Some problems are too big to fix from inside the system. That’s what Dr. Ana Catalina Duarte discovered during her 15 years in pharmaceutical leadership. She watched as women’s health issues piled up, while solutions remained out of reach. The breaking point came when she saw just how many businesses were losing money by ignoring a problem hiding in plain sight.
Understanding the Cost of Neglect
The numbers tell a stark story about women’s health in the modern workplace. Through her work in pharmaceutical leadership and business consulting, Dr. Duarte uncovered a critical disconnect in healthcare delivery. “By 2030, 1 billion women worldwide will be experiencing menopause, that’s more than three times the US population,” she explains. Most of these women won’t get the help they need. “Only 6% of them receive proper treatment,” Dr. Duarte says, frustration evident in her voice.
Businesses are paying for this gap, whether they realize it or not. “In the US alone, menopause-related productivity losses cost businesses 1.8 billion a year,” she points out. But the real punch comes from what’s hiding behind that number – talented women stepping back from leadership roles, increased sick days, and a workplace that’s bleeding experience when it can least afford to.
Shifting from Medicine to Board Room
Nobody sets out to change the business world after medical school. Dr. Duarte sure didn’t. But sometimes you have to step outside the system to fix it. “I saw this gap firsthand, but I also saw the opportunity,” she says about leaving her corporate job. These days, you’re more likely to find her in a boardroom than an exam room.
She’s got two questions she asks every business leader she meets: “What’s the purpose that drives your business? Which is the real problem you are solving?” Simple questions that usually lead to complicated conversations. But that’s where the real work begins.
Bridging Healthcare and Business
The jump from doctor to business strategist wasn’t just about changing careers. Dr. Duarte saw businesses bleeding money through healthcare costs they didn’t understand. More importantly, she saw a way to fix it that nobody was trying to. Most consultants come at healthcare problems with spreadsheets and PowerPoints. Dr. Duarte brings something different: real medical knowledge paired with business sense. When she shows business leaders the true cost of ignoring women’s health, they tend to listen. But knowing there’s a problem is only half the battle.
These days, Dr. Duarte works both sides of the equation. She develops health supplements that actually work, while showing businesses why they can’t afford to ignore women’s health. Her message cuts through the usual corporate speak: “Find your purpose, solve real problems. That’s not just good ethics, it’s good business.”
The supplement work keeps her grounded in what really matters – making things that help people. But it’s her consulting work that might make the biggest difference. She’s not just pointing out problems – she’s rolling up her sleeves and fixing them.
Looking Ahead
The menopause crisis might be bigger than any one person can solve, but Dr. Duarte is actively showing how businesses can be part of the answer instead of part of the problem. As more businesses wake up to the real cost of inadequate healthcare support, Dr. Duarte’s practical approach makes more and more sense. She keeps pushing forward, one business at a time. And slowly but surely, businesses are starting to get it: ignoring women’s health isn’t just bad medicine – it’s bad business.
To learn more about Dr. Ana Catalina Duarte and her approach, check out her LinkedIn profile.
