Join Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) & U of T on Tuesday, March 31 as we kickoff the FemSTEM Africa 2026 event series!
Now in its third year, FemSTEM Africa continues to grow a community of women founders, innovators, and ecosystem partners advancing health entrepreneurship across Africa. In 2026, the University of Toronto is partnering with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to co-deliver the program and expand opportunities for women-led health ventures.
This year’s Kickoff Event will feature a panel, interactive discussion, and networking session with three early-stage health entrepreneurs.
Join us to hear about their journeys and experiences commercializing innovations in the health sector. We’ll explore how they got started and open the floor for questions from the audience.
All are welcome to join – students, faculty, alumni, founders, aspiring innovators, and more!
Meet the Panelists
Beverly Senda is the founder of Pana+Care, a Kenyan healthtech company improving access to chronic care for diabetes and hypertension through clinic-based telemedicine and digital patient management tools. She holds a Doctorate and a Master’s degree in Information Systems and Technology, and brings a strong systems and security lens to building healthcare infrastructure. Beverly works closely with county health teams and frontline clinicians to deliver scalable, data-driven care models that strengthen access and continuity of care in underserved communities.
Nura Izath is a computer engineer and digital health innovator, and the co-founder of Neosave Technologies. She holds a BSc in Computer Engineering and an MSc in Information Systems from Mbarara University of Science and Technology. She leads the development of Autothermo, an upper-arm wearable device with a central dashboard designed to continuously monitor newborn temperature and support early detection of hypothermia in resource-limited settings. Her work sits at the intersection of engineering, clinical needs, and responsible innovation, with a strong focus on improving newborn survival across the continent.
Nura has received multiple recognitions for the Autothermo work, including being named among the Top 15 African Women in Digital Health (2024). She has served as a panelist and speaker at global health and innovation forums organized by institutions such as Africa CDC-Youth in Digital Health Network, Amref Health Africa, and African Women in Digital Health, where she shares insights on digital health innovation, equitable access to technology, and translating research into scalable, caregiver-centered solutions.
Prudence Ibila is a Biomedical Engineer and health-tech entrepreneur, serving as the CEO & Co-founder of UzimaNexus, a digital health platform connecting clinics, patients, and health data into one integrated ecosystem. Through UzimaNexus, she is addressing the fragmentation in healthcare systems across Africa by improving access, care coordination, and data-driven decision-making for providers, partners, and policymakers.
She is currently pursuing a master’s in biomedical engineering at Kenyatta University as a Lemelson Foundation Scholar, where her work centers on scalable innovation and practical healthcare solutions. With over three years of experience in medical equipment and pharmaceutical sales, Prudence brings strong commercial insight into how health technologies move from concept to market.
Her work is driven by a vision to bridge the gap between healthcare innovation and real-world implementation, ensuring that technology translates into measurable impact for clinicians, patients, and health systems across the continent.
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