Closing the Maternal Health Gap: Underfunded, Understudied and Expecting More

There is a moment in every career when the challenge stops being someone else's problem to solve. For Aimee Corso, Senior Vice President of Growth at Mirvie, that moment happened at the intersection of the most underfunded corner of medicine and one of the most consequential windows of a woman's life: pregnancy. In this episode of Women I Want You to Know by Andrea L. Johnston™ Podcast, Andrea and Aimee unpack why pregnancy is not just a joyous event but a powerful diagnostic window into a woman's future health, how RNA-powered diagnostics can predict complications like preeclampsia before symptoms appear and what it looks like to bet your career on changing a system where 80% of maternal deaths are still preventable. Aimee has spent 20+ years taking what science proves and making sure it actually reaches people. She built that skill in the lab. Sharpened it at agencies and across two of Amazon’s largest healthcare initiatives. Tested it as a Chief Marketing Officer. And then made the boldest call of her career: walking away from one of the most resourced platforms in healthcare to join a pre-commercial startup in pregnancy health. Not because it was the safe decision. Because she saw where the science is going and who is finally funding it. In this episode, listeners will hear: Personalized pregnancy care starts with data – and data gives you agency. Pregnancy is not just a joyous event: it’s a diagnostic window. The more you know about your own body, the more control you have over your outcomes, during pregnancy and beyond, before a crisis happens. The US maternal health crisis is preventable. 80% of maternal deaths don't have to happen. Awareness and advocacy are the starting line. Advocate loudly. Women of color are disproportionately not heard when they report symptoms. Every woman needs to know her biology and push back on a system that defaults to generic risk guidelines. Translation is as important as the science itself. Healthcare needs more than researchers. It needs communicators, marketers and operators to truly have an impact. Don't count yourself out because you're not a clinician. Career passion is not cliché — it's purposeful. When layoffs happen, companies pivot and startups lose funding, passion is the mechanism that keeps you moving. Build your career around it on purpose. Block time for self-care. Don’t rely on your good intentions. Put restoration in your calendar or it doesn't happen. Resources & Connections Connect with Aimee Corso on LinkedIn Read Aimee’s WIWYTK Editorial Feature on LinkedIn Mirvie — focused on RNA-based prediction of pregnancy complications Connect with Andrea Johnston on LinkedIn https://www.fuelforfemalefounders.com Enjoyed This Episode? Leave a review. Share it with a woman in your life who needs to hear this, especially one who is pregnant, planning to be, or has a daughter who may be someday. And join the conversation on LinkedIn and Instagram.