Rym Baouendi, Director, Venture Acceleration at Harvard Innovation Labs, shared on LinkedIn:
“October is Breast Cancer Awareness. Action Month.
As a breast cancer survivor/thriver, I feel especially grateful to have science and innovation by my side while navigating this experience, hoping to continue to emerge from it stronger and more serene.
I have so many blessings to be grateful for, first and foremost my family and friends. But this month, I also want to celebrate:
- Early detection. I’ve always been diligent about my checkups, and that’s how I was ‘lucky’ enough to catch it early. As I was going through this phase, the geek in me was fascinated by the incredible advances in radiology, medical imaging, and biopsy technologies and in awe of the professionals who invented and operated these tools. Investigating the science behind it all gave me immediate sense of trust in the process.
A fun coincidence: my ‘cousin,’ Nobel Laureate Prof. Moungi Bawendi, helped pioneer quantum dots, which have enabled important advances in cancer imaging. I heard the news of his Nobel Prize the morning of my first surgery. It felt like a little ray of light on a big day.
- Exceptional cancer care. Fate had it that I would be in Boston while navigating cancer, and I couldn’t have imagined a better care team. Dr. Michelle Specht, Dr. Amy Comander, Dr. Gayle Tillman, and so many other wonderful professionals brought not only extraordinary expertise but also a sense of calm and reassurance to the journey. I am deeply inspired by their dedication to their mission.
- Lifestyle medicine. My care team’s support extended beyond the ‘hard interventions’ -the surgery, radiation, and hormonal therapy-. They introduced me to the Paving the Path to Wellness program, a science-backed and actionable 12-week program that helped me set meaningful goals and turn them into lifestyle changes that will hopefully help reduce my risk of recurrence and improve my overall well-being.
- Healthcare and life sciences innovation. I’m fortunate to be surrounded by innovators at the Harvard Innovation Labs. From early ventures like WHOOP, which has helped me put several of the Paving the Path to Wellness pillars into practice and make incremental wellbeing changes, to the more recent ventures in the cancer care space such as Arul Health, PathCision Medicine, Qalam Health Solutions, Cancer Kids First, AI Pathology and several others that constantly remind us of the power of innovation to transform healthcare and improve lives.
- Cancer research. I try to keep up with advances in cancer research as much as I can. The progress is inspiring, but there is still so much to learn and do.
So, this Breast Cancer Action Month, I’ll leave you with three reminders:
- Stay on top of your screenings. Early detection matters.
- Small, sustainable lifestyle changes can make a difference. Don’t wait for ‘scary’ news to take action.
- Support science and innovation, from fundamental research to breakthroughs.”
Read about ‘PAVING the Path to Wellness -Thriving with a healthy body, peaceful mind, and joyful heart.’
This also can be interesting:
How Systemic Therapy Is Reshaping Breast Cancer Care in 2026
