2025 AI Visionaries Announced: Spotlight on Women’s Health Innovation

Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) have today unveiled their 2025 AI Visionaries list – celebrating outstanding pioneers behind groundbreaking advancements in women’s health and gender equity through artificial intelligence (AI).

The 2025 AI Visionaries list includes:

• Dr Shera Chok, thought leader and healthcare professional
• Dr Frances Conti-Ramsden, obstetrics & gynaecology registrar
• Dr Chen Mao Davies, founder and CEO, advocate for change
• Harriet Dickinson, researcher, data and analytics
• Dr Amrita Kumar, consultant radiologist & clinical AI lead
• Jean Ledger PhD, head of research for a menopause app
• Penny Lewis, osteoporosis specialist lead
• Jessica Rose Morley, PhD, post-doctoral associate, Digital Ethics Center
• Ann O’Neill, co-founder and CEO of a menopause app
• Jack Parker, Researcher, entrepreneur and innovator
• Persefoni Eirini Perivolaropoulou, researcher and civil engineer
• Dr Susan Shelmerdine, academic paediatric radiology consultant
• Dr Isabel Straw, Researcher, emergency doctor and expert policy influencer
• Nell Thornton, improvement fellow
• Dr Charlotte Woolley, researcher and epidemiologist
• Dandan Zhang, assistant professor in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning
• AI for Women’s Health Group – a national academic community hosted at the Alan Turing Institute
• Leadership Team of Women’s Health Tech Company (Matt Gillam, Prof. Ingrid Granne, Dr. Nikki Kanani MBE, Prof. Cecilia Lindgren, Chris Wigley)

The AI Visionaries initiative profiles individuals and teams whose work is making a positive change in one of three key areas: AI being used in women’s health, female leadership in health AI, and work examining sex bias in AI.

These innovators are addressing a critical gap in healthcare where women have long been underserved. Despite making up 51% of the population, women’s health issues often go overlooked, with a striking 60% of UK women reporting their medical concerns aren’t taken seriously [1].

Dr MaryAnn Ferreux, Medical Director at Health Innovation KSS said “Selecting our finalists was exceptionally challenging given the extraordinary talent pool. By spotlighting these visionaries, we’re not just celebrating individual achievements – we’re building momentum for a fundamental shift in how AI addresses women’s health needs. The exceptional calibre of our finalists shows we’re at a turning point where AI and technology can finally help close the gender health gap.”

From surgical robotics to groundbreaking algorithms, the selected visionaries span diverse backgrounds – NHS, private healthcare, technology, research and academia, data science and public policy. They are united by a common mission: harnessing AI’s power to transform women’s healthcare while ensuring the technology itself does not perpetuate existing biases.

While AI is revolutionising healthcare, women remain underrepresented both in clinical trials and in the AI workforce, where they make up only a quarter of professionals [2]. This initiative spotlights not only those using AI to advance women’s health but also the female leaders shaping the future of health AI.

Catalysing change through collaboration

The selected visionaries will gather at an exclusive DHSC and NHS England event in January 2025, where they will meet with other leaders in AI and women’s health to start a conversation on the importance of factoring women into the design, development, and deployment of AI. Key highlights from the discussions will be shared post-event.

The complete AI Visionaries booklet for 2025 is now available, showcasing these pioneers and their groundbreaking work. By sharing their stories and successes, we can inspire the next generation of pioneers and demonstrate AI’s potential to create a more equitable healthcare future.

Following the high levels of interest in AI Visionaries, a new collaborative network is also in development, through which we hope to create a space for continued innovation and knowledge sharing. More details to follow.