{"podcast":{"title":"The Fifth Wave","slug":"the-fifth-wave-7354161","podcast_index_feed_id":7354161,"rss_url":"https://www.spreaker.com/show/6639450/episodes/feed","website_url":"https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-fifth-wave--6639450","image_url":"https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/ca4842fd8f5681ceb597dcadf8c535db.jpg","author":"Story Studio Network, IWK Foundation","episode_count":16,"summary":"In The Fifth Wave: Curing the Healthcare Bias against Women , healthcare champions, the IWK Foundation, bring to light the profound and often dangerous consequences the gap in women’s health and research has had on women. The study of human biology has defaulted to the male body, which has hindered understanding of sex-based biological differences and results in fewer available and less effective treatments for women. We have been living in a world built for men, not only in heath care, but transportation, technology and beyond. This series will spark both curiosity and outrage leaving you wanting large scale change – a movement even. With insights from medical experts and researchers, The Fifth Wave challenges the default male standard and asks: What happens when half the population is left out of the equation? We hope to empower every woman and girl with the awareness and information to take charge of her health. Hosted by Avis Favaro.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-24T20:17:29.858628+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-fifth-wave-7354161"},"episode":{"title":"The Kitchen Sponge","slug":"the-kitchen-sponge","published_at":"2026-02-25T10:00:15+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-fifth-wave-7354161/the-kitchen-sponge","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-fifth-wave-7354161","url":"https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-kitchen-sponge--69339467","audio_url":"https://api.spreaker.com/download/episode/69339467/iwkf_s2e1_final_mix.mp3","summary":"In this episode of The Fifth Wave, Avis Favaro shows us the quiet crisis in women’s health. Underfunded research. Outdated medical devices. And training tools that are so inadequate, they border on the unbelievable - like teaching perineal suturing on a sponge. Through conversations with innovators reshaping Femtech and reproductive health, including Christine Goudie of Granville Biomedical, Rashmi Prakash of Aruna Revolution and Rachel Bartholomew of HighIvy Health, we explore why women continue to be left behind in medical research, product design and clinical training. From pacemakers never tested on women, to menstrual products dismissed as “niche” , this episode shines a light on systemic biases and barriers. And it highlights the entrepreneurs who are fighting to build a healthcare system where women are finally prioritized. Key Takeways: Women’s health is dangerously under researched. Diseases affecting men receive double the funding. Many medical devices, from pacemakers to pelvic tools, were developed without accounting for women’s bodies. Outdated and inadequate training harms patient safety. Medical residents have long been trained using sponges, fruit or cow tongues, leaving them unprepared for real procedures on women’s bodies. Femtech leaders are rewriting the system from the ground up. Innovators like Goudrie, Prakash and Bartholomew are creating accurate anatomical models, rethinking menstrual care and driving policy advocacy. The thing you NEED to know: Women make up 50% of the population, yet are still excluded from medical studies, device testing, funding priorities and even basic clinical training. The consequences are harming real women every day. Change starts with education, advocacy and refusing to accept that “This is the way we’ve always done…","meta_description":"In this episode of The Fifth Wave, Avis Favaro shows us the quiet crisis in women’s health. Underfunded research. Outdated medical devices. And training t…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1440,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-fifth-wave-7354161/episodes/the-kitchen-sponge/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-fifth-wave-7354161/the-kitchen-sponge.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}