Griffiths, CEO and co-founder of OM Health Hub, the gathering addressed the blind spot in modern medicine. 'Anca and I are here because we had a dream, where women truly understand their bodies and feel equipped to take control of their health. A dream where companies recognise that supporting women's health isn't a perk, but smart business and the right thing to do. A dream where investors stop calling women's health 'niche' and start seeing it as one of the fastest moving sectors in innovation.' The Women's Health in Focus's opening discussion featured Alyson J McGregor, author of Sex Matters , and Marjorie Jenkins, who exposed the gender bias embedded in contemporary healthcare with precision. Their panel set the tone for an event that refused to accept the status quo. It revealed that women spend 25 per cent more time in poor health than men on average, a gap which, if closed, could add more than US$1 trillion to the global economy annually by 2040. See also : How a billion-dollar dowry led Gigi Chao to fight for everyone's right to wed and why marriage equality in Hong Kong could finally be within reach Photo 1 of 17 Anca Griffiths and Maaike Steinebach (Photo: courtesy of Nicole Burak) Photo 2 of 17 Marjorie Jenkins, Anca Griffiths and Alyson J. McGregor (Photo: courtesy of Nicole Burak) Photo 3 of 17 Kristina Snaith-Lense, Maaike Steinebach and Claire Melwani (Photo: courtesy of Nicole Burak) Photo 4 of 17 Inside the summit (Photo: courtesy of Nicole Burak) Photo 5 of 17 Fiona Nott, Yanie Soo, Sharmeen Shroff and Cassandra Szoeke (Photo: courtesy of Nicole Burak) Photo 6 of 17 Inside the summit (Photo: courtesy of Nicole Burak) Photo 7 of 17 Christopher Asandra, Lindsay Jang, Isabella Daza and Jill Van Vugt (Photo: courtesy of Nicole Burak) Photo 8 of 17 Inside the summit (Photo: courtesy of Nicole Burak) Photo 9 of 17 Iza Calzado Wintle served as the event's emcee (Photo: courtesy of Nicole Burak) Photo 10 of 17 Jen Wannenmacher served as the event's emcee (Photo: courtesy of Nicole Burak) Photo 11 of 17 Anca Griffiths (Photo: courtesy of Nicole Burak) Photo 12 of 17 Sara Jane Ho and Maaike Steinebach (Photo: courtesy of Nicole Burak) Photo 13 of 17 Inside the summit (Photo: courtesy of Nicole Burak) Photo 14 of 17 Elisabeth Sorrentino, Anca Griffiths, Maaike Steinebach and Sarah Vee (Photo: courtesy of Nicole Burak) Photo 15 of 17 Inside the summit (Photo: courtesy of Nicole Burak) Photo 16 of 17 Inside the summit (Photo: courtesy of Nicole Burak) Photo 17 of 17 Inside the summit (Photo: courtesy of Nicole Burak)
Tatler Asia
10-06-2025
- Tatler Asia
‘We have very little data on Asian women's health': Why femtech innovation is urgently needed
The research deficit crisis We only have very little data and research on the female body, even less on Asian women. - Maaike Steinebach - The global research deficit in women's health creates particular challenges across Asia. Women weren't required in clinical studies until 1994, and animal testing was conducted exclusively on male animals until 2014. 'Earlier, women were treated like little men. Also, a lot of research was mainly done on white women. Even now, lots of the research is not disaggregated based on sex. So we only have very little data and research on the female body, less on Asian women, African American women, African women and even less than that on mixed-race women,' says Steinebach. This creates what Steinebach describes as a cascade effect: 'This research gap leads to a lack of knowledge about their unique health needs and creates a care gap—the care women need and what they can get from the existing healthcare system—which in turn results in a treatment gap.' Fertility, mental health and an ageing population Above Beyond reproductive health, femtech can identify several critical areas, such as mental health support and brain health support There are several promising areas of opportunity in the femtech space in Asia, and obviously menstruation, reproductive health and maternal care are critical areas that need to be addressed. But beyond this, there is also a substantial gap in mental health support. 'Mental health support tailored for women, who are two times more prone to depression and mental health issues than men due to their hormones, is increasingly important,' Steinebach says. She adds that menopause and ageing-related health solutions are massively underserved markets, as women in Asia are now outliving men and their global peers. 'Due to the lack of knowledge and conversation about these topics, many women navigate these life stages without adequate resources.' Beyond reproductive health, Steinebach identifies critical areas: 'The integration of technology in health education and awareness can empower women to take charge of their health, creating numerous opportunities for innovative startups in the sexual health space (for example HPV), heart health space (globally the no 1 cause of death for women) and brain health space (two-third of all global Alzheimer patients are women).' The economic case Every dollar invested in women's health generates $3 in GDP. - Maaike Steinebach - The business case extends beyond healthcare outcomes. Steinebach presents compelling data to stakeholders: 'I work with governments to show them how every dollar invested in women's health generates $3 in GDP, so taking care of women is not just good for women, but also good for business and the economy.' This supports investment for corporates looking to 'attract or retain talent or to meet their ESG goals, for insurance companies to provide better-suited products to meet the lifecycle of women.' Opportunity for Hong Kong in the femtech space Hong Kong's strategic position offers unique advantages in the femtech sector. As a gateway to mainland China and Southeast Asia, locally developed solutions could serve hundreds of millions of women across the region. 'By fostering collaboration among stakeholders, governments, healthcare providers and tech innovators in Asia, we can create a supportive ecosystem that drives positive change in women's health across Asia,' Steinebach says.
Tatler Asia
05-05-2025
- Tatler Asia
‘Adoption shouldn't be a substitute': Kathryn Weaver's mission to promote adoption as a first choice and reframe how society views family
You can't go into adoption half-hearted. You've got to be fully committed to it and to everything it brings. - Kathryn Weaver - She adds that she is also asked whether it is possible to adopt a child without health issues. 'Frankly, it's very difficult to get a healthy baby, as those are not really the children going into the system,' she says. Numbers from Hong Kong's Social Welfare Department for the end of December 2024 show no 'normal and healthy' children available for adoption, with most having complicated family backgrounds, being older, or having health issues or disabilities. Weaver and her husband were 'very open-minded as to what child we would want,' she says. 'We were open to gender, age up to a point—our cut-off was three and a half—and we were open on ethnicity and disability, as well as background.' Above Kathryn Weaver is a Front & Female Awards Hong Kong 2024 nominee (Photo: Alex Macro) That first call matched Weaver and Macro with Max. He was ten months old at the time—he's now six—and was Indian-Indonesian by ethnicity. Max's mother was a foreign domestic worker who had given him up for religious reasons and because she wanted to continue working and didn't think she could with a baby. A month after matching, Weaver and Macro took him home. They were matched again with a second child, but chose not to accept this match, a three-and-a-half-year-old girl with a history of abuse, some medical complications and behavioural issues. Weaver says that had Max not been part of the family already, they would have adopted her, but they didn't think it was fair on him. 'That was probably one of the hardest decisions we've ever made—and we didn't make it lightly,' says Weaver. Most recently, they were matched with their four-year-old daughter Roxie, who they adopted when she was two and a half years old. Roxie spoke Cantonese and was from a background more typical of the children generally found in Hong Kong's adoption system—with a parent or parents struggling with substance abuse. As white parents with children of different races, Weaver and Macro have faced challenges. Max was denied a visa for the UK on two occasions, apparently because authorities believed he was going to be left there. 'That was a huge amount of prejudice,' says Weaver. 'And every time we go through [airport or border] security, we get questions and sent to the special security area because we all look different.' However, she adds that 'one of the benefits of interracial adoption, which isn't for everybody, is that it makes it much easier to talk about adoption with your children. It's not something that you ever have to make a decision as to whether to reveal or not. We talk very openly about it and in a very positive way.' [Adoption] shouldn't be the substitute to having biological children and I feel strongly about that, as somebody who can have my own children but chose not to, and to adopt instead. - Kathryn Weaver - Weaver frequently fields other questions from those curious about adoption related to the children's 'real parents' and whether Weaver is able to love her children 'like they were her own'. 'I don't think anyone means offence by that but I think you know that if you go into adoption, you go into it wholeheartedly; these are our children, this is our family and I think a lot of people find that a difficult concept,' she says. There is a lot of naivety around the process and reasons for adoption, and these are conversations that Weaver is keen to drive. But mostly, she says that she wants 'adoption to be considered as a first choice or as just one way of creating a family. It shouldn't be the substitute to having biological children and I feel strongly about that, as somebody who can have my own children but chose not to, and to adopt instead.' Weaver and her husband have been together for more than 20 years and, while they always wanted children, she said that they were not bothered about making 'mini mes' and continuing bloodlines. 'Every child should have a loving home and there's a lot out there that don't. We thought that was a far better use of our parenting and time and energy than adding more bodies to this overpopulated world.' Front & Female Changemakers celebrates the extraordinary journeys of inspiring women who have emerged as powerful changemakers in a range of fields, offering a glimpse into their lives and showcasing their courage, vision and relentless pursuit of change and progress. From social entrepreneurs and business leaders to educators, artists, activists and scientists, Front & Female changemakers exemplify the ability to challenge the status quo and demonstrate the power of women to effect change.
