Supporting Equal Opportunities: Five Female Students from RWTH Aachen University at DMEA 2026 in Berlin

As part of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering's program to promote equal opportunities, five female students from RWTH Aachen University had the chance to attend this year's medical informatics trade fair DMEA 2026 in Berlin. The goal of this initiative is to support young talent at an early stage, foster industry exchange, and provide insights into a wide range of professional and career paths at the intersection of medical technology, digitalization, and healthcare.

DMEA is one of the most important events in Germany's digital health sector. By attending expert talks, panel sessions, and exhibitor presentations, the participants were able to learn first-hand about current developments and challenges.

A particular added value of the trip was networking: Through conversations with companies, hospitals, start-ups, and research institutions, the students gained a concrete understanding of which skills are in demand in the sector and what entry opportunities exist. Among other things, this created opportunities for future student projects and internships, as well as for future career entry.

In addition, the participants took the opportunity to make use of on-site career offers and networking formats to prepare for their next steps towards entering the professional world in a targeted way. For our institute, the excursion was also a valuable opportunity to strengthen knowledge transfer between research, teaching, and practical application. Particularly memorable were the talks and discussion topics "Digitalization as a speed booster for gender-sensitive medicine?", "Discussions on women's health", "Leading women in medicine", and "Career paths of women in medicine (technology)".

We would like to thank the Commission for Equal Opportunities of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at RWTH Aachen University for funding this initiative.