Breaking Barriers in Women’s Health: Dr. Brittany Barreto’s Journey to Revolutionize Healthcare

by Sharai Lavoie | Jan 22, 2025 | Healthcare, Women Who Lead

For too long, women’s health has been overlooked and understudied, but Dr. Brittany Barreto is breaking barriers and driving change. As the founder of FemHealth Insights,  she’s redefining leadership in women’s healthcare by driving innovation and fostering meaningful transformation.

From Lab Coat to Leadership

Dr. Barreto’s journey began in genetics, where she earned her PhD. But she quickly realized her impact could extend beyond the laboratory. “I felt like I had too much personality to work in a lab my whole life,” she recalls. This realization led her to entrepreneurship, where she found her true calling.

Her first venture was groundbreaking: the world’s first DNA-based dating app. Though the company eventually closed due to policy changes, this setback became a stepping stone to her current mission. “I use that opportunity to kind of jump into my next career,” she explains, demonstrating the resilience that would become her trademark.

Breaking New Ground in Venture Capital

The transition to venture capital proved transformative. Dr. Barreto began mentoring and investing in women’s health companies, introducing her to the world of FemTech. This industry, named by Ida Tin, encompasses solutions for conditions that solely, disproportionately, or differently affect females, women, and girls.

What started as mentorship quickly revealed a stark reality about women’s healthcare. “I started to mentor these founders, and of the things I realized was that they were working on things that I couldn’t believe were still problems,” Dr. Barreto shares. The innovations weren’t just addressing minor improvements – they were creating first-ever solutions or updating technologies that hadn’t been improved in centuries.

Building Infrastructure from Scratch

Recognizing the lack of resources in the field, Dr. Barreto took action. “Our industry had a name, but no infrastructure,” she explains. Starting with a podcast during lockdown in March 2020, she began building that infrastructure. The podcast quickly gained thousands of listeners across dozens of countries, demonstrating the global hunger for information about women’s health innovation.

The Power of Market Intelligence

One of Dr. Barreto’s most significant contributions has been quantifying the women’s health market. “People thought women’s health is niche, which is another word for no one’s quantified it,” she explains. Her research revealed a market worth at least $1.2 trillion, challenging the “niche” narrative and providing crucial data for investors and entrepreneurs.

What sets FemTech apart is its founder demographics. “80% of FemTech founders are female, which is a higher percentage than any other tech industry in the world,” Dr. Barreto notes. These founders often bring personal experience to their innovations, creating solutions born from a firsthand understanding of the problems they’re solving.

Inspiration and Mentorship

When asked about her role models, Dr. Barreto cites Cindy Eckert, founder of Sprout Pharmaceuticals, as a primary inspiration. “She would go on CNBC and be like, ‘There are 13 approved drugs for erectile dysfunction and zero for female sexual dysfunction,'” she recalls, admiring how Eckert maintained her personality while achieving tremendous business success.

The Future of Women’s Health

The landscape of women’s healthcare is changing rapidly. Dr. Barreto points to recent developments, including the Biden administration’s approval of $100 million for women’s health research and the first-ever study of menstruation in zero gravity. These advances signal growing recognition of the importance of women’s health research.

Through her consulting firm, podcast, and book “Unlocking Women’s Health: FemTech in the Quest for Gender Equity,” Dr. Barreto continues to build bridges between innovation and women’s health. Her work demonstrates that with persistence, vision, and collaborative spirit, transformative change is possible.

“We’re not just hoping the men take action. We are taking action,” she declares, embodying the spirit of leadership that’s helping to reshape the future of healthcare. Through her continued advocacy and innovation, Dr. Barreto is ensuring that women’s health moves from the margins to the mainstream of medical innovation.

The Impact of Education and Awareness

Dr. Barreto’s commitment to education extends beyond her business ventures. Her podcast, “FemTech Focus” is available on major streaming platforms. It takes a deep-dive approach to specific topics within women’s health, making complex medical concepts accessible to listeners worldwide. “We have listeners in 142 countries,” she notes proudly, demonstrating the global appetite for accurate, accessible information about women’s health.

Her recently published book serves as a comprehensive guide to the FemTech industry, combining scholarly research with practical insights from over 100 podcast episodes. This work represents another step in her mission to build the infrastructure necessary for sustained growth and innovation in women’s healthcare.

Through these various channels, Dr. Barreto continues to challenge assumptions, break down barriers, and create pathways for future generations of healthcare innovators. Her story is about more than just personal success – it’s about creating systemic change that benefits women worldwide.

From ICU to Innovation: How Christine Emery is Reshaping Healthcare Technology

by Sharai Lavoie | Jan 22, 2025 | Healthcare, Women Who Lead

In the dynamic world of healthcare technology, Christine Emery stands as a testament to the power of perseverance and adaptability. As a nurse turned healthcare technology leader, her journey exemplifies the spirit of innovation and resilience that defines the Women Who Lead Healthcare initiative.

From Bedside to Business

Christine’s path in healthcare began in 2010 when she graduated nursing school and dove straight into critical care. “I really enjoyed caring for those high acuity patients,” she reflects. “The more drips and infusions, the more fun and challenging the work.” Her natural aptitude for mathematics and science, coupled with her father’s encouragement, led her to pursue nursing – a decision that would shape her future in unexpected ways.

During her time in the ICU, Christine quickly distinguished herself as a leader. “After being a nurse in the unit for about a year, I became a preceptor helping new unit nurses onboard to our high acuity patient population,” she explains. She found particular fulfillment in mentoring new nurses, teaching them critical thinking skills, and helping them navigate complex patient care scenarios.

Transitioning to Healthcare Technology

After seven years of intensive care experience, Christine made a pivotal career shift when an opportunity in the healthcare technology industry presented itself. Now at Monarch Medical Technologies for over four years, she has carved out a unique role that combines clinical expertise with business acumen. 

“My role is a blend of clinical, business, and sales, which is fun and challenging,” she shares.

As a Customer Success Manager and Team Lead, Christine’s responsibilities are multifaceted.

“My primary objective in my role is to partner with my client base by helping them understand the functionality of our solutions, evaluating their glycemic metrics, and being able to focus on opportunities for learning and growth while still fostering continued success,” she explains. In July 2023, she took on additional leadership responsibilities as the team lead for her department.

Overcoming Career Setbacks with Grace

Christine’s journey hasn’t been without its challenges. Early in her transition to the medical device industry, she faced a significant setback when company restructuring led to widespread layoffs.

“That was very hard to absorb because I’ve always been an overachiever and a hard worker,” she shares. Rather than letting this derail her ambitions, she used the experience as a catalyst for growth.

During this period, she dedicated herself to applying for other medical device positions, using each interview as a learning opportunity. “I actually learned a lot from several of those clinicians I interviewed with, even though I did not get the job. I learned a lot about developing client rapport and portraying confidence,” she reflects. These skills would prove invaluable in her future roles.

Breaking Through Personal Barriers

Perhaps one of the most striking aspects of Christine’s journey is her transformation from a reserved student to a confident healthcare leader. “If you had told me in high school that I would be presenting on a regular basis in front of important hospital system stakeholders, I would not have believed it,” she admits. “I was the timid student who would gladly have done all the work if someone else would present the content.”

Today, she has worked hard to develop her professional presentation skills, regularly conducting presentations and handling complex clinical questions in real time. This growth mindset extends to all aspects of her work: “You can always learn new skills and work hard to become an expert.”

The Impact of Education and Mentorship

Christine’s educational background at Bob Jones University provided her with more than just clinical knowledge. “Having that liberal arts education really did allow me to have a wide variety of vast knowledge of different topics,” she notes. One particularly impactful lesson from her education continues to guide her work:

“You never want to put yourself in a position where people will question if you did something right or wrong. Always put yourself in a position where you showed that you did right and you did it to the best of your ability.”

Cultural Heritage and Professional Identity

Beyond her professional achievements, Christine maintains a deep connection to her heritage, speaking Spanish daily with her 90-year-old grandmother, who immigrated from Cuba in the 1970s. “She’s my hero and I am in awe of her sacrifice that allowed me to pursue a career where I can help others,” Christine shares.

This bilingual ability has enhanced her capacity to serve diverse patient populations throughout her career, particularly during her bedside nursing days when she was often assigned Spanish-speaking patients.

Contributing to Healthcare’s Future

In her current role, Christine continues to drive positive change in healthcare by leveraging her bedside nursing experience to improve clinician workflows and reduce nursing workload burdens. “When you think about how nursing staffs the majority of the hospital, the experience that I have working at the bedside, bringing that into healthcare will help shed some light for a lot of other departments,” she explains.

Words of Wisdom

Christine’s commitment to transparency and integrity remains unwavering: “In a world where deception is pervasive, honesty and integrity will always stand the test of time as desirable qualities.”

She encourages others facing career challenges to remember that “experience is a hard but good teacher and every situation is a learning one. You don’t know until you try.”

Christine Emery’s journey demonstrates the transformative power of perseverance in healthcare leadership. Her story inspires the next generation of healthcare leaders to embrace challenges, pursue growth, and maintain authenticity in their professional journey.