Tina Ye
Studying LLB in Law at Queen's University Belfast

Bio

Tina Ye is a first generation Chinese-Canadian immigrant from Hangzhou, China. Her family moved to Canada in 2006, living in several different cities before settling down in White Rock, British Columbia. Tina is fluent in both Chinese Mandarin and English. 

Tina obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto, Canada. She majored in Human Biology Health and Disease Studies, with minors in Immunology and Physiology. Her interest in women’s health began with her third year summer research project at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. This research focused on the effect of green tea as treatment for Endometriosis — a chronic condition affecting 1 in every 10 women. From this project, she realized the precarious nature of science research on women-specific issues and how medicine is more than a strictly scientific discipline — it is also social and political.

Tina is currently completing her Law degree at Queen’s University Belfast. She looks to combine her background in medical sciences and her education in law to critically examine the human rights issues present in healthcare systems.  

In her spare time, Tina likes to read and write book reviews.

TEDx Talk Title

Mind The (Health) Gap

Overview of TEDx Talk

Have you ever wondered why there exists a plethora of medication to treat for erectile dysfunction, but none for dysmenorrhea (extreme period cramps), other than generic painkiller meds? Or, there could be the possibility that symptoms for acute and chronic illnesses manifest in different ways for men and women, but we are all diagnosed with one standard checklist?

This talk addresses the Health Gap that’s currently hidden from dominant social discourse when talking about gender inequality. Healthcare has an unspoken history of overlooking sex and gender differences in medical research. From lack of funding for women-specific research projects, to the deliberate exclusion of women participants in clinical trials because “female hormones are harder to control for”, to, ultimately, the faulty standardization of symptoms based on biased research criteria. Women are systematically denied a healthy body. This puts into doubt the validity of many medical interventions, diagnosis, and treatments. This talk is aimed to bring awareness to this health gap and open up the dialogue for discussion and accountability.