Women’s Health Technology Summit 2026

Join us as we bring together leaders from healthcare, research, technology, investment, academia, policy, and industry.
About this Event

Overview

Join us as we bring together leaders from healthcare, research, technology, investment, academia, policy, and industry.

Women’s Health Technology Summit 2026

The Women’s Health Technology Summit 2026 will bring together leaders from healthcare, research, technology, investment, academia, policy, and industry to examine the persistent inequality in women’s health outcomes as one of the defining healthcare and social justice challenges of our time, and the role of digital technology in tackling it.

The Summit is inspired by the renewed Women’s Health Strategy for England (2026), which acknowledged the NHS’s “appalling culture of medical misogyny” and recognised that many women experience healthcare systems that dismiss, minimise, or fail to respond adequately to their symptoms and lived experiences. Despite living longer than men, women spend significantly more years in poor health. Delays in diagnosis, unequal treatment pathways, lack of sex-specific research, and gaps in women’s health data continue to reinforce systemic inequalities across healthcare.

Co-hosted by Diversity UK and the University of Manchester’s Greater Manchester Connected Health Ecosystem, the Summit will explore how medical misogyny, underinvestment in women’s health innovation, and bias in emerging technologies can be addressed to improve health outcomes for women and girls across the UK and globally. It will provide a platform for evidence-led debate, cross-sector collaboration, and practical action to accelerate progress towards a fairer, more inclusive, and innovation-driven healthcare system for women and girls.

HEADLINERS

Dame Lesley Regan is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Imperial College, St Mary's campus, and has chaired Wellbeing of Women since 2020, hosting webinars and debates across the life course to promote funding for the charity's research, education, and advocacy programmes. She is a globally recognised authority in women's health, having served as President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists from 2016–2019 and Honorary Secretary of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics from 2018–2023. In June 2022, she became England's first Women's Health Ambassador, working with the government and the voluntary sector to support delivery of the Women's Health Strategy.

Simone Roche MBE is a British social impact entrepreneur, CEO & Founder We Are Power, Northern Power Women Awards, Power Collective CIC and an Honorary Captain in the Royal Navy. She is widely recognized for her tireless campaigning to accelerate gender equality, inclusive leadership, and social mobility. She also founded the largest celebration of gender equality in Europe: The Northern Power Women Awards celebrating role models and trailblazers. The PoWEr Collective has enabled 20,000 conversations and created almost £1million in social value through running PoWEr Up Mentoring & Networking sessions open to all.

She joined the Royal Navy at 18 as a radio operator, scaling the ranks up to Lieutenant, before taking on roles including conference manager at Aintree Racecourse, head of sales at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, deputy general manager of operations for the build of the new Echo Arena in Liverpool, looking after sponsors for London 2012 as a client services manager and then director for Women 1st. Simone was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2018 for services to gender equality and appointed Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Navy in June 2020 and promoted to Captain in July 2021.

The event is structured around three interconnected themes:

Theme 1: Tackling Medical Misogyny
This theme will examine how women’s symptoms are too often dismissed or normalised, leading to delayed diagnosis, undertreatment, and avoidable suffering. Discussions will explore the wider gender health gap, including inequalities in cardiovascular care, reproductive health, chronic pain, menopause care, and access to treatment.

Panellists & Moderators

• Dr Peter Collins, Chief Population Health Officer, NHS Devon Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly ICB Cluster
• Penny East, CEO, Fawcett Society
• Bola Grace, Honorary Professor of Reproductive Health, University College London
• Sarah Hall, Co-director of Healthier Futures, University of Manchester
• Alexandra Mullock, Professor in Medical Law, University of Manchester [Moderator]

Theme 2: Investing in Women’s Health Innovations
This theme will explore how to increase investment in women’s health research and development, improve access to capital for women-led HealthTech and FemTech ventures, and strengthen pathways from research to scalable innovation. A key ambition of the Summit is to help “shift the dial” on women’s health by increasing the pace of progress, sustaining momentum, and advocating for women’s health R&D investment to move into double digit percentages across healthcare innovation and venture funding.

Panellists & Moderators

• Dr Lee Pugalis - Acting Director, Masood Entrepreneurship Centre, UoM
• Liz Scott MBE, Chief Executive Director, Turing Innovation Catalyst Manchester
• Dr Chrysi Sergaki - Founder, ** Innovation
• Jane Theaker - Precision Medicine & Diagnostics expert and Spin-out advisor at SpinXperts Ltd
• Lopa Patel MBE, Digital Founder, Chair & Non-Executive Director; Chair, Diversity UK [Moderator]

Theme 3: Feminist AI
This theme will examine how AI systems can either reinforce or challenge existing inequalities. Discussions will focus on inclusive design, ethical governance, intersectionality, transparency, accountability, and ensuring women are involved in the design and deployment of AI systems shaping healthcare and society.

The Summit will feature keynote speeches, expert panel discussions, roundtable debates, startup showcases, networking opportunities, and the annual Pankhurst Lecture (TBC), creating a unique platform for collaboration between healthcare leaders, clinicians, researchers, founders, investors, policymakers, charities, and technologists.

Panellists & Moderators

• Dr Allysa Czerwinsky, AI Trust & Security Research Fellow, University of Manchester
• Patricia Gestoso, Director Scientific Services and Operations SaaS, Biovia | Inclusive AI Innovation
• Dr Nicola Hodson, Chair, IBM UK and Ireland
• Maryam Yaqub, AL Lead, Fawcett Society
• Sophia Ananiadou, Professor of Computer Science, University of Manchester [moderator]

Table hosts

• Anita Banerji, EDI lead for the software sustainability institute
• Gulnaz Brennan, Founder & Executive Director - She Inspires
• Laura Dawson - Healthier Futures, University of Manchester
• Dr Laura O’Donovan, University of Sheffield
• Sherad Dewedi, Managing Partner - Shenward | Trustee - Diversity UK
• Julia Handl, Deputy Director, The Christabel Pankhurst Institute
• Raveen Tank, Research Fellow, University of Manchester
• Ramesh Vala CBE - Consultant & Brand Ambassador | Deputy Chair, Diversity UK
• Sareeta Vala - Founder - Inner Strategy | Trustee, Diversity UK
• Anthony Wilson, Deputy Director, The Christabel Pankhurst Institute

Outline Programme

12.00pm - 1.00pm
Registration, networking lunch, technology showcases and demo judging

1.00pm - 1.15pm
Welcome and opening remarks

1.15pm – 1.45pm
Opening keynote

1.45pm – 2.30pm

Panel Debate 1: Tackling Medical Misogyny

2.30pm - 3.15pm
Panel Debate 2: Investing in Women’s Health Innovations

3.15pm - 3.45pm
Tea break, networking, technology showcases and demo judging

3.45pm - 4.30pm
Panel Debate 3: Feminist AI

4.30pm – 5.00pm
Closing reflections and next steps

Important Information

A risk assessment can be provided on request.

Filming & Photography Consent Disclaimer

Please note that photography and filming may take place during this event. By registering for and attending the event, you consent to being photographed, filmed, and/or recorded. These images and recordings may be used by the organisers for promotional, marketing, and communication purposes, in both print and digital formats, including websites and social media channels. By registering you are providing your consent to these terms.

About the Hosts

About Greater Manchester Connected Health Ecosystem

The Greater Manchester Connected Health Ecosystem is a collaborative network coordinated by the University of Manchester’s Digital Futures and Health Innovation Manchester. It brings together academic expertise, industry partners, NHS health and social care providers and professionals, local government, and patient and service user representatives to deliver an environment that enables impactful and equitable technological innovation to enhance care delivery and health outcomes.

About Diversity UK

Diversity UK is a national equality charity focused on advancing diversity, inclusion, innovation, and social equity across Britain. Through research, thought leadership, debates, and cross-sector collaborations, the organisation has built a strong track record in convening conversations on gender equity, technology, investment, and inclusive innovation.

About Digital Futures

Digital Futures is a highly interdisciplinary network that operates across the whole range of the University’s digital research. We aim to present a coherent overview of The University of Manchester's digital research activity to external stakeholders and bring together research communities to explore new research areas and address strategic opportunities.

Connect with Digital Futures

Linktree: linktr.ee/uomdigitalfutures

Bluesky: @digitaluom.bsky.social

Linkedin: linkedin.com/showcase/digital-futures-at-the-university-of-manchester

Website: digitalfutures.manchester.ac.uk

Newsletter: tinyurl.com/digitalfuturesuom