Dr. Chen Tzror-Azankot Graduated From the WE Program for Advancing Women in the HealthTech Industry

Dr. Chen Tzror-Azankot, a research associate at Prof. Rachela Popovtzer's lab, recently completed the WE, Women Executive Launchpad in HealthTech program. This is a prestigious eight-month program aimed at advancing female executives with high potential for senior executive positions (C-level) in the world of HealthTech. "The program combines development of management and leadership skills, links to a professional community of leading women in the field, and inspiration and learning from senior executives in Israel and around the world," says Dr. Tzror-Azankot.

Women constitute approximately 70% of the workforce in the world of health technologies. However, among companies traded on the Biomed index, there are few female CEOs, few startup founders, and few senior female investors. Studies repeatedly show that proper representation of women in senior management positions serves not only goals of social and gender equality, but also economic goals, as reflected in improved performance.

Propelling Women to Senior Executive Positions

The WE program, whose first cohort opened in 2020, was founded with the goal of bridging this gap, cultivating the skills of managers in the field, providing them with tools, and advancing them to senior executive positions. In addition to imparting essential professional skills, the program includes connection to a community of executives in health technology fields, familiarity with managers in the field, networking, and exposure to diverse career opportunities.

The program was founded in collaboration with the 8400 Network, an Israeli initiative aimed at promoting growth in the field of health technologies and promoting innovative solutions for healing, treatment, and quality of life by connecting leaders and experts from the health industry, academia, government, and venture capital. An impressive 150 executives participated in the first five cohorts of the program. Dr. Tzror-Azankot took part in the sixth cohort of the program.

The Goal: A Startup

Applicants had to fill several criteria: Women in their first or second managerial position in the fields of health technologies, with relevant academic degrees, high interpersonal and leadership abilities, and high potential for advancement to a senior management track, as recognized by their supervisors. Dr. Tzror-Azankot was recommended for the program by her supervisor, Prof. Popovtzer, who was her doctoral advisor. Several months ago, Dr. Tzror-Azankot was absorbed as a research associate in Prof. Popovtzer's laboratory, within the framework of a prestigious and highly competitive grant from the CHE for recruiting outstanding researchers.

Over the past two years, Dr. Tzror-Azankot has been advancing the research she conducted during her doctorate, and developing innovative nanoparticle-based technologies for theranostics, with the goal of establishing a startup in the field. "The program contributed to me significantly, both in building a broad professional network of women from the field, and in acquiring practical management tools on topics such as negotiation management, message delivery, public speaking, and maintaining professional networks," she says. "In addition, I had the opportunity to attend inspiring lectures from women who went through similar paths and face similar challenges."