WOMEN IN SCIENCE: BREAKING FRONTIERS – a data perspective

Welcome to an event addressing the gender data gap in biomedical research and understanding gender data to inform policy choices

Addressing the gender data gap in biomedical research and understanding gender data to inform policy choices is essential for ensuring better health outcomes for all patients. Big-data and AI-driven solutions can play a pivotal role in this by addressing biases, improving diagnostics, and enabling personalized medicine, leading to a more inclusive healthcare system.

To mark this year’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the Diplomatic Missions of Canada, France, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom – in partnership with the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW) – invite you to an expert panel discussion on women breaking frontiers in science. High-level panellists will offer a global perspective on bridging the gender data gap and will discuss how AI-driven solutions should be developed to ensure health equity for everyone. Join us to explore the future of inclusive healthcare and biomedical research with a gender perspective on technology development, data quality and policy frameworks.

When: Tuesday, 11th of February 2025, 10:00am-13:30pm

Where: Johannessaal, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Dr. Ignaz Seipel-Platz 2, 1010 Vienna

Programme for the day

10:00 a.m. - Welcome by Mag. Hubertus Schmid-Schmidsfelden, Director Institutes and Infrastructure at the Austrian Academy of Sciences

10:10 a.m. - Introduction by Moderator Rania Wazir, Co-founder and CTO of leiwand.ai

10:15 - Panel 1: “Mind the gap, please – AI Fairness in Health and the importance of diverse and inclusive data sets”

• Prof. Dr. Ramona Woitek (Austria)

Head of the Research Centre for Medical Image Analysis and AI (MIAAI) at the Danube Private University in Krems

• Dr. Elodie Germani (France)

Postdoctoral Researcher at Universitätsklinikum Bonn, winner of L'Oréal/Unesco Young Talent Award for Women in Science 2024

• Dr. Julie Hussin (Canada)

Associate Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at Université de Montréal and researcher at the Montréal Heart Institute & Mila AI Institute

• Prof. Dr. Jana Mareckova (Switzerland)

Assistant Prof. in Econometrics at Swiss Institute for Empirical Economic Research, University of St. Gallen

11:30 - Coffee Break

12:00 - Panel 2: Overcoming bias and gender gap: methods, strategy policies and perspectives

• Mag. Gerhard Ladengruber (Austria)

Head of Corporate Affairs, AstraZeneca Austria (Sweden/UK)

• Monica Scannapieco (Italy)

Head of the Division “Research Projects” at the Italy’s National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN)

• Dr. Marianna Capasso (Netherlands)

Postdoctoral researcher at Utrecht University, Inclusive AI Lab

• Dr. Kate Womersley (United Kingdom)

Co-Principal Investigator of the MESSAGE Project (Medical Science Sex and Gender Equity) at The George institute for Global Health at Imperial College London, NHS doctor in psychiatry

13:00 Closing remarks, followed by networking over snacks and drinks

The event will be held in English.