Top 25 Women of Influence 2017: Jessica Ching

Jessica Ching

CEO & Co-Founder, Eve Medical

Only one-third of Canadian women get regular Pap tests, even though they can be critical in the early detection of cervical cancer — a disease that four Canadians are diagnosed with everyday. Why? Screening is uncomfortable and time-consuming, and for some, travel distance or lack of childcare options are issues. Enter the Eve Kit, a screening kit that you order online, self-administer at home, and then ship to a lab for results. Depending on the version selected, the kit can detect HPV, which can be a precursor to cervical cancer, or chlamydia and gonorrhea, two common sexually transmitted infections. This simple solution to screening barriers is the brainchild of Jessica Ching, who remarkably has a background not in health, but in industrial design. The Eve Kit officially became available in Canada in March, after six years spent refining the design and delivery. It’s already selling on the global stage, with kits in more than a dozen countries, but Jessica has lofty goals: she’s set a target to be screening five million women worldwide in 2020. By making HPV and STI screening convenient, painless, and reliable, Jessica Ching is addressing a preventable gap in women’s health, in Canada and beyond.

Who else are we honouring? See the full Women of Influence Top 25 list for 2017.