International Women in Engineering Day: The future of women in medtech

Dr. Asha Parekh, biomedical engineer and CEO of Front Line Medical Technologies, comments on why women need to have a seat at the table.

International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) is a celebration of women in engineering careers shaping our world and paving the way for innovation. INWED also aims to encourage young women to consider pursuing engineering career paths.

While we celebrate INWED and the astonishing women in the STEM and medtech fields, we must acknowledge and discuss the inequalities in the industry. Women make up only about 27% of those in STEM careers. In medtech specifically, only 19% of leadership roles are held by women. How can we continue to raise awareness and enact change around these disproportionate numbers? What is contributing to such a low number of women in the field?

One of my strongest passions as a biomedical engineer and CEO of the medical device company Front Line Medical Technologies is inspiring the next generation of women in STEM and medtech. I think it's important to encourage them to pursue their dreams in the science and research realm and mentor them about some of the challenges they may face.

For a bit of background, I earned my Ph.D. in biomedical engineering specialising in biomaterials and medical devices at Western University. I met my now business partner, Dr. Adam Power, a practising vascular surgeon and co-founder of Front Line Medical Technologies, in my fellowship program. Our company is working to make a global impact and save lives through the creation of our COBRA-OS device.

Like many other women in medtech, I did not get to where I am today without any trials. I have endured several situations where I was discounted or not taken seriously because I am a woman. I've often been the only woman in a room full of people who only wanted to listen to the men. As a result, I've faced not being heard and feeling like I didn't have a voice. I've even been told to keep my glasses on or to tie my hair up to look "more professional."

There still seems to be a relatively large hole to fill when it comes to gender biases and female representation in medtech. Without that representation, young women who want to impact STEM feel like there isn't a place for them. We owe the next generation an industry that includes them and inspires them to achieve their goals in science and medtech.

Normalising men and women in similar careers or having hobbies outside of the "norm" is another significant way to make a difference and get more women in medtech. In schools, students and young adults feel like they are made to choose specific paths based on their gender. If we teach our young girls early on that science and research careers are just as much for women as men, we can see those numbers change.

Joining the medical device field as a woman is undoubtedly a way to challenge the status quo, and I'm so glad that I took that leap. If you're a woman who loves STEM and sees a need, don't underestimate yourself. There are so many areas within medicine that could benefit from your drive and expertise. You can use your passion to make a difference and help people on a global scale. Women need to be more present in STEM because we have valuable and different perspectives to offer. One beautiful thing about human beings is that we are all different. A woman's perspective could shed a completely different light on any topic being brought to a table of men.

Awareness is a critical component of change. Change happens when STEM leaders are educated on issues of gender inequality and take action to rectify them. We often don't realise how heavy of an impact culture has on us and how it creates unconscious biases that can produce negative behaviours. When we recognise these issues of inequality and develop a plan of action, we can indeed affect change.

I am very hopeful for our future, and I genuinely hope that many more women in STEM decide to pursue their dreams as I am currently. We can all do our part to help by recognising, encouraging, and supporting accordingly.

Happy International Women in Engineering Day!