Women's Health Research & Innovation Scholarship

Created by Josh Adams & Lynn O’Brien

Engineering a Future That Honors Women’s Health

We believe that innovation — especially in engineering, medicine, product development and distribution — can deliver one of the most meaningful leaps in healthcare when directed toward women’s health. Far too often, the domain of women’s health has been overlooked, under-funded, and under-researched. With the Women’s Health Research & Innovation Scholarship, we want to contribute to changing that.

The Innovation Gap in Women’s Health

Despite decades of medical and technological advancement, there are fields where women’s physiology, biology and lived experience remain under-represented. A couple researched examples:

1. Drug Dosing and Adverse Reactions
   Study: Sex differences in pharmacokinetics predict adverse drug reactions in women (Zucker & Prendergast, Biology of Sex Differences, 2020)
   Key finding: Across 86 FDA-approved drugs, women experienced 90% more severe side effects than men because standard doses were calibrated for male physiology. Women’s slower metabolism often leads to drug concentrations up to 1.7× higher, resulting in overmedication and increased toxicity.
2. Cardiovascular Disease Misdiagnosis
   Study: Gender Bias in Diagnosis, Prevention, and Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases: A Systematic Review (Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, 2024, PMC10945154)
   Key finding: Women have a 50% higher chance of being misdiagnosed following a heart attack compared with men. This “atypical symptom” bias—fatigue, nausea, or jaw pain instead of “classic” chest pain—leads to delayed treatment and higher mortality.

These aren’t niche findings—and they don’t even touch on other critical physiological dimensions such as menstruation and menopause, which profoundly shape women’s health outcomes and daily life. Rather, they offer a couple spotlights on a broader truth: the intersection of engineering, medical research, and women’s health remains under-researched and under-applied across science, product innovation, healthcare, and education.

Empowering the Next Generation of Innovators

To address this gap, we launched the Women’s Health Research & Innovation Scholarship.
Our mission: to support undergraduate or graduate students in medicine, biomedical engineering, product development and related STEAM fields whose work is directed toward women’s health research or innovation.

• Award: $2,000 (one winner annually)
• Eligibility: Undergraduate or graduate students passionate about advancing research, new tests, treatments or product development in women’s health
• Purpose: To invest in innovators with ideas, prototypes or research efforts that aim to close the knowledge-gap and deliver impact from birth to menstruation to menopause and beyond.
  
  Our first winner, Kristina Stallings (University of Pennsylvania), proposed a biotechnology kit to diagnose early-stage ectopic pregnancy and is now pursuing an immunology PhD focused on women’s health burdens. Her story shows what’s possible when innovation meets focus.

Why Women’s Health & FemTech Matter

• Under-investment in women’s health means many problems remain unsolved — from diagnostic blind spots to product design that doesn’t account for female physiology.
• At the same time, the FemTech market is rapidly expanding, offering engineers, product designers and entrepreneurs a unique chance to lead meaningful change and create successful and impactful businesses.
• We believe that at the intersections of science, empathy, engineering, and lived experience, there is an opportunity for better diagnostics, smarter treatments and consumer-facing solutions that empower women —and thereby benefit everyone.

If you’re designing a new wearable, developing a test, creating a medical device or researching fundamental biology in women’s health: this is a call to you.

Join Us in Supporting Women’s Health Innovation

If you resonate with this mission — whether you’re a student, engineer, product leader, R&D professional or business innovator — there are two ways to take action:

1. Apply for the scholarship: If you have a vision, prototype, research idea or product concept focused on women’s health and are working on your Undergraduate or Graduate Degree at a US University, please apply when applications open up again.
2. Donate or partner: Your contribution helps grow the scholarship, by either increase the award size, and/or multiplying the number of winners in future years. Join us in investing in the next generation of innovators shaping the future of women’s health. Donations are tax deductible and 100% of your donation will go to the recipient.

About Lynn O’Brien, co-creator of this scholarship

Lynn O’Brien is an award-winning speaker, vocalist, and board-certified music therapist who brings evidence-based insight and heart to audiences across the health and wellness spectrum. Her work inspires professionals and patients alike to find renewal and meaning through creativity, connection and a focus on what matters most.
(Full disclosure: she also happens to be my exceptionally talented wife.)
If you’re seeking a speaker or musician passionate about transforming healthcare through the arts, visit LynnOBrien.love.

Want to start a scholarship of your own? We were inspired by Steph Smith and Calvin Rosser on the Bold platform — and invite you to consider: What cause or field do you believe in enough to fund the next wave of innovation?