Women in STEM

February 11th is International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Shahed Choudhury, Senior People Business Partner, GBRTT shared this article with us where he reflected that when it comes to tackling big global challenges, the mix of STEM and health is a game-changer—and women are right at the heart of it. Shahed said, “As someone married to a scientist, I see first-hand the passion and effort that goes into this work. Men can play a huge role in supporting women in STEM—whether it’s through encouragement, sharing responsibilities at home, or being allies in the workplace. Let’s keep breaking down barriers and unlocking potential—the future depends on it!”

Despite a rocky history of being left out, women are stepping up and leading the way in health sciences, biomedical engineering, and public health. They're making waves in other fields too, like the UK railway sector, where their fresh ideas are transforming how things run.

How Women Are Shaping Health and Wellbeing

Women in STEM are making some great contributions, including:

• Biomedical Research: Women scientists are behind breakthroughs like new vaccines, fighting diseases, and making medicine more personal and effective.

Notable pioneers in this field include:

o Marie Curie, who conducted ground-breaking research on radioactivity and became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize.

o Rosalind Franklin, who made critical contributions to understanding DNA structure, which laid the foundation for modern genetics.

o Flossie Wong-Staal who was named the top female scientist of the 1980s. Wong-Staal was co-credited for the discovery of HIV. She was the first to clone HIV and map its genes, and found that HIV depleted the immune system’s T cells 

o Kizzmekia Corbett is co-lead of a team that developed the American Moderna vaccine. A viral immunologist and research fellow who has been leading a team researching various coronaviruses for five years, she  hopes her work will  inspire future generations of girls of colour in science, who can see themselves in her success 

o Mary-Claire King who has carried out ground-breaking work in genetics. She demonstrated the close link between chimpanzees and humans, discovered the breast cancer gene, BRAC1, and uses mitochondrial DNA to help identify missing people 

• Public Health: From fighting pandemics to creating fairer health systems, women are making sure everyone—especially underserved communities—get the care they need.

o Florence Nightingale, often considered the founder of modern nursing, revolutionized public health and sanitation practices in the 19th century, saving countless lives through her work in hospitals during the Crimean War.

o Mary Seacole was a British-Jamaican nurse whose reputation during and after the Crimean War rivalled Florence Nightingale’s. During the war, Mary asked the British War Office to send her as an army nurse to the Crimea. She was refused but did not let this stop her. Mary funded her own trip and set up a hotel to treat soldiers. She was also often found to be tending to soldiers on the frontline while under fire. 

• Mental Health: Women researchers are digging deep into how the brain works, coming up with better therapies, and smashing the stigma around mental health.

Elyn Saks, a prominent mental health advocate and legal scholar, has been instrumental in helping to change perceptions of mental illness, blending her academic work with personal experience as someone who lives with schizophrenia.

• Healthcare Tech: Female engineers are creating life-changing gadgets like advanced prosthetics, surgery robots, and wearables that help people track their health from home.

Dr. Virginia Apgar, who created the Apgar Score for assessing the health of newborns, developed one of the first systematic methods for monitoring infants after birth, which is still in use worldwide.

• Education and Knowledge: While not directly related to healthcare, Fatima al-Fihri was a pioneering figure in advancing intellectual and educational infrastructure. In the 9th century, she founded the University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, Morocco, considered the oldest existing and continually operating educational institution in the world. Her work in fostering knowledge and learning laid the groundwork for academic and scientific progress that would influence centuries of innovation, including the fields of science, mathematics, and medicine.

Making a Bigger Impact

The work women are doing in STEM doesn’t stop with healthcare—it’s making a ripple effect in society:

• Eco-Friendly Health: Women are coming up with healthcare tech that’s good for the planet, solving health and climate issues at the same time.

• Community-Driven Ideas: Female scientists often focus on making solutions that really fit the needs of the communities they’re helping.

• Teamwork Across Sectors: Women are teaming up with other industries, like using AI in public health or applying engineering know-how to improve things like public transport—just look at the UK railway sector for proof. Caroline Knight, Chief Engineer at Network Rail, is one such woman transforming the UK's rail infrastructure by embracing new technologies to improve safety and sustainability.

Overcoming Hurdles and Grabbing Opportunities

There’s still lots of work to do! Women face challenges like bias and a lack of funding, but things like mentoring programs and diversity initiatives are helping. Medical research has historically been biased towards studying men with an incorrect assumption that the biology is the same. The consequences have put women’s health at risk. Heart disease being a good example, where women are 50% more likely to be misdiagnosed (Medical Research Foundation | Closing the sex and gender gap in…).

In the UK railway sector, for instance, women are taking up roles in engineering and sustainability, bringing fresh ideas to the table.

Looking Ahead

Women in STEM are essential for creating smart, inclusive solutions that make life better for everyone. By supporting their work and encouraging more diversity, we’re setting the stage for big wins—from better healthcare to greener tech and beyond. The same goes for other fields like railways; when women’s voices are heard, innovation soars.