Closing The $1 Trillion Women’s Health Gap with Lucy Pérez


about the episode

What Is the Women’s Health Gap? Lucy Perez on Healthcare Inequality, Research & Economic Impact

In this episode of Innovate and Elevate, Sharon welcomes Lucy Pérez, a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company and Coleader of the McKinsey Health Institute. Lucy is also coauthor of the groundbreaking report, "Closing The Women's Health Gap: A $1 Trillion Opportunity to Improve Lives and Economies," copublished with the World Economic Forum. Sharon and Lucy discuss the report’s key findings and the significant economic and social benefits of closing the women's health gap.

Lucy shares that closing the women’s health gap could add an astounding $1 trillion to the global GDP annually. This economic boost would come from healthier women having fewer missed workdays, increased productivity, and less time spent on unpaid caregiving duties. She highlights that women, despite living longer than men, spend more time in poor health, particularly during their most productive years (ages 20-60), which has considerable economic implications.

A major challenge in addressing women's health is the shocking underinvestment in research. Currently, only 1-2% of R&D dollars are dedicated to women's health issues, excluding cancers. Lucy emphasizes the need for increased funding and better understanding of sex-based differences in medical research. Conditions like cardiovascular disease and autoimmune diseases often present differently in women, necessitating tailored approaches to diagnosis and treatment.

Lucy provides actionable advice for how individuals can close the women’s health gap, including ways to be proactive in healthcare interactions, raise awareness about women's health issues, and support initiatives aimed at closing the health gap. She also underscores the importance of leveraging real-world data to drive innovation and improve health outcomes, advocating for strategic partnerships and increased funding to address health inequities.



Everyone needs to understand there are sex-based health differences. Women’s health is more than those conditions that are unique to sexual and reproductive health.
— Lucy Pérez

About Lucy Pérez

Lucy Pérez, a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company and Coleader of the McKinsey Health Institute. Lucy has over 15 years of experience advising CEOs and top teams at leading global pharma, biotech, and life science organizations on growth, strategy, innovation, sustainability, and organizational transformation. In addition to her client service, Lucy sponsors McKinsey & Company’s Hispanic and Latino Network in North America. Before joining McKinsey, Lucy was a research fellow at a cancer center, where she was involved in the development of novel treatments for solid tumors. Lucy received her Ph.D. in Chemistry and her Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University.


Episode Outline

(02:13) What Is The Business Case For Investing In Women's Health?

(07:50) Understanding Sex-Based Health Differences

(11:43) When Women Are Healthier, Everyone Benefits

(18:06) Opportunities for Women's Health Research, Development & Funding

(25:01) How Can We Contribute to Closing The Women's Health Gap?




About Your Host

Sharon Kedar, CFA, is Co-Founder of Northpond Ventures. Northpond is a multi-billion-dollar science-driven venture capital firm with a portfolio of 60+ companies, along with key academic partnerships at Harvard’s Wyss Institute, MIT’s School of Engineering, and Stanford School of Medicine. Prior to Northpond, Sharon spent 15 years at Sands Capital, where she became their first Chief Financial Officer. Assets under management grew from $1.5 billion to $50 billion over her tenure, achieving more than 30x growth. Sharon is the co-author of two personal finance books for women. Sharon has an MBA from Harvard Business School, a B.A. in Economics from Rice University, and is a CFA charterholder. She lives in the Washington, DC area with her husband, Greg, and their three kids.

Connect with Sharon

Connect with Sharon on LinkedIn: Sharon Kedar
Learn more about Innovate and Elevate innovateandelevatepodcast.com
Join the newsletter to receive the latest episodes in your inbox: Innovate and Elevate Newsletter


Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

Did you love this episode? Let us know by rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts. It’s easy - click this link, scroll to the bottom of the page, and select “Write a Review.” Let us know what you liked best about the episode. While you’re at it, consider following Innovate and Elevate. Follow now!


FAQs

What is the women’s health gap?

On Innovate & Elevate, Lucy Perez explains that the women’s health gap refers to differences in healthcare outcomes, research attention, diagnosis, and treatment that can leave women spending more years in poor health compared with men.

Why does the women’s health gap exist?

On Innovate & Elevate, Lucy Perez discusses how historical research practices, underrepresentation in clinical studies, limited investment, and systemic healthcare challenges contributed to persistent gaps in women’s health.

How does the women’s health gap affect the economy?

In this Innovate & Elevate conversation, Lucy Perez explains that women’s health affects workforce participation, productivity, healthcare costs, and economic outcomes. Improving health outcomes may create broad societal benefits beyond medicine alone.

Why are women often diagnosed later than men?

On Innovate & Elevate, Lucy Perez discusses how research gaps and healthcare biases may contribute to delayed diagnosis and treatment for many women across multiple conditions.

Why has women’s health historically received less research attention?

On Innovate & Elevate, Lucy Perez explains that women were historically underrepresented in clinical research and healthcare studies, creating downstream effects on diagnosis, treatment, and medical understanding.

What conditions contribute to the women’s health gap?

In this Innovate & Elevate discussion, Lucy Perez explains that the women’s health gap extends far beyond reproductive care and includes cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, menopause, mental health, and many chronic conditions.

Can improving women’s healthcare create broader social benefits?

On Innovate & Elevate, Lucy Perez discusses how better health outcomes for women can influence families, workplaces, communities, and healthcare systems.

Why is women’s health becoming a larger focus in healthcare innovation?

On Innovate & Elevate, Lucy Perez explains that growing awareness, improved data, and increasing investment are creating new momentum around women’s health research and innovation.

What can be done to close the women’s health gap?

On Innovate & Elevate, Lucy Perez discusses solutions including improving research representation, increasing investment, redesigning care systems, and building greater awareness around women’s health needs.

Previous
Previous

Healthier America: ARPA-H and the Return on Investment for the American People

Next
Next

Harnessing The Power of Profit: The Business Case for Women’s Health Startups with Erin Lambroza