Join us for an empowering event dedicated to raising awareness about breast cancer ‘Staying aBreast,’ presented by the Cambridge FemTech Society in collaboration with Cambridge Pink Week. This event will feature three insightful short talks and is open to all. All donations collected will go directly to support Cambridge Pink Week’s vital initiatives.
Margaret Shanahan – Breast Cancer Survivor and Clincial Nurse Specialist
I trained in the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital and qualified with my Breast Care Nursing Diploma from Royal Marsden London. I was the third ever Breast Care Nurse appointed in Ireland. I set up the first multidisciplinary Breast Care service for the women of Cork & Munster along with my colleagues in 1993. I was involved in the validation study for sentinel lymph node biopsy in Cork & the Tailor X trial. These two trials, in particular, in my opinion have changed management and outcomes for so many women. I also trained as a reconstruction tattoo specialist and I am an ardent Cork (GAA), Liverpool (soccer) and Ireland (rugby) fan. From the day I started my career in breast care nursing I found my home. I have never found my job a chore. I so admire my colleagues I work with & the way they makes changes daily to improve outcomes & quality of life for our patients. Most of all I admire the women I look after daily who never cease to amaze me with their strength, courage, bravery in coping with their diagnosis of breast cancer both physically & emotionally.
Alexandra Livesey – Breast Cancer Survivor and Advocate
I am Alex and I was diagnosed with breast cancer on 1st February 2023 when I was 31 years old. I subsequently found out I have the BRCA2 gene mutation. To say it’s been a journey would be an understatement, but I am here to tell the tale due to cancer research and technology. My goal is to help raise awareness wherever I can and to help others navigate a diagnosis.
Dotplot
Dotplot is an at-home breast health monitoring tool designed to empower users with real-time insights into their breast health. Dotplot aims to read and interpret diverse physical and mechanical characteristics of breast tissues, prompting users to seek professional healthcare advice upon detecting concerning changes. Survival rates escalate to 93% when detected at earlier stages. However, only 47% of women perform breast self-checks, primarily due to limited guidance and a lack of resources, confined to pamphlets and videos. Our mission is to facilitate early detection and provide individuals a proactive approach to manage their breast health. Dotplot is a recipient of prestigious National James Dyson Award 2022 and has also successfully delivered 2 UKRI grant projects. Both the co-founders met at the Innovation Design Engineering Master’s Programme offered jointly by the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London, which is where Dotplot began.
Shefali Bohra – Co-Founder
Shefali, completed her undergraduate degree in Product Design in India and began her career as Researcher & Strategist at Fractal Analytics, a unicorn B2B AI company. She worked with various clients ranging from MedTech insurance companies to consumer product units. She developed a niche in MedTech products during her early career and academic years.
Debra Babalola – Co-Founder
Debra has a background in Product Design has previously worked at the German Aerospace Centre to develop an interaction for upper-limb prosthetics that helps users train their prosthesis. Her ambition is to implement solutions that make people’s lives easier to live and that have long-lasting benefits for society at large. At Dotplot, she ensures that user-centred design informs how our product offering is shaped.
