The Positive Pause
Our motivational-minded podcast covers topics women want to know about as they journey to and through menopause. We cover topics that impact women’s health and healthy aging, including what it means to age healthfully. Hosted by the National Menopause Foundation's Founder & President, Claire Gill.
The Positive Pause
Underfunded Areas of Women's Health - Part 2
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Women's health has come a long way, but significant funding gaps continue to slow the development of new treatments and therapies. In this episode of The Positive Pause, Claire Gill welcomes back Sabrina Martucci Johnson, President & CEO of Daré Bioscience, to continue their conversation about why investing in women's health matters, how consumers can influence change, and why supporting evidence-based innovation is essential to improving healthcare for women.
This conversation focuses on how and why women should get involved in investing in women’s health products and businesses bringing solutions to market.
In 2015, Sabrina Martucci Johnson founded Daré Bioscience, a purpose-driven health biotech company built on a single, uncompromising premise: women deserve better. Not incrementally better. Categorically better. From contraception and menopause to vaginal health, sexual health, fertility, and infectious disease. Ms. Johnson is a life sciences executive committed to advancing improvements in women’s healthcare.
Key Points
- Women's health remains dramatically underfunded, with less than 1% of private healthcare investment going toward conditions that exclusively affect women.
- Decades of underrepresentation of women in clinical research have contributed to major gaps in available therapies for menopause, maternal health, sexual health, fertility, and other conditions.
- Real medical innovation requires years of scientific research, clinical trials, FDA review, and significant financial investment before products ever reach patients.
- Consumers can help drive change by supporting companies that invest in rigorous research and clinically validated products instead of relying solely on marketing claims.
- AI tools can help identify companies working in women's health, but consumers should still do their own research before investing.
- Healthcare providers don't always receive extensive training on how medicines are developed, making it even more important for patients to ask informed questions about the products they're prescribed.
- Patients should feel empowered to ask whether a therapy is FDA-approved, supported by published clinical research, and backed by scientific evidence.
- Advancing women's health will require advocacy, consumer education, strategic investment, and continued support for companies committed to bringing new therapies to market.
Claire and Sabrina make a compelling case that improving women's healthcare isn't just the responsibility of researchers, policymakers, or pharmaceutical companies. Consumers have tremendous influence through the products they purchase, the questions they ask, and the investments they choose to make. By supporting evidence-based innovation and companies committed to rigorous science, individuals can help accelerate the development of better treatments and create lasting change for women's health.
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