Bridging the Gap: Celebrating Women and Girls in STEM

To commemorate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2024, we hear from Omolabake Adenle, a consultant Machine Learning Engineer from DigitalHealth.London Accelerator alumnus company Odin Vision, as she offers insights into her journey navigating a successful career in STEM.

While the gender gap persists across various sectors, its impact is especially pronounced in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). According to STEM Women’s April 2023 Whitepaper, only 24% of the STEM workforce in the UK are female. Within the Artificial Intelligence (AI) sector, only one in five professionals (22%) are women.

This issue is systemic and begins from early education, with research revealing women who study STEM subjects at the undergraduate level in England are twice as likely as non-STEM students to face sexism from male STEM students. Unfortunately, these biases persist in the workplace, despite evidence highlighting diversity in the workforce as a benefit to both industry and the economy. A report from McKinsey has shown a 47% difference in return on equity between companies with the most women on their executive committees and those with none, along with a 55% variance in operating results.

Recognising the significance of this issue, the United Nations established the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Celebrated annually on 11 January, the day serves as an important opportunity to advocate full and equal access to science for women and girls.

At DigitalHealth.London, we are committed to championing diversity and gender equality to truly transform our NHS, health and care for the better. To mark the occasion, we spoke to Omolabake Adenle, a consultant Machine Learning Engineer from our DigitalHealth.London Accelerator alumnus company Odin Vision to understand the steps they are taking to bridge the gender gap.

By amplifying the voices of aspiring women like Omolabake, we hope to inspire a broader dialogue surrounding both the challenges and opportunities that women and girls encounter in pursuing careers in STEM and digital health.

Daniel Toth
Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Odin Vision

Working towards gender equality requires active participation from each of us. It is important to empower and celebrate women and girls in STEM and digital health so that we can build a future that provides equal opportunities for all to acknowledge and fulfil their potential.

Ruth Bradbury
Senior NHS Navigator at DigitalHealth.London

Let’s start with the basics – tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Omolabake Adenle, and I am a consultant Machine Learning Engineer helping enhance Odin’s Machine Learning Operations (MLOps) infrastructure to support scaling model training.

You work in an exciting area of digital health. How did you end up in your career?

During my undergraduate studies, I pursued some research in medical imaging and am enjoying the opportunity to work with Odin to apply that experience in a commercial setting.

What do you do at Odin Vision?

I am helping expand Odin’s machine-learning platform to support developing tools that help Odin train deep-learning models at scale while making the most efficient use of compute resources and machine-learning frameworks to help improve model accuracy and improve workflows for model deployment. 

What challenges have you personally observed or experienced throughout your career? How have you overcome them?

Throughout my career, a recurring challenge I have been faced with is ensuring I am flexible and open to and make the most of new opportunities presented to me. I have found that maintaining a flexible mindset has helped me take advantage of opportunities I would likely otherwise have missed.

What advice would you give to women considering a career like yours, or in STEM?

There are a wide variety of opportunities, beyond programming and engineering. I think incorporating elements of a STEM education from any degree background provides a gateway for exploring a career in STEM, especially for women who may not necessarily be interested in engineering.

To find out more about Odin Vision and how they use AI to support the early detection of colorectal cancer, check out SME of the Week: Odin Vision – DigitalHealth.London.

DigitalHealth.London is delighted to publish blogs/articles by the NHS staff and digital health companies we support through our programmes, as well as sector thought leaders, experts, and academics. Any opinions expressed within blogs published on our website are those of the author and not necessarily held by DigitalHealth.London. For more information, or if you would like to write for our website, please email info@digitalhealth.london.

Odin Vision is an alumnus of the DigitalHealth.London Accelerator Programme.

The DigitalHealth.London Accelerator is a collaborative programme funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the Health Innovation Network South London, the Office of Life Sciences, CW+, the Mayor of London and the Levelling Up Fund.