Petra Wale: a woman in science, an industry leader, an innovator.
Petra Wale has been part of the ART sector for more than 20 years and has seen the transformation of the industry as research and technology has progressed clinical and scientific practices and driven positive outcomes. But there’s one innovation that fascinates Petra most, and it’s what drives her work today – the continuous shift of societal trends and acceleration of technology in the patient experience.
“I remember a time, and it’s not so long ago, when IVF simply wasn’t publicly accepted. I first started my career in an era when IVF clinics didn’t publicise what building they were in, they stayed hidden away,” Petra recalls. “There was serious community backlash about the creation of embryos outside a human body.”
The destigmatisation of IVF and infertility began at the turn of the century, alongside many of the big scientific advancements in IVF, such as ICSI, blastocyst culture and embryo biopsy. The first marketing innovation came in the early 2000s, when Business Development professionals were hired to visit GP practices and build referral networks.
“The biggest marketing initiative that we once saw in IVF was an occasional Yellow Pages listing. Business was generated solely through GP referrals to a fertility doctor and IVF unit,” Petra said.
“The thing that began to turn around public opinion was education of these GPs. We started to run information nights to educate doctors on infertility. It was the industry’s first foray into marketing and was quite a transformational period – it was really the first step in breaking down those societal barriers,” she continued.
To say that things accelerated from there would be a gross understatement. The decades that have followed have not only seen the utilisation of IVF increase across communities, it has completely flipped public behaviour.
“It’s ethical and good for society when science and medical innovation is shared. Education, sharing good news stories publicly, and direct to consumer marketing turned IVF from a taboo topic, into a social norm.
"Technology has played a huge part with social media and online forums bringing people together to talk about reproductive health, share their infertility journeys and openly discuss IVF. Where we once saw the odd documentary around scientific and clinical advancements in IVF, we now have a documentary-series sharing patient stories and experiences on a major free-to-air channel,” Petra explains.
And now, with IVF a household name, Petra believes the next big innovation will be the transformation of the patient experience.
“We have incredible technology in our labs and clinics to accelerate outcomes. And, now we need technology to support patients in communicating, receiving information, accessing resources, and tracking diagnoses, treatment and results, in a private and secure way,” says Petra.
It’s Petra’s view that the digitisation of practices such as communication and sharing treatment information and test results will empower patients to take control of their treatment journeys.
“One of the biggest challenges that we need to overcome for our patients is endurance. If the first cycle isn’t successful, are they equipped to endure subsequent treatments? The way we do this is through support and access. When a patient is lying awake at 3am with a question on their mind, how can they access the answer so that they can go back to sleep? When they want to access their treatment plans and results with privacy, how can we provide them with that space?”
The answer, as Petra explains, is through technology.
“I was born the same year that the first IVF baby was born, so I remember a time when a phone call was the only way to contact someone. But now, we have a new generation who have grown up with technology. They want access to information day and night. They want to choose how they communicate with their care team and how they access information, and they want direct access to that information at a time and in a place that is comfortable for them. Patient support needs to be technology-led, and that’s our next big transformation.”
Petra Wale is a key member of Virtus Health’s leadership team, across both science and strategy. She is Principal Scientist – Innovation and leads the group Health Informatics function and Virtus’ digital transformation work. Her impact extends beyond Virtus; she has contributed to the ART sector internationally, driving research, innovation, and scientific outcomes for over 23 years. Petra is the current President of the Fertility Society of Australia & New Zealand (FSANZ) and holds a PhD in reproductive biology from Melbourne University.