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Tomorrow is an exciting day for FW as we welcome the first participants in our new career development program, Career YOU. Something we created with our Peer Advisory Groups after seeing a gap in support for women at the foundational stages of their career.

There has been a lot of talk about building a strong healthcare and medical research workforce pipeline, and the career pathways to enable this (you can read more in Dr Nicola Straiton’s article below), but building a strong pipeline starts early. 

While we do a very good job at training brilliant people in our sector, we don't do a very good job in keeping them within the ecosystem, especially women. A large part of that is because of a lack of support early on with carving out a path that’s based on one's strengths and values. That is exactly what we hope to do with Career YOU because when you are doing your best work, in an area that is meaningful to you, and in an environment that aligns with your personal and professional needs, you stick around.

We cannot wait to hear the feedback from participants in our virtual pilot and deliver the Program in-person later in the year.

After tomorrow’s first Career YOU workshop, I will be sitting down to craft some curly questions for next week’s In Conversations event where I will interview my mentor, FW Advisory Board member and Digital Health CRC CEO Annette Schmiede (livestream tickets still available here).

If you can't join us for it in person or online, you can get your fix on all thing's digital health, from dismantling silos to tech comps and entrepreneurship tips, in this month’s newsletter. 

Happy reading,

Nurses and midwives represent more than half of the global healthcare workforce and play a critical role in improving patient outcomes, delivering high-quality care and educating the next generation of health professionals. However, those pursuing research careers within these professions face persistent and systemic challenges – including limited recognition, restricted career advancement and disproportionately low funding, with nurse- and midwifery-led research receiving less than 5% of Australia’s national competitive research funding.

Early- to mid-career researchers (EMCRs, defined as 0–10 years post-PhD) are particularly affected...

As a founder in the medtech space, my journey has been anything but conventional. It began with a deeply personal experience that would shape the trajectory of my career. My father, a farmer, suffered a serious accident 500 kilometres from the nearest hospital. His lengthy and challenging rehabilitation process opened my eyes to a healthcare system that is often inaccessible when people need it the most.

This realisation led me to create Peak Medical...

Entrepreneurs! We’re feeling inspired by this month's newsletter contributors, who have all taken risks to address problems they see in their communities. Here are some of our favourite resources for others who would like to do the same:

Till next month, your Newsletter Curator, Amy

Thank you to University of Newcastle College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing for investing in Franklin Women and our mission to create a health and medical research ecosystem where women thrive.