Thank you to Sara Della Ripa, biomedical engineering lecturer, and her class for the following presentations through the IDEAS grant speaker series.
Engineering IDEAS Grants (Inclusivity, Diversity, and Equity Action Seed) are a resource open to all faculty, staff, and students of CENG who want to make a difference with creative and innovative solutions to foster welcoming initiatives. These mini-grants are intended for small projects ranging from $200 to $1,000, with exceptions up to $2,500 in special cases.
Visit here for more information about Engineering IDEAS.
Note: The speakers may use various language, some of which may not necessarily be descriptive of all people who experience the topics discussed. For ease of speaking, they may refer to “women,” “people with vaginas,” “birthing people,” and more, which may describe the experiences of some women, transgender men, and nonbinary people who seek similar care.
The series included the following speakers. Watch the recorded videos below:
Nov 3: Anu Parvatiyar, founder and CEO of Ananya Health, discussed cervical cancer in a global context.
Anu Parvatiyar is an engineer at the intersection of medtech and public health. She is the cofounder & CEO of Ananya Health, a medical device company building platforms that prevent cervical cancer in the highest-burden regions of the world. Prior to founding Ananya Health, Anu led the Global Programs team at eHealth Africa, where she managed a team of 300 staff that helped eradicate polio in Nigeria. She has built & supported surveillance programs for collecting field-level data to detect and prevent larger outbreaks, and advised large global health organizations on product adaptations for developing countries. She has also designed and launched medical devices with revenues of more than $10M.
Watch Anu’s presentation here.
Nov. 8: Sonia Killebrew, midwifery student, discussed roots of slavery in the fields of obstetrics and gynecology.
Sonia Killebrew is a Doula, Health Educator, business owner, Midwifery student, and more. She is extremely passionate about supporting women, birthing people, and their families through every phase of birth. She will be talking to us about the racist history of obstetrics and its contributions to the disparities we see today.
Watch Sonia’s presentation here.
Nov. 10: Anna Lee, co-founder and Engineering VP of Lioness, discussed sexual wellness for people with vaginas and how it ties to health.
Anna Lee is the engineer behind the Lioness biofeedback vibrator, a device which improves understanding of sexual pleasure and the body through biofeedback data and has the potential to tell us more about health for people with vaginas. Anna has been named 2020’s Forbes 30 Under 30 as well as Paper Magazine’s Asian Women Creators You Need to Know.
