From joining MIT HEALS to launching its first Enabling Grants and sharing its vision at the United Nations, WHx is expanding the reach and impact of women’s health research at the MIT Media Lab.

WHx is helping build a future in which women’s health receives the attention, creativity, and investment it has long deserved. Rooted in interdisciplinary collaboration and human-centered innovation, the program brings together researchers, clinicians, engineers, and designers to address critical gaps in women’s health across the lifespan. This spring, a series of important milestones has reflected both the growing momentum of WHx and the expanding community helping to move this work forward.

WHx joins MIT HEALS

WHx officially became a program of MIT HEALS, the MIT Health and Life Sciences Collaborative, on April 6, 2026, reflecting a shared commitment to advancing bold, interdisciplinary research and technologies that improve lives. This new connection strengthens WHx’s place within a broader MIT effort focused on innovation, collaboration, and translating discovery into meaningful health impact.

WHx Enabling Grants

The program also reached an important milestone on June 13, 2026, with the announcement of its inaugural Enabling Grants portfolio. After receiving 12 proposals from 10 groups across the Media Lab, WHx selected five projects for full or partial funding through a thoughtful faculty review process. The funded work spans scalable breast cancer screening, bioelectronic treatment approaches, aging and sleep research, and wearable technologies to support balance, bone, and muscle health.

WHx at the United Nations

Earlier this spring, on March 31, 2026, WHx was represented at the United Nations General Assembly Hall during Women Breaking Barriers, sharing the program’s work and vision with an international audience. The opportunity helped bring women’s health innovation to a global stage and underscored the importance of this work as a shared international priority.

Jessica Rosenworcel discusses women’s health on Bloomberg

On April 2, 2026, Jessica Rosenworcel, Executive Director of the MIT Media Lab and former Chair of the FCC, joined Bloomberg Businessweek Daily to discuss how emerging technologies connected to WHx could help close long-standing gaps in women’s health. She pointed to the promise of wireless sensors, AI-driven diagnostics, and personalized monitoring to improve access, diagnosis, and care.

Spring Member Event

The WHx community comes together for the Spring Member Event on April 30, 2026, in a gathering shaped in collaboration with Kim Azzarelli and Susan Blumenthal. Student representatives will share WHx’s work and led the demo session, offering members and supporters a meaningful opportunity to engage directly with the people and ideas driving the program forward.

Distinguished Invited Speaker – Materials Research Society

Professor Canan Dagdeviren will participated as a Distinguished Invited Speaker at the Materials Research Society Spring Meeting & Exhibit, held from April 26 through May 1, 2026, one of the leading conferences in the field. Her participation reflects the scientific leadership behind WHx and creates another important opportunity to connect women’s health innovation with the broader research community.

AIMBE fellowship + Congressional visit

Canan Dagdeviren was inducted into the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows as part of the 2026 class, a distinction that honors the top two percent of medical and biological engineers in the field. She was formally inducted on April 13, 2026, during the AIMBE Annual Event in Arlington, Virginia, in recognition of her pioneering work in wearable ultrasound technologies and other mechanically adaptive systems designed to integrate with the human body for sensing, treatment, and health monitoring. Building on that recognition, Dagdeviren is meeting with Senators and Representatives on Capitol Hill on June 13, 2026, helping highlight both MIT HEALS and WHx as areas of national importance and bringing women’s health innovation into conversation at the policy level.

Why this matters now
Why does all of this matter right now? Because women’s health still remains too often underfunded, understudied, and overlooked. WHx is helping change that by supporting new ideas, building interdisciplinary partnerships, and creating pathways for research to reach the people who need it most.

The potential impact is profound: earlier detection, more personalized care, stronger clinical tools, and a future in which women’s health innovation is no longer the exception, but the expectation.