‘The Jig is Up’ in Women’s Health
On a chilly January evening in the East Village, the Tête-à-Tech series kicked off its third year with a conversation that was less of a polite medical lecture and more of a revolutionary manifesto. Hosted by Noah Landow, CEO of Macktez, the event featured Jessica Halem, co-founder of Aviva Bio, a clinical-stage biotech company focused on hormone-based medicine.
The room was intimate and the topic was a long-overdue reckoning: how technology and telehealth have finally reached a tipping point for women’s wellness.
The conversation began with a stark reminder of how we got here. Jessica pointed to the “Women’s Health Initiative” study from two decades ago, which sparked a global panic regarding Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).
The fear of God came down… multiple generations of women were denied life-saving access to hormones. And even worse, we lost 20 years of training doctors on hormones for women.
Because of this training gap, legacy medicine became a place of “scared” practitioners who didn’t know how to treat menopause, leaving women to “tough it out” or eat more protein while their bodies, and careers, suffered.
Noah and Jessica explored how the “waiting room model” is being dismantled by a new digital reality, that is just as much about convenience as it is about reimbursement options. During COVID, Medicare began reimbursing for telehealth, effectively funding the infrastructure that allows digital-native companies to flourish.
This technology allows women to bypass “the old white dude doctor” who may not be trained in modern hormone health.
There is not a world five years ago in which I could have launched a hormone company… without the idea that there are dozens of digital health companies ready to engage patients tomorrow. The jig is up. This is happening.
Perhaps the most dramatic moment of the night was Jessica’s challenge to the cultural narrative of aging, rejecting the idea that women should simply “accept” the fatigue and brain fog of menopause as “natural.”
I’m making more than I’ve ever made. I finally understand how the world works. I’m like the best boss I’ve ever been. And I’m suddenly the most tired… Why should I not physically be able to match where I am in life? We’re supposed to be CEOs at 50!
She described the biological reality, that hormones “tank” just as women reach their professional and intellectual peak, and argued that medicine is the tool to bridge that gap.
The two discussed the realities of funding the needed pharmaceuticals to make this a reality, diving into the world of venture capital and the “nonprofit trap.” Jessica noted that while there is plenty of money for “advocacy” and “awareness,” there is a shocking lack of funding for radical innovation in women’s drug development.
I’m most surprised at myself by how angry I’m getting… there’s more money spent in philanthropy around women’s health than there is in startups. We think access is the problem. But there’s so little innovation in drug development for women. It’s shocking.
In wrapping up the evening, Noah asked what advice Jessica would give to the younger generation. Jessica responded,
Get rich! Get access to capital. I wish that young women would see building wealth and capital to invest in a better world as just as important of a pathway as politics.
Challenges of developing new drugs
Jessica highlights the massive expense of drug development and her initial shock that “big pharma” and venture capitalists weren’t rushing to fund the first safer, correctly dosed testosterone for women, despite its obvious appeal. She recounts pitching it as a “no-brainer” to excited friends on social media, only to face skeptical venture capitalists questioning its market size, whether women would take testosterone, and if female libido issues were even real.
Women’s power over 50
Jessica celebrates a “radical revolution” in how we see women over 50, arguing they are not “done” but at their most powerful and deserving of bodies that match that power. She contrasts her peak career and personal clarity at 50 with debilitating menopausal symptoms, rejects the idea that lifestyle alone can fix hormone loss, and insists on using medicine so older women can live with “high, high energy.”
Women’s health initiative study
Jessica describes how early, alarmist reactions to Women’s Health Initiative data caused HRT use to collapse, cutting off access and training for generations of women and reflecting systemic neglect of women’s health in mainstream medicine.
Telehealth is a gamechanger
Jessica explains how COVID made telehealth possible overnight with a Medicare-reimbursed revolution. This huge shift transformed healthcare access, especially for menopause care.
Expectations at 50
Jessica and Noah dive into how the expectations around aging, success, and purpose have evolved. From early marriage and grandmotherhood to building careers and leading companies in our 50s, reframes what it means to age with ambition.
(Psst! You should join us next time! Check out the list of upcoming events in the Tête-à-Tech series, and RSVP here!)