Audrey Sherman: Leading with Invention and Intention

Women Leaders in Healthcare – shaping the future of care

14/04/2025

As part of our new series Women Leaders in Healthcare, this portrait introduces Audrey Sherman – inventor, mentor, and pioneer in med tech.

Audrey Sherman combines scientific expertise with a strong sense of purpose.
For over 35 years, she has shaped the med tech industry from within – not only through advanced materials research, but with a constant focus on practical applications that benefit people in their daily lives. Her work on pressure-sensitive adhesives has led to important solutions, including long-wear patches for glucose monitoring systems that help patients live with more flexibility and fewer interruptions.

She has made significant contributions in her field, holding more than 170 US patents. But for her, innovation is not about personal milestones – it’s about creating meaningful solutions. She sees science as a way to address real-world challenges, and invention as something grounded in everyday needs.

Outside the lab, Audrey is actively engaged in mentoring and in encouraging more women to pursue careers in science. Her own interest was sparked in high school when she met a woman scientist who showed her how creativity and scientific thinking can come together – and how important diverse perspectives are. Today, Audrey is that spark for others, speaking in schools and at events, encouraging young people to explore opportunities in STEM.

What stands out about Audrey is not just her technical expertise, but her view that innovation begins with attentiveness – with recognizing what matters, daring to ask “what if,” and being willing to follow an idea even if it’s not widely understood – yet.

In her own words: Audrey Sherman

Challenges I’ve overcome – and what I’ve learned

"As a woman innovator, it takes a strong self-worth to be assertive enough to get my ideas across, and I have learned to be patient yet bold enough to stand up for my work once its value is understood."

My tips for women in healthcare

"Be bold, be assertive and be patient. No one sees what you are seeing, and no one can think about it like you do as well. Communication can be your friend."

Why networks are important

"I love any of them that encourage kids in STEM and Innovation. The patent agencies are getting into this effort to foster the next generation of inventors."

How I see the future of the healthcare industry

"I see an era where human and machine work together to bring more precision and better decision to the industry."

Qualities I call essential for success in the healthcare industry

"I think collaboration is the most important quality for success in healthcare and in the future, it could include machine tools as well, but I like grit as well. Because science will never show you that you got the right answer… that only comes after you know what is right. Before then, you face a lot of nos and it takes real grit to work past them to get to that final yes."

My advice for building a strong professional network

"Never assume that a connection cannot help you or that you cannot help them – that two-way street should always be kept open for the future."

The best advice I ever received

"No one knows what you know, because no one has experienced it like you have, so that knowledge is uniquely yours. It’s your choice how to use it."

Audrey Sherman is the first voice in our new "Women Leaders in Healthcare" series – spotlighting women who are shaping the future of medicine through expertise, vision, and commitment. In upcoming editions of our "Women Leaders in Healthcare" series, we will introduce more trailblazing women driving innovation across the healthcare landscape.

Show courage – even if others don't follow immediately

Stay patient when it comes to new ideas

Embrace your perspective – it's uniquely yours and can lead to real impact

MEDICA Program "CONNECTING WOMEN LEADERS IN HEALTHCARE"

Author: Melanie Prüser | Editorial team MEDICA-tradefair.com

Melanie Prüser has been writing about the exciting interface between medicine and technology for MEDICA.de since 2019. She is always on the lookout for the stories behind devices and applications to show how innovations directly change the everyday lives of medical professionals and patients.