Stacey Bledsoe

As someone deeply passionate about accelerating advancements in women's health, I'm grateful for the opportunity to have joined other leaders as a panelist recently to tackle the topic of: Activating Women in Shaping the Future of Women's Health in New York City. This collaborative event, brought together by the Columbia and Georgetown Universities’ Women's Alumni Associations, aims to address critical issues in women's healthcare and explore strategies for improving health outcomes for women. Despite being 50% of the global population, women face unique challenges in accessing quality healthcare. We need innovative solutions to bridge these gaps. I was struck by these valuable takeaways: •Heart disease is the #1 killer of women, yet most research has been based on male physiology. Women often experience different symptoms (like nausea and fatigue instead of chest pain—which is what typically presents in male cases), leading to misdiagnoses. •Women make up nearly 80% of all autoimmune disease cases, yet these conditions remain under-researched. Sex-specific drug development and earlier detection tools (especially for lupus, RA, MS) are critically needed. •The marriage of science and technology has great potential to close the gaps and gender inequities in women’s health and accelerate improved access and affordability. If you're committed to advancing women's health and interested in being part of the solution, let’s connect, exchange ideas, and work together to create a brighter, healthier future for women everywhere. #WomensHealth #HealthEquity #InnovationInHealthcare #WomenInLeadership #ColumbiaWomensAlumni #GeorgetownWomensAlumni #HITLAB #WHTI

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This article sheds light on an important yet often overlooked issue—fertility health and its impact on professional lives. It’s time more companies recognize that supporting employees on their fertility journey isn’t just a personal issue, but a workplace one too. By offering fertility benefits and fostering an open, inclusive culture, organizations can empower their people to pursue both career goals and family aspirations without compromise. Fertility care is healthcare—let’s treat it that way.

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For this week’s actionable leadership series, I talked about something every CEO learns quickly: you set the tone for every organization you lead. I broke down “Unbossed,” an approach that’s at the center of how we think about culture at Novartis. Unbossed isn’t always well understood at first but most importantly: it keeps the conversation about culture going. It’s a concept that empowers every associate to bring their creativity, their experience, and their curiosity to the process of creating breakthrough innovation. It should be coupled with a clear strategic vision and goals that an organization is trying to deliver. The crucial balance — between being empowered and being accountable — is something leaders talk a lot about in our organization. And the willingness of our team members at Novartis to embrace the responsibility that comes with it has driven a lot of the impact we’ve seen over the past few years.

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