The third edition of the conference gathered around
150
participants each day from
25
countries and multiple disciplines
Issue 57
Feb 2026
DOSSIER
The faculty representing NUS Medicine at the Women’s Health Conference 2025 and iWISH Gala Dinner. From left to right: Assoc Prof Jason Lee, Director of Heat Resilience and Performance Centre; Assoc Prof Mahesh Choolani, Head of Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology; Adj Assoc Prof Cheng Ean Chee, Department of Medicine and Executive Director of National University Cancer Institute, Singapore; Prof Johan Erikson, Director of Human Potential TRP; Dr Mariana Losada, Director of International Affairs at GloW NUS; Assoc Prof Shefaly Shorey, Vice-Dean (Administration); Prof Zhang Cuilin, Chair Professor and Director of GloW; Prof Chong Yap Seng, Dean; and Prof Roger Foo, Vice-Dean (Research).
Women’s health remains a crucial area of global concern. Even as women spend 25% more of their lives in poor health than men, less than 2% of global research and development funding is dedicated to women-specific conditions. This stark reality was the background for the 2025 Women’s Health Conference, which gathered like-minded experts to bridge data gaps, promote inclusion in research, improve care delivery, and advance gender equity in healthcare worldwide.
The 2025 edition of the Conference was held from 24 to 26 September in Paris. In partnership between the Global Centre for Asian Women’s Health (GloW) at Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) and the Institute for Women and Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Health (iWISH) at Université Paris Cité, the conference was co-organised with two new institutional partners: the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and the Stanford School of Medicine. The third edition of the conference gathered around 150 participants each day from 25 countries and multiple disciplines, building on the success of the 2023 and 2024 editions in Singapore.
The event kicked off with remarks from key figures, including Professor Édouard Kaminski, President of Université Paris Cité, Professor Chong Yap Seng, Dean of NUS Medicine, and Professor Zhang Cuilin, Chair Professor and Director of GloW, setting the stage for international collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Prof Chong emphasised, “To make meaningful progress, we must bring together diverse disciplines, blend intelligence with empathy, and foster collaboration across borders and sectors. By joining forces, we can accelerate efforts to close this widening gap and transform women’s health for generations to come.”
Keynote addresses and sessions
Topics explored during keynote addresses included:
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Improving Women’s Health through Nutrition |
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Climate Change and Women’s Health |
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Violence Against Women |
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Mental and Cognitive Health: Addressing Gender Disparities |
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Women’s Specificities in Immuno-inflammatory Disorders and Infectious Diseases |
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Giving Birth by Cesarean: Medicalisation of Maternal Care and Women’s Health |
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Women’s Cardiovascular Health |
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Breast Cancer Worldwide |
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Healthy Ageing |
Panel discussions
Panels explored key areas in women’s health, including:
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Championing Women’s Health Research |
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Training Healthcare Professionals to Address Sex and Gender Inequalities |
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Translating Research into Action to Advance Women’s Health |
Workshops
Interactive workshops covered wide-ranging topics such as:
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iWISH Every Woman Knew: The Power of Physical Activity for a Healthier Life |
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The Power of Food: Nutrition and Healthy Diet |
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iWISH to Discover the World of Prenatal Ultrasound: Hands-On Ultrasound Workshop |
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Oocyte Puncture and Embryo Transfer |
The conference brought together participants and speakers from Brazil, Bangladesh, South Africa, and other countries.
Prof Zhang sharing on GloW’s achievements, since the first Women’s Health Conference.
iWISH gala dinner
The three-day conference also featured a gala dinner organised by Dr Losada and hosted by iWISH, which showcased three of its flagship projects aimed at improving women’s health worldwide—Innovative Devices to Save Maternal Lives Worldwide, The ViDeRoom Project, and The Research Chair in Violence Against Women and Women’s Health. These initiatives focus on developing affordable medical devices for maternal care, creating immersive virtual training tools for midwifery students, and advancing research and advocacy to end violence against women.
Along with performances from Raeanne Wong, Class of 2029, NUS Medicine, and Jade Tan, Class of 2017, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, the evening celebrated innovation, collaboration, and compassion in women’s health.
The Women’s Health Conference 2025 was a successful milestone in advancing global collaboration in women’s health research. Led by NUS Medicine’s GloW and Université Paris Cité’s iWISH, the initiative represents an ongoing partnership and will continue with the next edition in 2026, hosted by the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston.
Click here to contribute to iWISH’s initiative on advancing women’s health.
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