Dr Ariella Heffernan-Marks reveals the process leading to the creation of Ovum, an AI-powered health assistant designed to help women understand their symptoms, organise their health information and become more confident advocates for themselves.
In a conversation with SBS Hebrew, Dr Ariella Heffernan-Marks talks about her AI company which stems from her intimate knowledge of the shortcomings of women’s healthcare from both sides of the consultation room.
As a medical student, she experienced chronic migraines and says her own symptoms were dismissed as anxiety.
Later, working as a doctor, she saw countless other women struggle to be heard, diagnosed and properly supported. That lived experience would lead to the creation of Ovum.
Women are spending 25% more time in poor health compared to men… and it’s costing our global economy one trillion dollars annually because over 50% of the population are unable to show up to work in the way that they would.Dr Ariella Heffernan-Marks
But Heffernan-Marks has ambitions that go well beyond another health-tracking app. Ovum is gathering longitudinal data that she hopes can help address the historic under-representation of women in medical research and expose patterns that conventional healthcare may miss.
The Melbourne-based startup is conducting clinical research into whether AI can improve women's engagement with preventative healthcare.
For Heffernan-Marks, however, the technology is only part of the story. Her bigger ambition is to change the relationship between women and the health system - giving patients a stronger voice while ensuring that AI remains a tool to support, rather than replace doctors.
