Work for a Member organization and need a Member Portal account? Register here with your official email address.
Dr. Susan J. Blumenthal, Rear Admiral (Ret.), former U.S. Assistant Surgeon General and Visiting Professor at the MIT Media Lab, spoke with Bloomberg Businessweek Daily hosts Carol Massar and David Gura about the longstanding gender disparities in healthcare—and what must be done to address them.
Reflecting on her career at the NIH and as the first Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women’s Health, Blumenthal described how women were historically excluded from major research studies on heart disease, AIDS, and more. She helped embed women’s health across federal agencies and continues to advocate for policy and innovation today.
Now Honorary Chair of the Media Lab’s WHx (Women’s Health Exchange) program, Blumenthal stressed the need for better maternal care, telehealth expansion, and new technologies to detect conditions like preeclampsia early. Her message: progress is possible—if we prioritize it.