MAS.S65

Style

Flexible; small-teams projects of 2-3 people (at least 2 per team).

To pass, you must: (i) attend at least 3/4 of the class sessions, (ii) complete the homeworks, (iii) complete the small-team project. By the end of Class #1, students must decide whether to register or drop the course.

Course Description

This seminar-style course explores key issues and innovations in women’s health through a biweekly speaker series followed by alternating biweekly recap classes. Each session features a guest working at the intersection of science, medicine, and technology, offering students a firsthand look at the questions, gaps, and opportunities shaping the future of women’s health.

After each talk, students will write a short summary and reflection. In between sessions, students will meet in small reading groups to discuss assigned articles and reflect on emerging themes. These discussions will help students prepare thoughtful questions for guest speakers and connect ideas across different sessions. At the end of the semester, students will develop a final paper or creative project on a women’s health topic of their choice, inspired by the course conversations.

The course is open to students from all backgrounds who are curious about how health systems, research practices, and technology design can better serve women and people assigned female at birth. Topics will range from reproductive health and hormone research to clinical trial design, data equity, and innovation in care. .

Objectives

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. To gain a wide range of historical and current issues in women’s health,
2. To critically analyze the role of sex and gender in medicine and innovation,
3. To develop communication and synthesis skills through written reflections, group discussion, and a final paper,
4. To foster discussion and collaboration across disciplines for inclusive health design,
5. To elevate the work of leaders and disruptors in the women’s health space.

Structure and Evaluation

1. Biweekly Seminars (40%): Students are expected to attend each speaker session, engage in Q/A, and submit a short (1-page) reflection summarizing key points and personal takeaways after each talk.
2. Biweekly Group Participation (20%): Between seminars, students will meet in small groups to discuss assigned readings and prepare questions for upcoming speakers. Participation will be evaluated based on contribution and consistency.
3. Final Project (40%): Students will choose a women’s health issue or theme explored in the course and develop a final piece. This can be either a short paper, a creative media project, or an early-stage proposal (individual or group). Projects will be presented in the final week of class.

Readings and Materials

Supplementary readings and media will be provided based on the speaker's topics, including articles, scientific literature, podcasts, and/or reports. No required textbook.

Schedule

Class 1: February 4th, 2026

• Course Kickoff: What is Women’s Health?

Class 2: February 11th, 2026

• Reading Group #1

Class 3: February 18th, 2026

• Guest Speaker 1: Reproductive Health and Policy

Class 4: February 25th, 2026

• Reading Group #2

Class 5: March 4th, 2026

• Guest Speaker 2: Hormones, Immunity, and Sex Differences

Class 6: March 11th, 2026

• Reading Group #3

Class 7: March 18th, 2026

• Guest Speaker 3: Clinical Trial Equity and Bias

Class 8: March 25th, 2026

• MIT Spring Break

Class 9: April 1st, 2026

• Guest Speaker 4: Women’s Health Startups and FemTech

Class 10: April 8th, 2026

• Reading Group #5

Class 11: April 15th, 2026

• Guest Speaker 5: Data Gaps in Medicine

Class 12: April 22nd, 2026

• Reading Group #6 and Final Project Work Week

Class 13: April 29th, 2026

• Guest Speaker 6: Sex Bias in AI and Precision Medicine

Class 14: May 6th, 2026

• Final Presentations Wrap-Up (Last Day of Classes)