Women are still vastly underrepresented as leaders in most fields, including both healthcare and entrepreneurship. Here are eight women who are going up against institutional barriers to solve problems in healthcare as business founders from Inc.'s list of most inspirational women of 2021.
1. Jennifer Ernst, Tivic Health
Founded in 2016, the bioelectronic health company created an FDA-approved sinus-pain and congestion relief product using drug-free technology.
2. Ann Crady Weiss, Hatch
To combat insomnia and restless sleep in both adults and children, Ms. Weiss founded Hatch, which offers smart sleep assistants that help families wind down for bed and sleep through the night.
3. Mary Ray, MyHealthTeams
With 2.75 million members, the platform connects patients with chronic conditions, creating social support networks, and works to fight misinformation by providing factual medical information.
4. Ariela Safira, Real
To break the mold of traditional, inaccessible mental health treatment, Ms. Safira created Real, an affordable, on-demand platform that offers mental health and wellness care for a variety of paths.
5. Tia Lyles-Williams, LucasPye Bio
A biotech industry veteran, Ms. Lyles-Williams started LucasPye Bio to make biotherapeutic drugs more affordable while also fostering new talent with a built-in accelerator. Its C-suite smashes industry standards, with 50 percent of seats held by women and 85 percent by people of color.
6. Ellington West, Sonavi Labs
Sonavi Labs uses technology powered by artificial intelligence to diagnose a range of respiratory conditions. The Feelix device works by listening to the sounds of patients' bodies and can then identify abnormalities.
7. Michelle Longmire, Medable
As a practicing physician and researcher, Ms. Longmire realized that the process of recruiting study subjects for clinical trials would be more efficient if brought online. The pandemic made her company indispensable for the pharmaceutical industry to continue conducting trials.
8. Afton Vechery, Modern Fertility
The company aims to democratize fertility data, which can be expensive without insurance. Customers can order hormone testing kits to take at home and have physicians go over the results.