Meet the Founder

Hi there, my name is Lauren Barclay.

I live with an unresolved internal disability: Chronic Pain of Unknown Etiology. 

While working full-time, I pushed through worsening pain until it became impossible to ignore. What followed were countless appointments of ultrasounds, blood tests, X-rays, a colonoscopy, a CT scan, and then still no answers. Eventually, I had to leave my job and find one that had the flexibility for me to beathe through the pain and then continue working.

I know what it means to navigate a healthcare system that does not fully see women.

This initiative was not born from my experience alone, it was born from recognizing a pattern.

Conditions that primarily affect women remain under-researched, underfunded, dismissed and misunderstood. For decades, medical standards treated male anatomy as the default. It's only been in the past 30 years that women have started to be medically researched. 

Symptoms are minimized.
Diagnoses are delayed.
Lives are quietly altered.

 

This is not about individual healthcare providers. It is about a system that was never designed with women as autonomous, complex biological beings at its center, as it has been for males.

The Liora Initiative exists to help reshape research, clinical care, education, and advocacy so women’s biology and lived experiences are no longer treated as secondary as it was in the past design. We are grassroots, structured for longevity and unapologetically bold; because this problem has persisted for far too long.

I refuse to accept that there are no answers.

Our Long-Term Plan: 

The Liora Initiative is building a comprehensive, systems-based approach to women’s health; one that addresses gaps that have persisted for generations. By integrating advocacy, research, care and education, we aim to create a self-reinforcing ecosystem that will drive meaningful and lasting change.

Our work begins by advocating for women and raising awareness about their bodies. We need to listen to lived experiences, concerns, and insights. This ensures that the Initiative is grounded in real needs and that future research will be guided by evidence-informed priorities as the model grows.

The model of our three future interconnected branches, along with the education phase, are designed to work together seamlessly:

  • "The Liora Initiative" (Community Driven): Grassroots advocacy and fundraising through the Initiative, currently working to establish itself as a registered charity and build the resources needed for legal, structural, and operational foundations.

    • *This branch is active now, building awareness, gathering insights, and shaping priorities.

    • "Liora Research Centre" – The Barston Institute for Women’s Health: Investigating the conditions that have been historically under-researched or overlooked due to funding gaps or complexities, ensuring no discovery is left behind.

    • "Liora Nexus" – Barston’s Hub of Research and Care for Women: The planned combination Women's Hospital for research-informed clinical care, where new insights are applied directly to patient care while informing further research.

    A core component of this model is Education and Generational Impact. Validated research will be integrated into school systems to unify health education, ensuring that both male and female anatomy are taught accurately and comprehensively.

    Together, advocacy, research, care and education form a continuous reinforcing cycle: lived experience identifies unmet needs, research validates them, care applies discoveries in practice, and education spreads knowledge. 

    Every branch is designed to be transparent, measurable and impactful - laying the foundation for a healthcare system that finally centers women.

    Our Core Values:

    Our work at The Liora Initiative is guided by core values that ensure we remain true to our mission and the women we serve:

    1. Women-Centered Research

    Women’s health deserves priority in research, to be a standard rather than put in a specialized classification. We advocate for standards that reflect female biology as essential, not optional.

    2. Education That Reflects Reality

    Medical and public health education must support both female and male anatomy equally. Knowledge should correct systemic bias, not reinforce it.

    3. Transparency & Accountability

    Trust is built through openness. We are committed to full transparency in funding, partnerships, and progress as we grow.

    4. Lived Experience as Evidence

    Women’s stories are not anecdotal, they are data. Lived experience must inform research, clinical care and policy decisions.

    5. Systemic Change Over Symbolism

    We are not here for awareness alone, we need answers - we need hope. We exist to shift structures, reform standards and build lasting change in women’s healthcare.

    6. Impact Before Profit

    This work is rooted in purpose, not profit. Our goal is measurable progress in women’s health, not institutional prestige.