“Women have delays in diagnosis for the most common and deadly conditions, and a greater likelihood of receiving a psychiatric diagnosis for physical symptoms”
(Dr. Alyson McGregor, 2020)
“Women have delays in diagnosis for the most common and deadly conditions, and a greater likelihood of receiving a psychiatric diagnosis for physical symptoms”
Dr. Alyson McGregor, 2020)
Imagine the social and economic impact if more than half the EU population had a poorer quality of care.
No need to imagine, this is the current situation.
Women’s health issues are often seen as being limited to sexual and reproductive issues, but sex- and gender differences are relevant for many medical disciplines and all aspects of diagnosis, wellbeing and healthcare.
There are numerous causes of this societal discrepancy, but they are usually rooted in outdated perceptions of the fragility of the female body and mind. What’s more, illnesses are often incorrectly coupled with a certain gender. For example, cardiac problems are often perceived as a male issue, but heart disease and strokes cause 1 in 3 deaths among women each year in the US – more than all cancers combined. On the other hand, osteoporosis is seen as a women’s health issue, but research has found that men older than 50 are more likely to break a bone due to osteoporosis than they are to get prostate cancer.
Economic loss
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Health inequalities result in an economic loss of €980 billion per year in the EU. (The European Institute for Women Health, 2018)
billion loss per year
Mission
We believe that every part of society can play a role in actively turning the tides. This is why we need Care4everyBody, promoting equality in the quality of healthcare for all genders and sexes. Care4everyBody is a web platform that gathers concrete solutions to improve healthcare quality, aimed towards both health professionals and patients. Care4everyBody also aims to amplify the voice of existing organisations that tackle the issue of inadequate healthcare due to disregard for gender and sex specificities.
The solution
Care4everyBody is an amplifier, an umbrella, and a springboard for voices and solutions currently scattered all over Europe. Care4everyBody is led by a board of high-level experts that acts as a steering group and oversees the platform’s activities. Universities, research centres and organisations across Europe are already taking action on gender bias, thus, Care4everyBody offers a virtual platform to promote Europe-wide implementation of solution-oriented projects, mostly in research and education. The goal is to amplify the voice of those already taking action, sharing best practices and existing solutions. The platform aims to build a community where professionals and patients can showcase their projects, create networks, and build new partnerships. In this way, the platform can have a real impact on the quality of healthcare in the EU.
Join us today and help citizens to get the best healthcare they deserve!
Meet the supervisory board members
The supervisory board is the backbone of the platform. This group of high-profile individuals from a variety of disciplines helped shape Care4everyBody and are now responsible for the admission of the featured projects. The members are the representatives of the platform and in this capacity act as ambassadors at events and conferences, and also meet with policymakers to advocate for improving health policies across Europe.
The supervisory board is heavily interdisciplinary, with experts from a broad range of areas including cardiology, emergency medicine, gynaecology, psychiatry, economy, and public safety.
Prof. Dr Chiara Benedetto
Professor Chiara Benedetto is the Head of the Gynaecology and Obstetrics University Division at St. Anna Hospital in Torino, Italy, Regional Trustee for Europe and Chair of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) Well Woman Health Care Committee, and founder and president of the NGO Fondazione Medicina a Misura di Donna. She has championed patient-centered care and innovative healthcare practices and helped to shape national guidelines. As president of the European Board and College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (EBCOG), she contributed significantly to the “Standards of Care for Women’s Health in Europe” which were presented in the European Parliament.
Prof. Dr Angela Maas
Prof. Dr Angela Maas is a pioneer in gender research in cardiology. She holds the chair of Cardiology for Women at the Radboud University in the Netherlands. Prof. Dr Maas published the book Heart for Women in 2019 as the result of decades of research. She is affiliated with the Association of Dutch Women Doctors where she represents the interests of female doctors, and advocates for gender-specific medicine into training and practice. In 2021, Prof. Dr Maas will be the Dutch UN women’s representative 2020/21 and will address the United Nations in New York in October 2021.
Dr Alyson McGregor
Dr McGregor is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She is the co-founder and director for the Division of Sex and Gender in Emergency Medicine at Brown University’s Department of Emergency Medicine in 2014. Dr McGregor is the co-founder of the American organization Sex and Gender Women’s Health Collaborative which aims to foster the integration of a sex and gender approach into medical education, curricula and training of future physicians to improve inclusive healthcare. Dr McGregor is also the author of the book Sex Matters where she discusses how male-centric medicine endangers women’s health and shares suggestions of practical solutions.
Prof. Dr Jacky Nizard
Prof. Dr Jacky Nizard is an obstetrician-gynecologist at Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, and a professor at the Université Pierre et Marie Curie – Sorbonne. He is a specialist in maternal medicine, including maternal chronic diseases, with a special emphasis on maternal cardiology, and is an editor for the European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Prof. Dr Nizard is the current president of the European Board & College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (EBCOG).
Prof. Dr Fedde Scheele
Prof. Dr Fedde Scheele is a gynaecologist and the dean at the OLVG Teaching Hospital in Amsterdam. He is a professor on health systems innovation and education at the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam. Prof. Dr Scheele helped for the elaboration of the PACT programme within the European Board & College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (EBCOG).
Prof. Dr Gertraud (Turu) Stadler
Prof. Dr Gertraud Stadler is Director of the Institute of Gender in Medicine at the Charité – Universitätsmedizin in Berlin since 2019. She is an expert in health psychology and conducts research on the health of women, men and couples. Previously, prof. Dr Stadler worked at the Hamburg University in the field of psychology. Later she got a position at the Columbia University in New York and she is a Senior Lecturer in Health Psychology at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland since 2015.
Indrė Banaitytė Baleišienė
Indrė Banaitytė Baleišienė has been working as a general neurologist at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU) for three years. She is interested in the gender differences for neurology and neurosciences disorders.
Niall Kishtainy
Niall Kishtainy is an economic author. Mr Kishtainy worked as economic policy advisor to the UK government and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. Mr Kishtainy is the author of numerous publications among which the book A little History of Economics where he describes how economics, by overlooking women, misses important ways in which resources are distributed inside the family – mostly for food and medicine.
Merel de Heer
Executive researcher
Drs Merel de Heer is an individual with a strong background in gynaecology and obstetrics, backed by clinical experience. Additionally, she has served as an executive researcher at Care4everyBody, specializing in Women’s Health, where she has conducted research in the field. Moreover, she has also ventured into the realm of medical education, contributing her expertise to further the advancement of knowledge in this area.
Joost Korte
Joost Korte retired from the European Commission on January 1, 2024, after serving as Director-General for Employment, Social Affairs, and Inclusion since 2018. A Dutch national, he held key roles across the Trade, Agriculture, and Enlargement Departments, as well as in the Secretariat General, where he managed relations with the Council of Ministers. His experience in private offices of notable leaders like Sir Leon Brittan and Chris Patten gave him deep insight into EU policy and decision-making. A lawyer by training, Korte joined the Commission in 1991, after eight years of academic work in European law.
