Event by BioInnovation Institute and Medicon Valley Alliance (HubNordic), December 6, 2022. A day with a lot of insights – the programme can be found here. Molecule moderated and introduced the day. The introduction was based on the following.
Good morning, everyone. My name is Trine Petersen. What an honour to moderate a day with so many interesting perspectives and speakers. Today’s event is a real blockbuster; filled up quickly, and a long waiting list. Here, we are the privileged crowd at this exclusive event. A warm welcome.
Today is based on facts, knowledge, experience, and literature, so if you need references on any statement of today, please approach us. In-person, or on slido.
So why are we here. This Danish Swedish initiative today targets a global challenge of our cultural and historic tradition of research, innovation, and public and commercial development focusing on improving health, lives and welfare for humans. And this, in a situation, where human per default was – and is – a man, hu – man.
Fortunately, we are increasingly aware of the results of this bias. We CAN improve the lives of everyone if we succeed to increase and strengthen our knowledge of Women’s health.
Knowledge will enable us to design, innovate, research, and develop solutions that can improve female lives, woman’s health: Unlocking the power of the population, and improving the global potential for better decisions and better solutions for all of us.
Because we know when setting the best team, we get the best solutions. And the best team is diverse. The best team enables the full team to grow. We discovered this a long time ago.
Still; 70 percent of the music I listen to, of the movies I watch, of the literature and stories I read are made by men about men. The other weekend I went to a museum, and after a while I was pussled, I asked whether they had any art works by women. 2 art pieces were made by a woman in a very large and famous museum.
This bias has to become history.
We are in a situation, where the superior muscle strength of males is not the critical survival factor of our population.
We need to fight the climate challenge, to develop non-fossil energy solutions, to overcome poverty, to ensure food, safety, and health for our population no matter if you live in Sweden, Denmark, the US, China, Ukraine, or India.
This WILL happen faster if we use the intellect, ideas, health and perspectives of the full population. We need to empower the full population. Not only men. So how do we do that? We will learn more today, we will become inspired.
And we will grow together, if – I will say – when – we don’t accept historical answers for current challenges. And when is NOW.
Because we need to do things differently. Different biology calls for different solutions. My son touches his genitals everytime he pees, many times a day. I myself could go through my childhood without ever touching or discovering my genitals. We need to encourage girls to get to know them selves.
We need to make everyone develop their best. I did not develop my best when in Kindergarden, I was sent out to pick flowers when I’d rather go with the boys to the fire station.
I do not perform at my best when my head and body hurt physically and mentally. I do not care if my menstruation is natural.
I do not care if my pregnancy is natural, we do not perform at our best if this will make us homeless, dissocialised, or worse situations.
I do not care if my lack of ability to get pregnant is natural, I do not perform at my best when I get divorced and a 7-year sorrow and depression because I couldn’t fulfil my dream of becoming a parent.
I am born female. I am not born to not get orgasms, I am not born to not become a drummer, I am not born to not become an entrepeneour, I am not born to get more side effects just because I am a woman, and I am not born to not get treated for my osteoporosis, just because it is natural for especially women to develop osteoporosis.
We need to be brought up to get to know ourselves, to touch and explore ourselves. To develop, to learn. And to speak up, when we are not well. And be listened to. And to get help.
Today we put on our glasses and start creating a better world for better solutions for a better world. Many of us spend most of our time in research, healthcare and the life science sector. There is indeed a huge task in front of us. You are the ones to drive Women’s Health. You are the ones to show the world the potential of acknowledging that different biology calls for different solutions.
And how this transforms into more life quality. When we do this in women’s health, we can trigger the development of overall better solutions, not only in health and healthcare.
I am proud to welcome the two initiators and hosts of today’s event. Please come to the stage. They represent the perfect kick-off embraced by Medicon Valley Alliances and Bioinnovation Institute.
MVA represents life science stakeholders of the public and private sectors in both Sweden and Denmark. Anette Steenberg is the CEO and the key driver for partnerships, innovation and bilateral solutions. Anette Steenberg: Thank you for taking the iniative for the event today. But why did you engage in the Gaps and Opportunities in Women’s health?
BII is the other host of today. Trine Bartholdy is the Chief Innovation Officer. One of the large initiatives of BII is WHI. BII WHI is one of several European accelerator programmes for Women’s Health. But it is the only one in Europe, as far as I am aware, that not only helps innovative ideas, research and start-ups develop actual commercial solutions ready for market, WHI also helps fund these initiatives. This is radical, it is needed and this should be copy pasted all over the world. At least if it works. So Trine Bartholdy does it work?
Continuing dialogue on their responses…
We have all taken a spot that somebody else couldn’t have. This somehow oblige us to listen extra carefull, to take todays key messages and push them forward…
With this I will move on to our first speaker, Michael Bronsdijk, please come to the stage. Michael Bronsdijk is the General Manager of Hologic in the Nordics and Benelux. Hologic is not only interested in women’s perspectives and experiences, Hologic actually asks women globally, uncovering the status of the women’s health. Some is not a number, soon is not a time and hope is not a strategy. Hologic is actually transforming “some” to numbers. Welcome Mr. Bronsdijk – the stage is yours.