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Stefanie Norvaisas

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In 2022, only <a href="https://www.medicaldesignandoutsourcing.com/diversity-in-medtech-2022-markedly-the-best-for-women-in-medtech/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">23%</a> of leadership roles at the top 100 medical device companies were held by women. Some good news, though: The number is up 2% since 2021. 
So yes, <a href="https://www.medicaldesignandoutsourcing.com/diversity-in-medtech-2022-markedly-the-best-for-women-in-medtech/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">progress</a> is being made, but we still have a long way to go: 
<ul><li>Across the top 100 medical device companies, there are still only six women CEOs. </li><li>Ten companies have no women in leadership roles at all. </li><li>The average amount of time women spend in these leadership roles is only 3 years.</li></ul>
Leadership diversity matters because having different perspectives and experiences drives innovation and helps companies to design better products. This is even more important when it comes to medical devices, where patients’ health and lives are at stake.
Can mentorship be part of the solution? 
Below, Stephanie Norvaisas,&nbsp;Delve's former Executive Vice President of Strategy, shares&nbsp;advice about mentorship&nbsp;from Women in Medtech. This advice may be relevant to&nbsp;women across many design and technology disciplines,&nbsp;where women&nbsp;continue to be underrepresented.

Shortly after a full immersion at the the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) conference in Orlando,&nbsp;I found myself lucky enough to be attending the Women in MedTech networking event in Boston this week. Design Concepts [Design Concepts is&nbsp;now Delve ~ ed.]&nbsp;was one of the hosts of the event, which attracted over 170 women leaders.
It was so exciting to be in a room of women leaders who were so willing to talk and share ideas about the business of MedTech and their careers. Sarah Faulkner, editor of MassDevice.com and Drug Delivery Business News, interviewed <a href="http://www.lantheus.com/people/mary-anne-heino/">Mary Anne Heino</a> (President, CEO and Board Director of <a href="http://www.lantheus.com/">Lantheus</a>) about her 30-year career in the life sciences. Their conversation traced her career and she shared her perspective and advice. I was particularly interested in hearing her talk about mentorship. 
This talk reminded me of another one I attended at HIMSS titled “Women in Health Tech” where <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/indu-subaiya-md-mba-mfa-14b779/">Indu Subaiya</a>, MBA, MD, Executive Vice President, <a href="https://www.health2conf.com/">Health 2. 0</a>, and <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/aashimagupta/">Aashima Gupta</a>, Director of Global Healthcare Solutions, Google Cloud, talked about being women in tech. The topic of mentorship was a topic here, as well. 
<h2>Tips for Mentoring</h2>
All these women had some interesting thoughts to share, tips on being a mentor and a mentee, and generally just some good advice. 
<ol><li>If you don’t ask for it, you won’t get it. Indeed! While it may take some bravery, you won’t know if you don’t ask. So stand up and ask. Whether you are asking for a mentor or anything else, for that matter, it’s important to let people know what you want. These highly successful women said it worked for them. I can attest from my own experience that this attitude of “just ask” and occasionally “just ask for forgiveness” has helped me. My attitude is to always assume the positive – that they will say yes. It has occurred to me that sometime the “yes” is the scariest part. </li><li>Challenge yourself, regularly. Look for things, inside and outside of work that will challenge you. In the same vein as just ask, this does require having some sense of self-awareness. Cultivate this.</li><li>Be ready to be challenged by your mentor. Your mentor is right for you if they challenge you, not console you. Ah, this is a good one. I am always tempted to commiserate. But no, to be a good mentor you need to care personally and challenge directly. (Thanks Kim Scott, author of Radical Candor)</li><li>Be clear. If you ask someone to be your mentor, it is helpful to tell them what your goals are and how you’d like to work. People are much more willing to help than you believe, but their time is precious, so have a goal, make sure you can articulate why, and what you are trying to accomplish. Discuss if this relationship will be formal or informal, how often you will meet, etc. </li><li>Change your point of view. Age and title are irrelevant. We all need to build a set of traits that we can apply anywhere or to any job. There is no age or stage when you don’t need a mentor. Mentors don’t need to be older or younger that you.</li></ol>
It was great hearing from these successful women, not only about their experiences, but to get some tools and advice to help us all build a stronger community together. 
~ Stefanie Norvaisas

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<h2>The Importance of Community for Women of Color in Design </h2>
Mentoring and community are particularly important for women of color in design.&nbsp;
 “Community is particularly key for marginalized groups as isolation can be such a real prospect,” <a href="https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/why-role-models-matter-celebrating-women-of-color-in-design/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">says</a> designer Indiana Lawrence. “With the design industry being so dominated by white males, it leaves a whole group of people questioning their validity and their place within the design community.” 
“As a female graphic designer of color, role models have proven an integral part of my creative journey,” <a href="https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/why-role-models-matter-celebrating-women-of-color-in-design/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">says</a> Kelly Walters, Assistant Professor of Communication Design at Parsons School of Design. “The knowledge that you’re not alone—that someone has walked this path before and made a success of it—is a time-old solution to feeling out of place." Role models, in addition to providing relatable representation, can act as mentors or colleagues with whom to form a community. "Role models and mentors&nbsp;don’t necessarily need to be years ahead of you in your career," Kelly says. "Some of the people who have inspired me most are my peers." 
<ol></ol>

<h2>Resources for Women of Color in Design </h2>
<ol><li><a href="https://www.blackwomeninproduct.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Black Women in Product</a>. A community for women who work or want to work in product-related roles. Their goal: "to connect with and support one another, break barriers entering and growing in our Product careers, and are advocates for inclusion in the broader Product and Tech communities.” </li></ol>
<ol><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1952786554937862/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Black Women in UX</a> (formerly Black Women in Product Design). A private Facebook group founded by product designer <a href="https://www.editorx.com/shaping-design/article/design-community-lenora-porter-interview" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lenora Porter</a> where members “connect, share with, and learn from other Black women in the design sector. This is important because Black women make up less than 2% of the tech labor market.” </li></ol>
<ol><li><a href="https://www.shedesigns.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">She Designs</a>. A community that offers UX courses, mentorship, and career coaching to underrepresented women of color and non-binary people. The <a href="https://blush.design/blog/post/shedesigns-ux-women-color" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">broader goal</a>: “equipping women of color with tools to be the next generation of design leaders, while simultaneously dismantling barriers that are preventing a more inclusive tech community.” </li></ol>
<ol><li><a href="https://www.uxher.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UX Her</a>. A career development organization that empowers women of color in UX Design with the tools, resources, and community to jumpstart and grow their careers. “Through a supportive online network, hands-on workshops, and e-learning opportunities, we help women of color navigate their careers and find community in the field of UX and digital product design.” </li></ol>
<ol><li><a href="https://www.50intech.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">50inTech</a>. An inclusive recruiting platform that aims to “creates the perfect match between talented people who self-identify as women and safe workplaces.” 50inTech also provides free virtual bootcamps, networking and mentoring to community members.</li></ol>

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Leadership diversity matters because having different perspectives and experiences drives innovation and helps companies to design better products. This is even more important when it comes to medical devices, where patients’ health and lives are at stake.

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