The Members Connect Series will provide a platform for women to engage in discussions concerning industry trends and pioneering programs, offering them unique insights and opportunities. The aim is to advance the careers of women and increase female participation in the sector.

Founder and Director of Franklin Women, Dr Melina Georgousakis says that members of Franklin Women bring diverse experiences and skills to the sector, so bringing them together through the Members Connect Series is a special opportunity. 

“By connecting these women outside of their day-to-day and linking them with innovative ecosystem partners, we are facilitating opportunities for them to thrive,” she said. 

Franklin Womn is a leading social enterprise championing women in the health and medical research fields.

The inaugural Members Connect event will be hosted by Organon, a the only global healthcare company of its size focused primarily on the health and wellbeing of women, at their Sydney office.

Managing Director of Organon ANZ, Nirelle Tolstoshev, says that the global healthcare company believes in this series’ ability to “drive real change” by investing in women in the sector. 

“Just 34 per cent of CEO and Head of Organisation roles in our biopharmaceutical sector are held by women – and whilst women tend to be well represented in middle management, they seem to be passed over for more senior opportunities,” says Tolstoshev. 

“At Organon, we believe that by investing in the bright pipeline of innovators and empowering these women through collaborations such as these, we can drive real change in this area.”

Following the Federal Government’s Senate Inquiry into Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health and the recent announcement of an Australian-first inquiry into women’s pain in Victoria, the initiative’s goal to support women in the health and medical research sector is particularly critical. 

The Members Connect meetups are free to attend, and those who participate will be able to contribute to emerging women’s health priorities. Franklin Women and Organon say the events will “be instrumental in breaking down silos between different stakeholders and contributing to the improvement of health outcomes in communities”.

Interested members can register for Members Connect meetups here. 

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Infertility affects about 1 in 6 Australian couples in reproductive age and is just as likely to impact females or males. 

There are many causes of infertility, such as low sperm count for males and blocked fallopian tubes in females or underlying causes including endometriosis for females and testicular problems in males.

Women’s healthcare company, Organon, has today released the Australian Fertility Report, revealing gaps in fertility knowledge among Australian women, particularly in relation to what they can do to improve the chance of having children. 

The report notes that although women are aware of a variety of fertility treatments, there’s still a lack of fertility awareness in relation to their own bodies. 

Drawing on findings from a new national survey commissioned by Organon of 2,044 women aged between 18-45 years in Australia, the report found that only 16 per cent of these women accessed fertility treatment despite one quarter of them currently having trouble conceiving. 

And only 11 per cent of all women surveyed have accessed fertility treatment, while most (71 per cent) surveyed are aware of different types of treatment, including IVF and egg freezing.

Women who have had trouble conceiving but have not accessed fertility treatments state that the reasons are concerns over the potential personal and emotional toll of the procedure (73 per cent), and concerns about the success rate of treatments (70 per cent).

Another key factor affecting women accessing fertility treatment is affordability (81 per cent), despite some treatments being subsidised through Medicare or covered by private health insurance. 

Experts have also suggested there’s a lack of understanding of how and when to start exploring fertility treatments. 

“People often don’t think about fertility until it becomes an issue. That is why there is a need for education through a more holistic life course approach to reproductive health, including family building, to reduce difficulty conceiving and to help Australians achieve their desired family-building intentions,” said the Head and Professor of the Discipline of Obstetrics & Gynecology in the School of Women’s & Children’s Health, Professor Bill Ledger.

The report also showed that most women understand endometriosis (90 per cent) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) (88 per cent) are major health issues women should talk to their doctors about before trying to fall pregnant.

Sydney-based woman Teniele Spicer, who is expecting her first child, said she had always planned to have children, but a diagnosis of Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) meant she started her fertility journey earlier than planned. 

“If it wasn’t for the conversations I had with my GP at 18-years-old that led to my diagnosis of PCOS, I doubt I would have started thinking about my fertility options until much later, which would have left me scrambling to start my fertility journey when I should have already started,” said Spicer. 

“Conversations between Australians that want to have children and their GPs need to begin early. As in my case, with knowledge comes power, and with a largely supportive public system, we actually do have the power to act early on fertility.”

Managing Director of Organon ANZ, Nirelle Tolstoshev said the Australian Fertility Report findings “demonstrate the need for fertility-awareness education to be at the top of the agenda to enable Australians to have children if and when they want to”.

Listen to Women’s Agenda’s own fertility podcast, Fertility Unfiltered here.

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And while much has been spoken about these inequalities from economic, social, health, and physical security, far less action has been taken to address these issues in a meaningful way. 

Too often businesses shrug off these issues as a matter for government. And whilst it’s true that government certainly plays a role in paving a way for a more equitable tomorrow for women – it’s also the case that businesses can do more than host breakfasts and put on morning teas. 

We need to action what we speak about at these luncheons and conferences. Walk the talk, so to speak.

There is ample evidence both internationally and locally that the current COVID-19 pandemic is unraveling women’s hard-fought for gains in workplaces. Many women are now significantly more burned out than ever, even more than men which can take a huge toll on their physical and mental health. 

McKinsey recently predicted in their 2020 Women in the Workplace study that the global pandemic could set women back half a decade as they consider leaving the workforce for good. Organisations losing female leaders’ risk unwriting the years of progress towards gender equality.

The Jean Hailes’ Women’s Health Survey 2020 Snapshot reports that 31.7% of women aged 25 – 44 did not have enough time to attend health check appointments, and one in four could not get an appointment when they needed one.

A recent online survey of 10,000 Australian women conducted between February and April 2021 by Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety, found that COVID has had an impact on women’s personal and professional lives, as well as that of her family.

One in three women (31 per cent) in the survey had been laid off, lost their job or had to take a pay cut or reduce hours, in the first 12 months of the pandemic. As a result, women reported being unable to pay bills on time, needing to pawn or sell something, going without needed medical or dental treatment, and skipping meals. 

I am proud to lead Organon in Australia, we are a global health care company that is united in our drive to better support the health of women, both within our company and around the globe.  We invest in medicines and innovations that support the distinct healthcare needs of women across her healthcare lifecycle.  

We know that when women are healthier the whole community benefits and that a woman’s health is impacted not just by her physical wellbeing but by her education; culture; career; economic and physical security, and mental wellbeing.

This International Women’s Day, we have moved away from reflection to tangible action in addressing the health inequities exacerbated by COVID-19. We have given every employee around the globe a paid day off on International Women’s Day to allow them to attend to their own health needs, or the needs of women they care for. 

We believe that by empowering women to put their health needs at the top of the priority list is part of the change we need to drive to increase gender equity in all aspects of their lives.  Especially as the pandemic continues to limit women’s ability to take care of themselves, we are proud to show our commitment to meeting women’s unmet health needs today and into the future.

I know that by improving the understanding of women’s health needs that we are one step closer to closing the inequity gap. We have urged other organisations to also take practical steps in improving workplace culture for women and join us in this mission and be part of the solution.

The post Why we’re calling on more action to focus on women’s health in Australia   appeared first on Women's Agenda.

This is the opening snippet of the Women’s Health Project, a new podcast series created by Women’s Agenda, that’s delving into the world of women’s health, exploring why and how issues specific to women have been overlooked and often dismissed in the medical sphere.

Those words are from entrepreneur Shivani Gopal, who explains that it took all of her adult life to receive a diagnosis of endometriosis, despite her frequent and repeated efforts to get answers regarding her pain from medical professionals. The late diagnosis meant it was difficult for her to fall pregnant, and she had to put up with a whole lot of pain, for years and years. Unfortunately, her story isn’t unique, with many women all over the world having similar stories.

“How in the world could you compare your pain to another woman’s pain? We just know that we’re all in pain at some point and because of that, we are taught to just grin and bear it, to be resilient and to just push on,” Gopal continues.

In the first episode of the Women’s Health Project, released today and supported by Organon, Angela Priestley, who is the publisher and co-founder of Women’s Agenda, looks at the historical context of misogyny in healthcare and medical research – and the subsequent gender gap we have today.

The podcast will explore how and why women are so often overlooked in healthcare and medicine, something that was illuminated in the 2021 Australia Talks Survey, which found that 1 in 3 women have had their health concerns dismissed.

“I think the general community member would be surprised to know that many of the fundamentals about what we know about human biology and functioning is based on the 70-kilo white man. That is the default human,” Dr Amy Vassallo, research fellow at the Global Women’s Health program at the George Institute says.

Dr Vassallo says there is an assumption in health research that the 70-kilo white man is “reflective of all people”, and essentially, that’s what much of our health and medical knowledge is based on.

The Women’s Health Project podcast series will cover everything from heart disease, mental health, reproductive and maternal health, chronic illness and physical health issues, looking at how the gender gap in medicine and research has impacted women throughout history. It’ll also dive into some of the more positive developments in the women’s health space in recent years, and why things are (slowly) starting to change for the better.

The series will also explore how particular groups of women, especially women of colour, have been, and continue to be, more likely to be dismissed in the healthcare space. It’s an issue that was illuminated just weeks ago, when the World Health Organisation posthumously honoured Henrietta Lacks, an African American woman whose body was unduly “exploited for science”.

Henrietta Lacks died of cervical cancer at the age of 31 in 1951 and was buried in an unmarked grave, but she played an integral role in some of modern medicine’s most significant developments. Her cells were collected without her knowledge or consent, and they led to multiple breakthroughs including the development of the polio vaccine, IVF treatment and the cervical cancer vaccine. It was only decades after her death that her family learnt just how vital Lacks’ cells have been to medical research.

Lacks’ story is just one of the many untold stories of women in the realm of health and medicine, but getting to know her name, as well as what happened to her, is significant in understanding women’s health more broadly.

It’s only been recently that we’ve started to come to terms with the gender gap in health but its history goes back a long way — back to Ancient Greece, actually — so let’s take the time to learn more about it so we can improve outcomes for women everywhere.

The first episode of the Women’s Health Project podcast series is out today, you can listen and subscribe on your favourite podcast app.

This podcast is independently created by Women’s Agenda and proudly sponsored by Organon, a pharmaceutical company dedicated to a better and healthier every day for every woman. Women’s Agenda is published by Agenda Media, a 100% female-owned and run media company.

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Announced this week by the recently launched women’s health company, Managing Director Nirelle Tolsoshev told Women’s Agenda the move is part of a number of initiatives created to help staff avoid burnout and stress during this period. They are supporting 61 staff in Sydney, as well as more across the country.

She told the team there would be no requirement to make up for the time spent on remote learning activities and supporting kids. She also said all staff would be given two hours a day to support their “wellbeing”: to exercise, rest, rejuvenate or whatever else is needed.

These are support measures that come in stark contrast to what other Sydney employers are doing, including the council we reported on last week who asked staff to sign a declaration that they would not be working from home while also taking primary caring and remote learning responsibilities for children under the age of eight.

Meanwhile, Organon also says that staff will be given time off to get vaccinated. They are being encouraged to take time for themselves during the day to focus on their health and wellbeing and urged to structure their workday in a way that suits their personal circumstances and is mindful of other colleagues. They have also aimed to shift and shorten meetings and re-prioritise certain types of work.

These measures come at a busy time for the health giant. Organon listed on the New York Stok Exchange last month, having recently been spun off from Merck & Co, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical businesses. It launched with a large portfolio of women’s health products, and ambitions to fill some of the dire gaps in women’s healthcare needs internationally. It has just opened its Sydney-based, Australia headquarters, and is in the process of hiring.

As Tolstoshev told Women’s Agenda last month, for too long the unique and specific health needs of women have failed to be properly recognised, especially given a history of pharmaceutical trials failing to adequately include women up until three decades ago.

“More must be done to improve women’s health,” she said. “Organon will focus on women’s everyday health needs, including her reproductive health, her unique health issues, as well as conditions that disproportionately affect women. Improving health outcomes of women will benefit all Australians today and into the future.”

On this latest announcement, Tolstoshev said that she is particularly proud of their leadership team for taking steps to minimize stress.

“As leaders we need to support our teams and the broader community, to apply empathy, focus on wellbeing and create space for our people to balance homeschooling and work priorities. This is good for our people, and good for the community to keep children learning.”

This is a business that understands the responsibility for children during these lockdown periods should not fall on parents alone, that children are currently being kept home to protect the community.

This is how you support staff and their children during a lockdown.

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Organon is a newly formed Fortune 500 company that listed on the NYSE on Thursday. It’s spun off from Merck & Co, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical businesses, and launches with a strong portfolio of women’s health products that have collectively delivered US$6.53 billion in sales over the past year. It claims to be the only company of its size focused on women’s health.

It aims to build on some of the dire gaps in women’s health internationally, with many arguing that the women’s health space has been neglected by much of big pharma in recent years. It has 9000 employees globally and a portfolio of 60 women’s health products and a presence on 140 countries.

Speaking from the company’s new Australian office in Macquarie Park, Sydney, Nirelle said the company aims to address women’s needs across different therapeutic areas.

“We really think wonen’s health is a key pillar across women’s equity on all the conversations across society,” Nirelle told Women’s Agenda on the launch.  

“We strive for a healthier everyday, we know when women are healthy the ripple effect for the community and their family is good for society and for all of us.”

Nirelle said Organon will invest heavily in research, with the goal of unlocking and advancing treatments across a wide range of women’s health needs — including endometriosis, menopause, period pain, and women’s cancers — and to give women access to more contraceptive and reproductive services. 

With global capabilities across clinical development, patient safety, regulatory and medical affairs, the company says it is well positioned to idenfify promising new drugs, diagnostics and devices that can significant improve women’s health.

Nirelle says that for too long the uniqure and specific health needs of women have failed to be properly recognised, especially given a history of pharmaceutical trials failing to adequately include women up until three decades ago.

“More must be done to improve women’s health,” she says. “Organon will focus on women’s everyday health needs, including her reproductive health, her unique health issues, as well as conditions that disproportionately affect women. Improving health outcomes of women will benefit all Australians today and into the future.”

Nirelle comes to the position after working with the company the business was spun off from to create this new entity. 

She’s already leading a team of 90 in Australia, which is expected to grow quickly. 

Organon’s ringing of the bell in New York today also featured a multimedia campaign called ‘Wall of Voices’, an installation aiming to share the perspectives of different women, highlighting the need to listen and act on women’s experiences.

From Australia, City Fertility NSW Managing Director Dr Devora Lieberman, shared her voice on the installation, noting that: “All young women should have the information they need to develop a reproductive life plan which will allow them the best opportunity to achieve their family planning goals.”

Globally, Organon will be led by CEO Kevin Ali, who said that the time is right to bring “more options for women and healthcare providers to help shape the future of women’s health.”

Globally its board is 70% female, higher than most other Fortune 500 companies and boasting the highest female representation across listed big pharma businesses.

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