Plexāā highlights prehabilitation’s role in transforming surgical recovery at WHIS 2025
Women’s health has always been an area rich with need but too often underserved by innovation. For many patients, the surgical journey still feels fragmented — a series of disconnected steps rather than a continuous, supported experience. But that’s changing, thanks to a new wave of leaders and technologies transforming every stage of care.
At the Women’s Health Innovation Series (WHIS), our COO, Gaele Lalahy had the privilege of joining the panel “The Future of Surgery: Innovations Improving Women’s Health Outcomes.” Expertly moderated by Richard Meiklejohn, Program Manager, Innovation Hub, Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, the discussion brought together three women leading the charge in redefining how surgery can better serve patients:
Kate Drake (MMI - Medical Microinstruments, Inc.) — showcased how advanced robotics are expanding the limits of minimally invasive surgery, moving into complex areas such as breast cancer reconstruction and lymphedema.
Manisha Shah-Bugaj (Activ Surgical) — discussed how real-time data insights and enhanced visualization are empowering surgeons with new levels of precision and intelligence, while highlighting the need for representative data to ensure innovations truly serve all women.
Gaele shared how focusing on the often-overlooked phase of prehabilitation can transform surgical recovery. With BLOOM⁴³, we’re demonstrating how better preparing patients before they ever enter the OR can dramatically improve outcomes and speed healing.
Despite this momentum, the reality remains stark: less than 1% of healthcare research funding goes toward female-specific conditions. These “persistent gaps in care” are not abstract statistics — they represent the lived experiences of millions of women navigating a system that still doesn’t fully see them.
That’s why the work being done across companies like Plexāā, Activ Surgical, and MMI is so essential. The innovations we’re developing — in prehab, AI, and robotics — are doing more than improving surgical precision; they’re reshaping how women experience care before, during, and after surgery.
Across our discussion, one message rang clear: collaboration is the catalyst for progress.
Even as innovation accelerates, we continue to face shared challenges — from complex reimbursement pathways to limited investment in women’s health technologies.
Events like WHIS are vital in addressing these barriers. They bring together the visionaries, investors, and clinicians who can help move innovation from pilot to practice — and ensure that solutions designed for women actually reach women.
The future of women’s surgery isn’t defined by one breakthrough device or one company. It’s an integrated ecosystem of prehabilitation, AI, and robotics — all working together to deliver more holistic, equitable care.
Our collective challenge now is to design new funding models and collaborative pathways that speed up adoption and get these innovations into the hands of clinicians faster. Because ultimately, collaboration across industry — for the betterment of patients — may be the most powerful innovation of all.
We’re incredibly grateful to WHIS for creating a space where innovation, collaboration, and connections come together — all in service of improving women’s health outcomes.
About Plexāā
Plexāā is a pioneering medtech company focused on improving surgical outcomes through devices and digital products. Its flagship device, BLOOM⁴³, enables patients to supraphysiologically precondition their skin, potentially reducing the risk of wound healing complications such as infection and skin necrosis, which affect up to one in three women undergoing breast surgery.
Plexāā is also exploring the application of this technology in other surgical fields, including obstetrics for C-sections, orthopedics for joint operations, and general and vascular surgery, with a commitment to improving pre-operative preparation for surgery and patient outcomes. Please visit the company website and follow the company on Instagram and LinkedIn.
Media Contact:
marketing@plexaa.com