RTP Biomedical Engineering News

Morrisville med tech company SunTech Medical will be expanding to include an office in Shenzhen, China. The company is a global leader in the market of blood pressure monitors.

Thanks to Triangle Business Journal for the article.

In response to comments from a former president of Harvard, the Center for Work-Life Policy conducted a study that investigated why many (52%) women leave their jobs in science and technology while in their thirties. While most scientists (arguably) devote a majority of their lives to their careers, it appears that many women exit the field well before their careers develop.

More than half of the women interviewed for the study said they experienced harassment on the job. Also, more than half stated that they received “dismissive attitudes” from male collegues.

Until I entered my twenties, I never experienced any gender-related mistreatment that would drive me away from a career in science and tech; perhaps I was never exposed to that type of situation or – more likely – because I was not aware that men still harbored negative attitudes toward women in their field. Now, I am not at all surprised by these research findings. I think it is no coincidence that women are so poorly represented in science and tech, particularly in leadership roles. In fact, I cannot imagine a female CEO or business owner who does not exhibit masculine behavior in the way she conducts work.

In Blink, Malcom Gladwell argues that we cling to gender (and race, age, etc.) prejudice in our minds even though we do not consciously acknowledge them. The evidence is substantial. The effects are far-reaching.

Thanks to BizWomen for the original article.

Welcome to the BME Techblog! Future contents will include current news in the field of biomedical engineering, with an emphasis on startup companies in the Research Triangle (North Carolina). I hope to also include posts about relevant university research. Expect weekly posts about recent news in med tech business.