Friday, October 2, 2026
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The gap between healthcare for women and men is undeniably large. How did it arise? What are we doing about it now, and how can we narrow the gap for future generations? The “Advancing Women’s Healthcare” symposium by Young Medical Delta tackled all of these questions.
The symposium offered a broad, interdisciplinary perspective on women’s health. The contributions made clear that improving women’s healthcare requires more than medical knowledge alone. It also requires historical awareness, inclusive research, user-centered design, technological innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration and stronger links between research and practice.
The event at the Grote Kerk in The Hague on Thursday 24 September was sold out. According to participants and speakers, it successfully created a platform for knowledge exchange and dialogue. The combination of established experts and young researchers created a great dynamic and sparked discussion on closing the gap between healthcare for men and women.
Deviation from the male body
The first speaker, Prof. Dr. Mieneke te Hennepe, curator of the medical collections at the Rijksmuseum Boerhaave and professor of medical history at LUMC, gave a lecture titled “Unseen Women: A Historical Perspective on Gender Bias and Women’s Health.”
In it, she showed how the male body became the standard reference point in medicine and how this historical bias still affects healthcare today. Using striking examples from medical illustrations, anatomical models, medical instruments and historical treatments, she demonstrated how the female body was often portrayed as a deviation from the male norm.
Patients’ needs
The second speaker, Dr. Ir. Karlheinz Samenjo, researcher and designer at TU Delft, addressed the role of design and innovation in improving healthcare for women.
He discussed how design and innovation can make healthcare for women more accessible, affordable and sustainable, particularly in low-resource settings. He presented examples of gynecological procedures and medical technologies, including the Chloe Syringe Extension Device. This device extends a standard syringe, making it possible to administer pain relief during gynecological procedures. His presentation emphasized the importance of designing solutions that are tailored to patients’ needs and the real-world context of healthcare.
Closing the gap
After the break, Prof. Dr. Hanneke Takkenberg, professor of Clinical Decision-Making in Cardiothoracic Interventions at Erasmus MC, gave a lecture titled “Closing the Gap in Women’s Healthcare: A Better Life, Economy and Society.”
She explained that women’s health is not only a medical issue, but also a social and economic one. She discussed the persistent knowledge and innovation gap and used examples such as thoracic aortic aneurysms to show why women’s health deserves more attention. She spoke about the establishment of the Netherlands Women’s Health Research & Innovation Center at Erasmus MC. The center connects research, innovation and practice through an ecosystem approach to create societal impact.
Thesis Lab
The closing presentation was given by Keerthanapriyaa Kumaravel, one of the students who took part in the Thesis Lab Global Women’s Health, set up by LDE (Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Universities) and Medical Delta. The Lab brought together nine master’s students from Leiden University, Delft University of Technology and Erasmus University Rotterdam. Under the guidance of Dr. Ir. Roos Marieke Oosting, the students explored the shared question: “How can we improve women’s health in both poor and rich countries through digitalization, technical innovation and sustainability?”
The Thesis Lab presented a range of creative outcomes, including posters on the individual theses, a short awareness video on the care gap in cervical cancer, and a 3D model comparing women’s healthcare in the Netherlands and Curaçao.
The evening ended with a networking reception with snacks and drinks, where speakers, students, partners and participants could continue the conversation informally.
Upcoming Young Medical Delta event
The next Young Medical Delta event is the “Healthcare Innovation Challenge,” taking place on 21 November. At this event, formerly known as a “hackathon,” students spend the whole day working together in interdisciplinary teams on concrete healthcare innovation challenges.
Registration is available via the Young Medical Delta website.
