WoW Woman in FemTech I Dr Golnoush Golshirazi, co-founder and CEO of ScreenMe
Dr Golnoush Golshirazi is a Cambridge graduate, scientist, and entrepreneur who advocates for women’s health and equality in the healthcare system. After struggling for many years with undiagnosed Endometriosis and upon completing her PhD, Dr Golshirazi went on to establish ScreenMe, where she has used her expertise, experience, and passion to revolutionise women’s general, vaginal, and reproductive health. She believes that through educating women on what is going on inside their bodies, providing specific advice, and giving continuous support, we can help women to take back charge of their health and improve societal healthcare outcomes for generations to come.
ScreenMe centers on preventative care for every woman, with their services supporting women from menstruation all the way through sexual health, fertility, pregnancy, to menopause. Sitting at the intersection of medicine and holistic care, ScreenMe empowers all women with scientific insight and support around their general, sexual, and reproductive health. At-home testing allows women to get specific results, receive tailored advice, and create bespoke plans with ScreenMe’s experts; so, they can do what is right for them. Their goal is to create a safe space for women to be heard, supported, and understood by healthcare professionals, where previously they have been ignored.
Tell us a bit about your background and your projects so far.
I established ScreenMe following my own struggle with Endometriosis, in which a diagnosis took over 10 years, multiple doctors, constant dismissals, and thousands spent on private care. This highlighted to me some of the real issues that we are currently facing today in women’s health and ignited in me a real belief that I do not want other women to go through what I went through. This led me to set up ScreenMe – a service that doesn’t just test but offers education, support, and personalised plans that women can action. Our at-home tests allow women to know exactly what is happening in their bodies and paired with a free 1:1 consultation with an expert, they are able to create a plan that best suits them. Our projects so far have included making tests available to cover every stage of a women’s life and needs, which is why we have the 5 care types:
Vaginal & sexual health
Period, gut & hormonal
Fertility
Pregnancy
Menopause
How did you get into this industry? Has it been an easy industry to get into or have you had many challenges?
I have always been interested in science and health, and have been exposed to this through my undergraduate degree at Cambridge, and then my PhD. So, it was always my intention to do something in this area, whether it be research, education, or another role. However, following my own journey and after feeling so out of depth in a field that I really should have been taught more about, I saw the gap in knowledge. This inspired me to not just fill this gap but to provide quality information and care for women who have been neglected as a result of gender inequalities in healthcare.
While my background in health has made it easier for me to distinguish fact from fiction and create a service that truly helps women, this has not always been easy. Healthcare can be a crowded space, and it is hard for even the most educated to filter out some of the white noise and simply money-making schemes out there. I think one of the hardest challenges has been the realization that not everyone has such a patient-centered approach, but also trying to help others to dispel some of the common-held beliefs they have around health, which can actually be harmful.
How long did it take you to be where you are now? What was the biggest obstacle? What are the challenges of being in the industry you are in?
ScreenMe was founded as an idea on paper in 2019, however, both the pandemic and Brexit were clear obstacles in our journey. Navigating through uncertainty and change has undoubtedly been hard, but also shown me just how determined the ScreenMe team is to truly help women. When we receive a positive review and personal feedback from our community, that is really all it takes to remind ourselves of the work we are doing to change lives and empower women to take back control of their own health.
Again, a challenge would be a lack of information about women’s own bodies, which is why a lot of the work we do is to educate our community and beyond through socials, webinars, events, blogs, and really any way that we can. Take for example the vaginal microbiome, something that all those assigned females at birth have, yet so very little is known about it. So few women know its connection to recurrent UTIs, BV, thrush, STD infection, risk of HPV, cervical cancer, uncomfortable symptoms including dryness, pain during sex, and so much more. If women do not even know this about their own bodies, then they often normalize or downplay their symptoms and pain, when in reality there are easy, natural solutions not just to vaginal health, but to all aspects of female health from menstruation to fertility, menopause and more.
What are your biggest achievements to date?
That’s a hard question but this morning I received an email from a client saying “I don’t know what I would do in the past year without ScreenMe” and that right there is an example of what we call achievement at ScreenMe. It may sound cheesy, but when women message us thanking us for helping them to say, fall pregnant, or manage reoccurring uncomfortable symptoms, or even say thank you for letting me feel heard, it makes all of the work feel so worth it. Women’s pain is pervasive – be it through fertility issues, physical pain, or the emotional pain of being dismissed – so helping people to overcome this and undoubtedly change their lives is just about the biggest achievement one could hope for. How many other people can have that exact same feeling through their day-to-day work?
What are the projects you are currently working on?
We are working on multiple projects ranging from product development to education. In terms of product development, we are working hard on further developing our vaginal health packages as well as looking at therapeutics to better help women manage conditions and reduce the risk of diseases such as chronic HPV infections and pelvic inflammatory disease.
As mentioned earlier we are also currently focusing on educating women, as this is something the whole team at ScreenMe is passionate about. By empowering women through knowledge, we give them an opportunity to optimise their health and make the right decisions for their bodies and their goals.
This is why we are working closely with organisations to fill in these knowledge gaps in women’s health. Through partnering with organisations, we offer workshops to better educate the entire workforce (not just the women in it) on women’s health. We are also working to better educate practitioners, the general public, and the whole of society on women’s health topics, through a range of events, webinars, and talks – many of which I relish in taking myself.
Is the #WomenInTech movement important to you and if yes, why?
Of course, #WomenInTech is so important to me, as the work I do is to help empower women. I also am a passionate advocate of not just gender inclusion, but true diversity and inclusion across all races, ethnicities, backgrounds, and more. We see not just a few women, but a few women of colour in STEAM, and this motivates me to start to break this mould and be a role model for others. Therefore, I not only respect but share #WomenInTech’s core value of Diversity and Interculturality, as I support any initiative that strives towards a more equitable future for everyone.
What will be the key trends in your industry in the next five years and where do you see them heading?
As society is starting to become more health conscious, we will start to see people take greater ownership over their own health. This will prompt a much better understanding of the importance of your diet and lifestyle on your health outcomes. As we are already starting to see, individuals will want to know whether their daily habits and the way they live their lives are actually good for them – with an increased focus on where products are sourced, what exactly is in them, and how sustainable this is for future health and the wider environment. As people become more conscious of what goes into their bodies and what they use, companies must be prepared to justify what they have included in their products and why, particularly with a wealth of scientific research readily available through the Internet.
Personalisation is also a key part of the future – with people realising that their body, their needs, and their goals are different from those around them, so there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to optimise health. This creates a space for services that can provide individualised advice and solutions that cater to the specific needs of consumers.
What is the most important piece of advice you could give to anyone who wants to start a career in this industry?
To do something that you are passionate about and to know why you are different. There are a lot of products in this industry that are not clear on why they are there and how they help others. Realistically, when things reach a standstill or get difficult – knowing what your mission is and why you are doing what you are doing is what you need to not simply give up or take paths that don’t necessarily align with your values or goals. That’s something that has truly kept us all going at ScreenMe – we know what we are fighting for as well as how we plan to do it, so that motivates us each day to put in the extra work.
Who are three inspirational women in your respective industry you admire?
Elizabeth Blackwell is a historical woman who I have so much respect for. Being one of the founders of women’s health in the UK and USA, she has done so much for setting the foundations for where we are now, that I had to include her in my list.
Lina Chan is the CEO and Founder of Parla. I really like the way that she approaches life and her work – in which she is always looking for the positive and how best she can help others around her. This can be rare in today’s society, and so to see someone with this as their main driver is so refreshing and inspiring. I have also I have found Lina’s collaborative approach in a crowded, competitive field incredibly honorable.
Anna Kent is another woman that I find inspiring. Her book, ‘Frontline Midwife’ is brilliant and such an eye-opening insight into the very real struggles that women face today as part of their reproductive journey but also as part of their career in helping other women. Anyone who dedicates their life to bettering the lives of others will always have my utmost respect.
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This interview was conducted by Marija Butkovic, Digital Marketing and PR strategist, founder, and CEO of Women of Wearables. She regularly writes and speaks on topics of wearable tech, fashion tech, IoT, entrepreneurship, and diversity. Follow Marija on Twitter @MarijaButkovic and read her stories for Forbes here.