Speaker Biographies

Sofiat Akinola is Director of Health Policy and External Affairs at Roche Diagnostics, where she shapes global stakeholder engagement and contributes to policy strategy to strengthen health systems and expand access to diagnostics. Her work includes driving efforts to eliminate cervical cancer and advocating for timely screening and early detection across a broader women's health portfolio, including pre-eclampsia, PCOS, menopause and fertility. Sofiat began her global health career in Geneva before returning to Canada, where she worked in the NGO sector and later with the provincial government, supporting public health and social policy initiatives. She previously served as the World Economic Forum's global health lead, managing portfolios on Value-Based Healthcare, Universal Health Coverage, and Healthy Aging. She holds an MSc from the University of Oxford, an MPH from Tulane University, and a BA in Sociology from McGill University, focusing on gender, health, and international development.

Dr. Calbeth C. Alaribe, DMSc, MPH, PA-C, is a board-certified OBGYN Hospitalist/Surgical Physician Assistant, researcher, and health equity leader whose career spans over a decade at the intersection of clinical care, public health, and healthcare systems transformation. Her work focuses on advancing maternal health equity by addressing systemic racism in healthcare, reducing diagnostic delays, and ensuring that research and clinical practice equitably reflect the experiences of Black women and other historically marginalized populations. Dr. Alaribe’s contributions have been nationally recognized. She was honored as a Top 40 Under 40 Awardee by Emory University and Morehouse School of Medicine and won MIT’s 2020 Hacking Racism in Healthcare Competition for her innovative work advancing equity in medical systems. She has also been invited to share her expertise through leadership and advisory roles, including serving on the Community Advisory Council at Rhia Ventures, working as a Subject Matter Expert with Amaka Consulting, and supporting gender transformative leadership advocacy efforts as Co-Founder of Women in Global Health Nigeria. Clinically, Dr. Alaribe practices as an OBGYN Hospitalist/Surgical Physician Assistant at Valley Perinatal Services LLC. Dr. Alaribe holds a Doctor of Medical Science from Shenandoah University, a Master of Public Health in Global Health from Emory University, and a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies from Morehouse School of Medicine. She integrates this multidisciplinary training to bridge clinical practice with public health and research, creating pathways for more inclusive and equitable models of maternal healthcare.

Mark Amouzgar is the Co-founder & CEO of March Health, where he is building AI-driven tools to improve healthcare using digital twins and multi-agent decision-support systems. Guided by a network of physicians and specialists, March Health’s work spans multiple conditions—from women’s health (endometriosis, PCOS, chronic pelvic pain) to cardiometabolic and heart health. Under his leadership, the team combines AI and digital biomarkers with clinical expertise to support screening, monitoring, and personalized care across consumer and B2B solutions. Mark regularly shares insights on healthcare innovation and care pathways and has led partnerships and pilots across the U.S. health-tech ecosystem.

Katherine brings over two decades of experience in finance and innovation to her role as Head of U.S. Life Science & Healthcare at HSBC Innovation Banking, which she joined in 2023 to help launch HSBC’s global platform serving the innovation economy. Previously, she led Life Science & Healthcare at SVB from 2015 to 2023, following leadership roles at Wells Fargo, Merrill Lynch, and GE Capital. With deep expertise across banking and capital markets, Katherine supports high-growth companies from Series A onward with tailored financial solutions. She holds degrees in Economics and Finance from Virginia Tech and has completed executive programs at Dartmouth, Harvard Law School, and GE. Based in Boston since 2006, Katherine is also an active community leader. She serves on the American Cancer Society’s CEOs Against Cancer team, the National Board of Advisors for Women in Bio,and the Board of Advisors for Life Science Cares.

Michael Annichine is the CEO of Magee-Womens Research Institute & Foundation (MWRIF), where he leads the development to sustain programs and research at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital and Magee-Womens Research Institute, the largest research institute in the U.S. focused solely on women’s health and reproductive biology. The research institute, based in Pittsburgh and building collaborations around the world, is home to hundreds of world-class researchers who have devoted their careers to advancing the health of women. MWRI’s medical research spans a woman’s lifetime from nine months to 90+ years and focuses on improving women’s lives by learning more about the various conditions and diseases from which they suffer. Under Michael’s leadership since 2016, MWRIF has expanded its partnerships with industry, academia, and foundations and significantly grown its revenue base while capitalizing on the translational impact of its scientific investment. Michael is a seasoned professional with more than 20 years’ experience starting, developing, and leading local and national businesses across a variety of growth industries. Prior to his current position, Michael held the Chief Executive roles at C-leveled, FlyerCity Media, and CFS Home Loans, Inc. where his companies were twice named to the Inc. 1000 Fastest Growing Companies in America list. A Carnegie Mellon University alumnus and former Director of Investment Programs at the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, Michael has measurably impacted the Pittsburgh start-up community and built strong connections with business, private equity, and venture capital partners.

With more than 20 years in the field both as a practicing OB-GYN and health policy expert, Dr. Armstrong’s mission is to help solve for women’s health needs through clinical, policy and societal lenses. Dr. Armstrong is vice president and chief medical officer of women’s health and genomics at CVS Health. She is also associate professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTH). At CVS Health, Dr. Armstrong leads the women’s health and genomics strategy, program/product development, and cost management initiatives across the company. In this role, she works with lines of business and external collaborators to drive innovation, transformation, and improve outcomes in women’s health and genomics on a national scale. As a practicing physician at UTH, Dr. Armstrong provides direct patient care and supports medical student and resident education. She has practiced in a variety of health care delivery systems, including academic, public health and private practice settings. Dr. Armstrong is a graduate of Cornell University (A.B.) and has additional training in epidemiology from the University of Michigan, School of Public Health (M.P.H.) She received her MD degree from Rutgers University, New Jersey Medical School and completed residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, Brown University. She is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology. She also completed a primary health care policy fellowship through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Mara G. Aspinall is a healthcare industry leader with a commitment to civic involvement. Aspinall is a Partner at Illumina Ventures, an independent venture capital firm focused on genomics and precision health investing in diagnostics, life science tools and therapeutics. Aspinall was President and CEO of Ventana Medical Systems, a billion-dollar division of The Roche Group, (now Roche Tissue Diagnostics), a worldwide leader in the development and commercialization of tissue-based cancer diagnostics, where she led more than two dozen major instrument and assay launches and positioned the company as a global leader in companion diagnostics. Previously, Mara was President of Genzyme Genetics and Genzyme Pharmaceuticals. She transformed Genzyme Genetics from a niche player to one of the top five laboratories in the US. The business was sold to LabCorp for ~$1 billion. She grew Genzyme Pharmaceuticals four-fold to become a leader in specialized manufacturing. Throughout her career, Aspinall has spearheaded initiatives to educate the healthcare community on genomics and diagnostics. She is Editor of the popular Sensitive & Specific: The Testing Newsletter and the annual Diagnostics Year in Review. This commitment to expanding knowledge inspired Aspinall to co-found the Biomedical Diagnostics master’s degree program at Arizona State University, the only program in the world dedicated exclusively to diagnostics, genetics and genomics. Aspinall was named Arizona Biosciences Leader of the Year by the Arizona Biotechnology Association and one of “100 Most Inspiring People in Life Sciences” by PharmaVOICE magazine. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a BA from Tufts University, and is certified in Cybersecurity Oversight from Carnegie Mellon and NACD. Aspinall is a member of the Board of Directors of OraSure Technologies and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona.

Somer currently serves as the President & CEO of Hera Biotech, a women’s health company focused on commercializing ai-powered diagnostic tests and devices that significantly improve access, accuracy, and standard of care. Prior to founding Hera, Somer, spent ten years in life science venture capital at Targeted Technology Fund, the largest life science fund in San Antonio. During her time with Targeted Tech she also served as the Director of Clinical Operations for Santalis Pharmaceuticals. During her tenure, Santalis expanded its clinical program from a single IND to four active INDs; and from 2 domestic clinical trials to over 10 clinical trials, including 2 international trials. Somer earned her MBA with a specialization in Data Analytics, from Louisiana State University and prior to her work with the Targeted Technology Fund and Santalis, Somer attended the University of Texas San Antonio where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in entrepreneurship and was the winner of the prestigious C.I.T.E. (Center for Innovation Technology and Entrepreneurship) annual student competition, with a women’s health technology she invented.

Working with collaborators around the globe on research efforts showcasing the potential for accelerating the transformation of healthcare—better prevention, faster diagnosis, improved treatments—through innovation in digital health and the continued advancement of a digital, decentralized clinical trial model which can serve as the roadmap for transforming healthcare delivery. Katie Baca-Motes brings 14+ years of experience running large-scale research programs. She’s known for bringing innovation to the field of clinical research; for example, bringing the practice of A/B testing to build the mSToPs study cohort, one of the first remote site-less clinical trials. As the Co-Investigator and Director (2016-2021) of The Participant Center component of the All of Us Research Program (administered by the National Institutes of Health), she led the teams who built out a national infrastructure that enables “anyone, anywhere” to enroll in the program and she led innovations in digital and community-level engagement and in participant retention practices. She’s partnered in pioneering efforts such as working on some of the first studies to utilize patient-mediated EHR capture via SMART on FHIR. In early 2020, she co-founded the Scripps Digital Trials Center and launched DETECT, a COVID-19 research platform using wearable data for early detection and understanding progression of disease, factors for Long COVID, and vaccine response. In 2021, she launched the PowerMom Consortium, focused on accelerating maternal health research and decreasing health disparities. Katie’s expertise includes strategic partnerships, clinical trial enrollment, decentralized clinical trial structure, remote patient/participant monitoring, patient motivations, incentive structure, and behavioral economics. She’s passionate about bringing communities together to tackle health challenges, improving representation in research, and decreasing health disparities.

Charlene Bashore was formerly a Principal Scientific Researcher in the department of Early Discovery Biochemistry at Genentech. Charlene did her doctoral work in the lab of Andreas Martin at UC Berkeley, where she studied the structure and function of the 26S proteasome. In 2015 Charlene joined the department of Early Discovery Biochemistry at Genentech, where she studies the molecular underpinnings of therapeutically relevant targets within the ubiquitin-proteasome system.

Priya Bathija, is a nationally-recognized healthcare leader, attorney, and policy expert. She is currently Founder and CEO of Nyoo Health, which provides strategic guidance, best practices, and evidence-based tools to hospitals and health systems as they improve access, outcomes, and experiences for women across every age and stage of their lives. Previously, she was at the American Hospital Association where she led policy efforts and strategic initiatives on value, health equity and maternal health. She started her career as a healthcare attorney and served as in-house counsel and a member of the executive leadership teams at ProMedica and MedStar Health. Priya is also a Distinguished Practitioner in Residence at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and an adjunct professor at Loyola University Chicago School of Law.

Amy Beckley graduated with her PhD in Pharmacology from University of Colorado. She has studied everything from breast cancer progression to vaccine development. She began to focus on hormonal health after her personal battle with infertility and miscarriage. Amy founded Proov in 2016, with the mission to track and analyze hormones to finally understand hormones and how to treat diseases of the menstrual cycle with more precision and speed.

Dr. Ami Bhatt is a board-certified cardiologist, innovation strategist, global equity advocate, and systems storyteller redefining how and where healthcare happens. As the Chief Innovation Officer at the American College of Cardiology, she blends rigorous science with human-centered systems design to build a more inclusive, tech-enabled future for care, especially for women and underrepresented populations. Her work spans cardiology and care design, connecting digital innovation with the everyday needs of women, mothers, and historically overlooked patients. She’s co-founded telecardiology programs for underserved communities, implemented digital health strategies in low-resource settings, and helped shape national cardiovascular policy through innovation, infrastructure, and equity-first system reform. A respected voice on the future of medicine, she brings both clinical depth and cultural fluency to stages, podcasts, and policy rooms alike. Whether she's explaining how AI can support postpartum cardiovascular care, designing care models for patients, shaping policy for digital transformation, or mentoring the next generation of physician-leaders, Dr. Bhatt is building the next generation of healthcare, one that’s tech-enabled, equity-built, and deeply human.

Dr. Bischoff is an experienced professional with over 25 years of expertise in developing non-invasive clinical assays for various women’s health conditions such as endometriosis, IVF/ART, prenatal testing, and oncology. She has managed several research projects, published over 300 articles, and mentored executives and medical students alike. Dr. Bischoff has been recognized with numerous awards for her research, including the discovery of germline mutations in the p53 tumor suppressor gene. As CEO and CSO of FreMon Scientific, she successfully led the company’s first commercial product, ZipThaw202, through FDA clearance and transitioned it to the commercial stage during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Bischoff has a Ph.D. in Cancer Biology and has received postdoctoral training from M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and Baylor College of Medicine.

Vanessa has spent her academic and business career exclusively in life sciences & healthcare. She has worked at large pharma/biotech/tech companies such as Sanofi, Abbott, and NVIDIA and start-ups such as Ingenuity Systems (acquired by Qiagen) and Fabric Genomics (acquired by GeneDx). Vanessa is currently Senior Director at Eli Lilly focused on the Lilly TuneLab AI/ML Drug Discovery Platform. Vanessa began her career in academics and clinical research at UC Berkeley and UCSF and then transitioned to roles building new products, product marketing, and commercial ecosystem growth.

Denise N Bronner, PhD, has roughly 15 years of organizational thought leadership experience within the global healthcare space and has held various roles in academia, consulting, pharma, and venture capital. During her career, she has specialized in health equity, data-driven global therapy program strategy development, pitch and storytelling refinement, and identifying business opportunities within pharma. Beyond her professional endeavors, she's passionate about enhancing diversity in STEM fields, serving on advisory boards, participating as a judge in pitch/business competitions, and mentoring young professionals. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from Wayne State University, a Ph.D. in Microbiology & Immunology from the University of Michigan—Ann Arbor, and certification from the Venture Capital Executive Program from UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. She is the founder of Empactful Ventures which currently consults healthcare-focused startups and venture funds, and she is a member of the Clinical Leader editorial board.

Robert Bunn is the Founder and CEO of Ultrasound AI, a cutting-edge company at the forefront of revolutionizing women's health through artificial intelligence. With over 20 years of expertise in software development, data science, and AI, Robert has dedicated his career to leveraging technology to improve maternal and fetal outcomes, particularly in underserved areas. A graduate of Eastern Washington University with a Bachelor of Science and advanced coursework in analytical, organic, and physical chemistry, Robert combines a strong scientific foundation with innovative engineering. He holds multiple patents, including U.S. Patent 11,266,376 for "Premature Birth Prediction," which forms the basis of Ultrasound AI's flagship product, Delivery Date AI. This groundbreaking software analyzes ultrasound images to detect subtle changes that signal increased risk of preterm birth, empowering healthcare providers to intervene early and potentially save lives. Under Robert's leadership, Ultrasound AI emphasizes equitable access to advanced diagnostics, using diverse datasets to ensure accuracy across populations and making technology available regardless of location or socioeconomic status. His vision is rooted in compassion, aiming to advance personalized care and reduce disparities in women's health globally. Robert is a sought-after speaker at conferences such as the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM), where he shares insights on AI's transformative potential in obstetrics and gynecology.

As President of the Catalytic Impact Foundation since 2018, Rachel has helped to guide the growth of the organization to become a philanthropic leader in deploying catalytic capital to accelerate innovation in underfunded areas of healthcare, where there are significant unmet medical needs. These areas of focus include women’s health, children’s health, and brain/mental health. She has extensive experience and expertise analyzing, evaluating, and investing in early- and mid-stage companies in the life sciences and healthcare industry, and has served as a team leader managing the investment analysis and processes at the Catalytic Impact Foundation. Previously, she served as Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Asthma Magazine, a patient education publication for asthma and allergy. The magazine was used by the NHLBI in its national children’s asthma (CAMP) study; by Merck to launch its first-in-class asthma drug, Singulair; and by the American Lung Association, the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology, the National Association of School Nurses, and private practitioners throughout the country, to educate their patients about the condition. Subsequently, she guided the company through its acquisition by Elsevier Health Sciences, a leading publisher of medical journals, where she continued as Editor-in-Chief.

Lauren Cantor Wright is a Principal with Yosemite, a healthcare and biotechnology venture capital firm. Yosemite has a mission to make cancer nonlethal, and the team deploys for-profit and nonprofit capital across healthcare IT, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Prior to Yosemite, Lauren was an operator at Collective Health. Lauren has her MBA from Stanford and BS from Cornell.

Kristine Cecchetti Homovich is a healthcare executive, product strategist, and women's health advocate with more than 18 years of experience building and scaling solutions at the intersection of payers and digital health. At Evernorth, she's focused on redefining women's health innovation, pioneering the digital women's and family care category within the digital health formulary, the first of its kind at enterprise scale. Her work has advanced innovative solutions in fertility, maternity, autoimmune, and migraine support to millions of covered lives, driving measurable engagement, improved outcomes, and reduced total cost of care. Kristine has designed, launched, and managed over 200 pilots, many with leading women's health innovators, translating real-world needs into scalable payer offerings that align clinical value, affordability, and access. She is recognized for turning overlooked gaps such as miscarriage support and perimenopause navigation into enterprise growth opportunities that serve women and families more holistically. Beyond her corporate leadership, Kristine is a certified pre- and post-natal coach, a member of the Health Action Alliance Women's Health at Work Advisory Board, and a trusted advisor to emerging women's health startups. Above all, Kristine is committed to creating a healthcare system where women are seen, heard, and supported across each life stage, a mission shaped by her own experiences as a mom of two slightly beastly children and by listening to hundreds of women share their lived experiences.

Trish Costello is CEO and Founder of Portfolia and Managing Director of Portfolia Funds. Portfolia activates the wealth of women, with nearly 2,000 women limited partners in its venture capital funds. Portfolia’s 14 VC funds focus on industries that over-index for women, including Active Aging and Longevity, FemTech, Food/AgTech, Green & Sustainability, and Rising America (diversity). Portfolia created the first venture capital fund with a sole focus on women’s health in 2018, and the first led by five women of color partners in 2019. Portfolia is the most active VC firm in the US investing in women’s health and in health conditions that impact women differently. Portfolia has made over 150 investments, including unicorns Everly Health, GrubMarket, and Maven Clinic; and noted consumer products companies Madison Reed, Canela Media and Apollo Neuro. Trish is internationally recognized for her pioneering work in preparing venture capital investment partners through the prestigious Kauffman Fellows Program, which she created and spun out from the Kauffman Foundation and continues as CEO Emeritus. Trish was Founding President of CVE Capital Corp, the holding company of a $1.7 billion venture capital Fund of Funds founded to endow the Kauffman program. Costello was on the start-up team of the Kauffman Foundation’s entrepreneurship center, where she played a leading role nationally in increasing equity investments in women’s businesses and in funding initiatives supporting high-growth women entrepreneurs, as well as equity programs for all high-potential entrepreneurs. Trish led the National Science Foundation SBIR Sub-Committee on Commercialization and was the Director of the Arthur M. Blank Center of Entrepreneurship at Babson College. She led and exited venture-backed companies in the pediatric market earlier in her career. Trish’s numerous accolades include INSIDER’s Seed 30: The Best Women Early-Stage Investors of 2023, Springboard Enterprises and the New York Stock Exchange’s inaugural Investor of the Year in 2022, Entrepreneur Magazine inaugural 100 Most Innovative Women Entrepreneurs in the World in 2020. Portfolia won the 2019 Golden Stevie Award for the Year’s Most Innovative Company Run by Women as well as Fast Company's one of the 10 Most Innovative Finance Companies in the World in 2020, along with unicorns Brex and Carta.

Sandra Culbertson, MD, is chair of the Geisinger Women and Children’s Institute. She is a board-certified urogynecologist and a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. Dr. Culbertson earned her undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Virginia. She completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology and her fellowship at The University of Chicago Medical Center. In her clinical work, she focuses on treatment of recurrent urinary incontinence and prolapse. Before joining Geisinger in 2017 as chair of women’s health, Dr. Culbertson practiced at The University of Chicago for more than 20 years, where her focus was on excellence in clinical care, education and administration. At Geisinger, Dr. Culbertson has been focused on building a comprehensive women’s health service line with improved access and the highest quality across all platforms. This has included extensive recruitment and reorganization into regional models of care.

Stefanie Diaz is Principal, Innovation and Venture Strategy at Catalyst by Wellstar, the innovation arm and $100M venture capital fund of Wellstar Health System. Catalyst invests in early-stage startups and emerging fund managers, pilots new technology, and, through its venture studio, commercializes solutions that advance healthcare. In her role, Stefanie champions pilots and strategic partnerships that help women’s health innovators move from promising ideas to scalable impact within health systems. A recognized leader in the Atlanta startup ecosystem, she serves as a Board Member for the City of Atlanta Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative. Her advocacy for gender equity in venture has earned recognition at the highest levels, including speaking for the 2024 White House Women’s Health Initiative.

Tracy Dooley is a Partner at Avestria Ventures where she invests in early stage women’s health companies across medtech, healthtech, and life sciences. She also advises the Institute for Follicular Lymphoma Innovation, a nonprofit foundation focused on oncology therapeutics. With over 15 years at organizations from early stage startups to Novartis, Grifols, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Tracy brings her operational expertise in strategy & innovation, commercial operations, and M&A, to support and guide portfolio company advancement. Tracy holds an MD from Stanford and a BS in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Southern California.

Megan Dover, Co-founder & Partner of Cross Border Impact Ventures (CBIV), has in depth experience in impact investing, angel investing, venture advisory, M&A, business strategy and Financial Planning & Analysis. At CBIV, she invests in Series A stage disruptive health technology companies in North America and Europe that address unmet health needs for women and children globally. Prior to the launch of the firm, she was a venture partner to a portfolio of impact first health technology companies and mobilized $46 million in equity and non dilutive capital for the portfolio. Megan obtained her MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and her Biomedical Engineering degree with Honours from Queen’s University.

Eric Dy, PhD, is co-founder and CEO of Bloomlife, an award-winning women’s health company solving the most significant yet underserved global challenges in maternal health. Eric brings unique perspective on the opportunities and challenges in emerging healthcare technologies informed by multidisciplinary technical expertise leading business development for Europe’s leading R&D institute, IMEC. Eric has spearheaded strategic partnerships with companies spanning next-gen sequencing, remote patient monitoring, machine vision, and mixed signal chip design leading to over $230M in revenue and a $2.8B acquisition.

Dr. Ukachi Emeruwa is a Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist and Assistant Professor at the University of California, San Diego, where she is also a Women’s Reproductive Health Research (WRHR) Scholar. A board-certified OB/GYN and subspecialist in high-risk pregnancies, her work focuses on hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including preeclampsia and postpartum hypertension. At UC San Diego Health, she co-founded the Fourth Trimester Program, a pioneering multidisciplinary model that delivers comprehensive postpartum-newborn care and builds community partnerships to improve outcomes in maternal health. Her research explores innovative diagnostics and digital health solution as a novel means to advance equity and socially attuned access to early detection and management of postpartum hypertension, and she has published widely on maternal health disparities and social determinants of health. Dr. Emeruwa’s broader interests include community-level program design and global maternal health, with prior work in malaria prevention and maternal health systems strengthening.

Jessica Federer is a recognized leader in the global life sciences industry. She was the first Chief Digital Officer for the Bayer AG group, as well as the first woman to hold that role in the industry. She led Bayer’s digital transformation across the pharmaceutical, consumer care, crop science, material science and animal health businesses during record setting years for both sales and EBITDA. Reporting into the Bayer AG Group Management Board, Federer united the company’s digital strategy and investments across divisions to accelerate growth across the 118,00 employees. During her tenure, the company acquired and integrated Merck’s consumer care business and Monsanto, becoming, respectively, the second largest consumer health and the leading agriculture businesses on the planet, and floated their material science division into Covestro. With a focus on scalable digital enablers to business integrations and success, Federer streamlined investments, modernized capabilities, and upskilled the workforce. Prior to leading digital for the group business, Federer established a track record inside Bayer for delivery across regulatory affairs, market access, product launches, and business turnarounds. This includes the launch team for the record holding biologic EYLEA ®, an overhaul in the animal health business, and establishing the market access function globally. Federer regularly contributes to publications and events for the FT, Reuters Health, Bloomberg, and leading consultancies. Ms. Federer joined BMP as a Venture Affiliate in 2018, and is a Partner for the Opportunity Fund. She is a graduate of George Washington University and received an MPH from the Yale School of Public Health.

Marlena Schoenberg Fejzo is a women’s health scientist. She has published peer-reviewed scientific articles on many diseases of women including ovarian cancer, breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, and discovered the first genes for uterine fibroids, nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, and hyperemesis gravidarum (HG). In 2018, Fejzo, in collaboration with personal genetics company 23andMe, Inc published the first link between the placenta, appetite, and vomiting hormone GDF15. In 2022, she published the first mutation in GDF15 associated with HG, solidifying the role of GDF15 as a predisposing factor for HG. In December 2023, Fejzo et al. published a study that identified the mechanism involved in nausea and vomiting of pregnancy and HG. The study identified ways to potentially prevent and treat both nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (common misnomer "morning sickness") and HG. Fejzo is an Assistant Professor at the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine in the Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Chief Scientific Officer of Harmonia Healthcare, Research Director and Board Member of the Hyperemesis Education and Research (HER) Foundation, Board Member of the Foundation for Women’s Health, and an advisor for NGMBio. Fejzo made the top 10 list of 2023's Fiercest Women in Life Sciences, and in 2024 was a Time Woman of the Year and Time 100 Health Honoree, received the National Organization of Women Victoria Mastrobuono Award in Women’s Health, Forbes 50 Over 50 award in Innovation, a finalist for Falling Walls Breakthrough of the Year, and the inaugural BII and Science Translational Medicine Innovation in Women's Health prize winner.

Tanaz Ferzandi, MD, MBA, MA joined Keck Medicine of USC as the Director of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery in December 2019. She is the service line Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Vice Chief of Staff at Keck Hospital of USC. Dr. Ferzandi is also an Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. She served as the Associate Fellowship Director for Urogynecology for five years. Dr. Ferzandi completed her medical degree and her master’s degree in cell biology at the University of Kansas Medical Center. She then completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology followed by a three-year fellowship in Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery at Harvard University. Given her interest in health care policy and business, Dr. Ferzandi obtained her Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. Dr. Ferzandi has been an active member of the American Urogynecologic Society (AUGS), serving on the coding committee, the payment reform committee and the finance committee. She served a three-year term as a director-at-large on the Board of Directors for the organization and was chair of the practice management arm. In January 2023, she was elected to the executive line and is the current President. Dr. Ferzandi is also a fellow of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), is active with the advocacy arm of ACS and served two terms as an elected member of the ACS ‘Women in Surgery’ Committee. Prior to joining Keck Medicine, Dr. Ferzandi developed the Division of Urogynecology at Tufts Medical Center. She served in many capacities at Tufts, including the Quality Board, the Operating Room governing Board and was elected President of the medical staff prior to her move to USC. At Keck Medicine of USC, she has taken on several roles in administration to continue to advance the division of urogynecology and align with her principles in quality assurance. Dr. Ferzandi is an examiner for the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (general and subspecialty boards). She is passionate about education and training the next generation of gynecologists and urogynecologists and has received numerous teaching awards and accolades for her efforts. She was named a Boston magazine and Castle Connolly “Top Doctor” for several years and was among “Top Doctors in 2021” by LA Business Journal. Most recently, she received the prestigious 2024 USC Choi Family Awards for Excellence in Patient-Centered Care, which is awarded to one physician in the health system.

With more than 25 years of clinical experience as an OBGYN physician, I have devoted my career to advancing compassionate, high-quality care for women and supporting the professionals who provide that care. My healthcare leadership journey began as the Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Sutter East Bay Medical Group and continued through roles as Regional Medical Director and Chief Medical Officer with that same group. In January 2025, I assumed the inaugural role of Women’s Health Service Line Chair for Sutter Health, a health system serving over 3.5 million people in Northern California. My passion for women’s health was sparked by the compassionate care I witnessed early in my career, inspiring me to build systems that foster trust, empathy, and collaboration. Prior to medical school, I spent four years in Washington, DC evaluating health care reform proposals, an experience that broadened my perspective and continues to inform my approach to patient care and leadership. In my current role, I am uniting women’s health services across eight medical groups and 16 hospitals, designing programs that address patient needs and empower caregivers. By fostering connections among clinicians and streamlining care, I am committed to transforming patient experience and elevating women’s health throughout Northern California.

Angelika Fretzen, PhD, MBA, is passionate about uniting and stewarding powerful teams as they work to solve the most pressing problems facing our society in healthcare and sustainability. Throughout her career, it became evident to Angelika that the strength and health of women was integral to their own perspective on life, to their families, and to the societal ecosystem they participated in. Her deep commitment to bridging the acute healthcare and equity gap for women that we still face is evident in her championing the development of programs and technologies to address these gender-based issues. At the Wyss, she initiated the Wyss 99s that aims to encourage, develop, and provide resources to female leaders, entrepreneurs, and scientists. Through her passion of working towards health equity, Angelika was the impetus for the formation of the Women’s Health Catalyst with a vision of developing entirely innovative approaches to studying female biology and creating technologies to define healthy and disease responses that change dynamically over time much like a woman’s own physiology. In 2024, she received the prestigious Joseph B. Martin Dean’s Leadership Award for the Advancement of Women’s Careers at Harvard Medical School/Harvard School of Dental Medicine. Before coming to the Wyss, Angelika spent two decades in entrepreneurial pharmaceutical companies where she developed a deep commitment to improving healthcare for women and families. At Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, she spearheaded the discovery, development, and commercialization of LinzessTM, a first-in-class medication for Irritable Bowel Syndrome, a symptomatic disease that can be debilitating to many women in the most productive years of their life. Prior to the development of this therapeutic, effective treatment options were nonexistent until LinzessTM became available to physicians. At Catabasis Pharmaceuticals (now Astria TX), Angelika collaborated closely with the internal team, clinicians, advocacy groups, and families to bring Edasalonexent into Phase 3 clinical trials for the treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a rare genetic neuromuscular disease that affects young boys and their families. For 12 years, she also served on the Board of Bridgewell, a social and human service organization, where she facilitated programs for the homeless, individuals with disabilities, young adults with autism, and young mothers with a history of substance abuse. Angelika Fretzen is a chemist by training, completing her undergraduate studies in Germany and her PhD in Switzerland. She came to the United States for her postdoctoral research at Harvard University, before joining the early biotechnology community in Kendall Square in 2000. She holds an MBA from Suffolk University and is deeply committed to both the personal and career development of all scientists and employees around her. She was named one of Mass High Tech’s 2013 Women to Watch.

Cathy Friedman is a business executive with nearly 40 years of experience across finance, technology, and healthcare. Cathy is an Executive Venture Partner at GV, where she is a senior member of the investing team and advises the life sciences portfolio. Cathy has spent 15 years on the boards of leading public and private life sciences and technology companies. Recently, in addition to her role as Chair of the Board at Grail (acquired by Illumina), she has been an independent director at Vividion Therapeutics (acquired by Bayer), Lyell Immunopharma, Seer, Altaba (formerly Yahoo!), Radius Health, and Revolution Healthcare Acquisition Corp. Earlier in her career, Cathy spent nearly 24 years with Morgan Stanley. She held several executive positions, including Managing Director, Head of West Coast Healthcare, and co-head of Morgan Stanley's biotechnology practice. Cathy holds a B.A. in economics from Harvard University and an M.B.A from The University of Virginia's Darden School of Business. She is also a foundation trustee for the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business. Cathy resides in the Bay Area with her husband and enjoys spending time with her six children.

Steve has over 30 years’ experience building world-class teams, products and companies in precision medicine, drug discovery and computational biology in the UK, EU and USA. He has developed world-leading genomics, AI enabled drug discovery, precision medicine, and complex data analytics for life science, healthcare and clinical decision support including several patented inventions. He was Global Director of Research Informatics for Astra and involved in the early Human Genome project. He has worked with multiple pharma companies on 30+ drug discovery and development projects. Steve is Chair of the UK BioIndustry Association’s Data, AI and Genomics Advisory Committee, Co-Chair of the Metrodora Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board, Expert in Residence at Oxford University, an Editorial Board member for AI in the Life Sciences and was on the Steering Committee of the UKCRC Tissue Directory & Coordination Centre. He advises a range of disease charities, national biobanks and research institutes on precision medicine strategy.

Elizabeth (Beth) Garner is a seasoned pharmaceutical executive and corporate board member with a career-long focus on addressing unmet medical needs that affect women’s health and quality of life. Born and raised in Nigeria, she brings a global view to her work in both the corporate and non-profit worlds. With eighteen years of experience, Dr. Garner has wide expertise in product development, including clinical trial design and conduct, US/ex-US regulatory and FDA Advisory Committee strategy, medical affairs, and due diligence assessment of early- to late-stage therapeutic, device, and diagnostic product candidates. Dr. Garner is the CEO of SeNa Therapeutics, a start-up company focused on targeted therapies for women’s health disorders. Most recently, she was Chief Scientific Officer of Ferring Pharmaceuticals US, a mid-size global company focused on reproductive and maternal health, microbiome and gastrointestinal therapeutics, and uro-oncology. From 2019-2022, she was Chief Medical Officer of ObsEva and Agile Therapeutics. Dr. Garner has also held leadership roles at Myriad Genetics, Abbott Laboratories, and at Merck Research Labs where she was a key contributor on the Gardasil and Gardasil9 vaccines. Dr. Garner is currently on the Boards of Directors of Kezar Life Sciences (KZR), which develops novel therapies for autoimmune diseases, Sermonix Pharmaceuticals, a company focused on targeted breast cancer therapies, and is Chair of the Board of NUA Surgical, a start-up company dedicated to creating innovative surgical solutions in obstetrics and gynecology. She is also the Immediate Past President of the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA), a professional organization whose mission is to advance women physicians, advocate for equity, and ensure excellence in healthcare. Elizabeth received joint M.D. and M.P.H. degrees from Harvard Medical and Public Health Schools, trained in obstetrics and gynecology at Brigham and Women’s (BWH)/Massachusetts General Hospitals, and completed a fellowship in gynecologic oncology at BWH/Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Prior to transitioning into industry in 2007, she was Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, where she focused on academic clinical practice in gynecologic oncology, basic science ovarian cancer research, and teaching and mentorship of medical students, residents, and fellowship trainees. Elizabeth has extensive experience as a media spokesperson and is a frequent panelist and speaker on a range of topics including innovation and investment in women’s health, women’s leadership, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and diversity in clinical trials. She is an author on close to 40 peer-reviewed scientific papers, is a 2019 and 2023 awardee of the PharmaVoice 100 Most Inspiring Individuals in the life sciences industry and was the 2022 recipient of the Woman in Science Award from the American Medical Women’s Association.

Dr Patricia Geli is the co-founder and Managing Partner of C10 Labs, where she has built a portfolio of more than 25 AI-native companies. She has deep expertise in public-private partnerships around emerging technologies and serves on Massachusetts’ AI Strategic Task Force, advising the Governor on AI policy. Previously, she managed large-scale investment projects at the World Bank across 55 countries, working with the African Union, European Commission, and the White House. At Harvard, she co-founded and was Executive Director of Reform for Resilience, a global nonprofit co-chaired by G7 and business leaders. Patricia published her first paper on neural networks 20 years ago. She holds a PhD in mathematics from Stockholm University, an executive MBA from Harvard Business School, and was a postdoctoral Grand Challenges Associate at Princeton. She has taught MIT’s “AI for Impact” venture class and served on steering committees for the World Economic Forum.

Claire Gill launched the National Menopause Foundation in September 2019. Its mission is to be a trusted and relatable resource to raise awareness and understanding of menopause through education, activism, and community building. Previously, Ms. Gill spent 20+ years in public relations and marketing for national nonprofits and public relations firms with Fortune 500 clients. A respected leader in women’s health, she serves on a variety of coalitions and working groups promoting the needs of women at midlife. She also hosts The Positive Pause podcast featuring interviews with experts on a variety of topics impacting women’s health and well-being. In addition, Ms. Gill is the Chief Executive Officer of the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation, an organization dedicated to improving American’s bone health and preventing osteoporotic fractures.

Maria Gonzalez-Blanch is Managing Partner at Crescent Ridge VC, where she has invested in over 40 early-stage companies transforming healthcare through capital-efficient innovation. Her portfolio spans medical devices, digital health platforms, and breakthrough solutions addressing critical gaps in care, with particular expertise in women's health, wellness optimization, and longevity technologies. Originally from Spain, Maria combines her Master's in Electrical Engineering and Stanford MBA with deep operational experience, serving on the boards of multiple portfolio companies. She works closely with founders on strategy, product-market fit, and scaling, with a specialized focus on innovations in perimenopause, menopause, and maternal care—areas she understands both as an investor and as a mother of two. Beyond traditional healthcare, Maria is passionate about the convergence of wellness and technology, investing in companies that empower individuals to optimize their health span and performance. Her unique perspective bridges strategic business acumen with a holistic approach to human wellness and longevity.

Linda Greub co-founded Avestria Ventures in 2019 to invest in early-stage women’s health companies and female-founded life science ventures. Fund I has achieved 2 exits to date: Organon purchased Alydia for up to $240M, or 6.3x MOIC; and Pharmavite purchased Uqora generating a 12.2x MOIC. The firm currently is investing out of Fund II. Linda has been investing in public and private life science companies for over 30 years. As a member of private investment partnerships, including Tudor Investments, she invested over $3.2 billion of equity capital, $1.1 billion of which was in performance-based hedge funds. Linda’s life science operating experience includes leading M&A at both Novartis Diagnostics and Applied Biosystems where her transactions included the $5.1 billion cash and stock sale of ABI to Life Technologies (acquired by Thermo Fisher). Linda earned her BA in the History of Art from Yale and her MBA from Harvard. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

With more than 20 years of international experience in healthcare, Ikram Guerd has built a distinguished career at the intersection of marketing, innovation and leadership. Her journey spans global corporations, such as Procter & Gamble and Danaher Corporation, as well as entrepreneurial ventures in both Europe and the United States. Throughout, she has demonstrated a consistent ability to drive growth, manage product lifecycles and craft business strategies that not only deliver results but also shape organizational culture. Today, Guerd serves as chief marketing officer and general manager U.S. at Aspivix Corporation, where she is redefining women’s health by spearheading strategies to raise awareness around innovative solutions that reduce pain in gynecological care. Her leadership has positioned Aspivix as a disruptive force in a field long overlooked in terms of research, innovation and funding. Over the past two years, her accomplishments have been transformative. She established Aspivix’s U.S. C-Corporation in California, executed a groundbreaking growth marketing campaign that achieved more than 3.3 million views on TikTok and initiated the first U.S. clinical study for Carevix, an innovation designed to reduce pain during transcervical procedures. Her work has garnered widespread recognition, with international features in The New York Times, NBC News, CBS Mornings, Forbes, Women’s Health Magazine and FemTech Insider. Beyond her corporate achievements, Guerd is committed to mentorship and advocacy. She serves as a role model and board member for Inspiring Girls USA, helping to challenge stereotypes for young women, and previously held a communications board role with Women in Healthcare.

Anoushka Gungadin is an experienced CEO, Board Director, and cross-border executive, with a career spanning across four continents. Anoushka is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of HeraMED, an ASX-listed femtech company focused on redefining maternity and pregnancy. She is a council member of Deakin University. She is the Australian lead for TiE Women, a global mentoring and investment platform for female entrepreneurs. She is a speaker and author on inclusive leadership and cultural intelligence. Her previous experience includes founding CEO of the Australia India Chamber of Commerce set up to drive bilateral economic relationships. She headed up finance and client accounts for Gide, the International French law firm for 10 years in Beijing. She has consulted and worked with brands including Mondelez, L’Oréal, Bank of Indonesia, Reliance, Rhipe-Crayon and more. A trained economist, she holds an MBA and is a certified professional coach.

Nada Hanafi is a thought leader within the Life Sciences and MedTech industry with over 22 years of experience across the public and private sectors. She is the Founder of MedTech Strategy Advisors, LLC where she advises life-science companies on regulatory strategy, product development, and clinical research to accomplish regulatory, compliance, and business goals. Nada spent over 12 years working for the FDA, serving in increasing roles of responsibility and ultimately as a Senior Science Health Advisor in the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), where she led cross-Center and Agency programs for the advancement of FDA's mission to promote and protect public health, including as Co-Founder of the Health of Women (HoW) program, the Network of Experts program and the Patient Preference Initiative. She served as CDRH Liaison and Subject Matter Expert to FDA’s Office of Women’s Health (OWH) and the Office of Minority Health (OMH). She collaborated with the Center for Tobacco (CTP) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) where she served as Senior Management Advisor to the Director at the Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH), to improve regulatory efficiency and to strengthen data collection. Nada’s drive and passion to address health inequities with a focus on women and minorities led her to Co-Found MedTech Color, a non-profit focused on advancing the representation of people of color within MedTech. Nada also serves on the Steering Committee and as Co-Chair on the (1) Regulatory and Science Policy subcommittee, and (2) Discovery & Development Accelerator committee for the Innovation Equity Forum (IEF) led by Gates Foundation, as well as on several Steering Committees for organizations such as the Reagan-Udall Foundation and Milken Institute, respectively. Nada holds an MSc in Biomaterials and a BEng in Biomedical Materials Science & Engineering from Queen Mary College, University of London. She earned her MPH from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Nada is a Certified Quality Improvement Associate (CQIA) and a Certified Quality Auditor (CQA) from the American Society for Quality (ASQ).

Ann Holder is the CEO of Marani Health, leading the company’s mission to transform maternal and infant health outcomes through technology and data innovation. With a career spanning global medical technology and commercialization, she has extensive experience scaling breakthrough solutions, forging strategic partnerships, and driving growth across multiple markets. At Marani, she is pioneering digital health platforms, medical devices, and remote monitoring tools that empower clinicians with real-time insights while supporting mothers in their maternity journey. Ann previously held senior leadership roles at Medtronic and other Fortune 500 companies. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from West Point.

Carol Huffman is a seasoned healthcare executive with extensive experience in strategic Partnerships, clinical innovation, whole person health, and clinical service line development including a laser focus on improving the health of all women and families. She currently serves as the Vice President of Clinical Innovation & Implementation at MVP Health Care, a leading regional health insurance provider. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing the development and execution of programs aimed at improving patient outcomes and enhancing healthcare delivery for all, the duals special needs programs and long term supports and services. Prior to joining MVP Health Care, Carol held the position of Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at EmblemHealth, where she was instrumental in forging alliances that advanced the organization's mission and expanded its reach within the healthcare sector. Carol's career is marked by a commitment to innovation in healthcare, focusing on implementing strategies that knit together the healthcare ecosystem, drive efficiency and improve the quality of care for patients. Carol recently completed the end of life professional certificate program from the University of Vermont and is working on ways to break taboos to start productive and positive end of life planning conversations and well death concepts and programs much earlier. She serves on the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health Entrepreneurship Advisory Council and very much enjoys learning from and mentoring the next generation leaders in healthcare.

Priyanka is the co-founder & CEO of Evvy, where her mission is to close the gender health gap, starting by decoding the vaginal microbiome. Before founding Evvy, Priyanka was Head of Product at pymetrics, a startup using behavioral science and AI to make talent matching more effective and fair. She hired & led a tech team of 70+ across product, data science & engineering from pre-revenue to 6 product lines and 100+ global enterprise clients. She was also a key team member for fundraising over $65M from General Atlantic, Khosla Ventures, and more. Priyanka is a spokesperson for the United Nations Foundation's Girl Up Campaign, Chair of the Acumen Fund's Junior Council, and on the Innovation Board for the XPRIZE Foundation. She received her B.S. from Stanford University, where she was a Mayfield Fellow and President of Stanford Women in Business.

Dr. Somi Javaid is a board-certified OB/GYN, surgeon, and founder of HerMD, a pioneering healthcare platform dedicated to closing the gap in women’s health. She specializes in menopause, sexual health, and gynecology, ensuring women receive expert, compassionate care that has long been overlooked in traditional medicine. With fewer than 0.4% of women of color in the U.S. successfully securing venture capital funding, Dr. Javaid is reshaping the landscape of both women’s healthcare and investment in FemTech. Her work has earned her a spot on Worth Magazine’s Groundbreaking Women (2025) and Inc.’s Female Founders 250 list (2024). A sought-after speaker and advocate, her expertise has been featured in Forbes, Vogue, TEDx and many more. As the host of The disruptHER podcast, she continues to challenge outdated norms and push the industry forward.

Anula Jayasuriya, MD, PhD, is a venture capitalist. Anula founded EXXclaim Capital, the first venture fund focused on catalyzing innovation, entrepreneurship, and investment in Women’s Health. She is an experienced investor across geographies, having co-founded the Evolvence India Life Science Fund, the first fund in India to focus on health care and invest in Indian pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and contract services companies. Prior to that she was a partner with Skyline Ventures in Palo Alto, and with the German/US venture capital firm TVM, in San Francisco. Her previous positions include VP Business Development at Genomics Collaborative Inc., and Vice President, Global Drug Development at Hoffman-La Roche for opportunistic infections in AIDS and Transplantation. Anula received a BA from Harvard, and an MD and PhD in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from Harvard Medical School and an MBA from Harvard Business School, as well as a M. Phil. in pharmacology from the University of Cambridge, in England.

Sabrina Martucci Johnson is a seasoned life sciences executive and passionate advocate for women’s health innovation. As Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Daré Bioscience, Inc. (NASDAQ: DARE), she leads a purpose-driven biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing novel, differentiated products for women. Under her leadership, Daré advances a diverse pipeline spanning contraception, fertility, menopause, sexual health, and vaginal health, with the goal of accelerating access to important therapies. Before founding Daré in 2015, Ms. Johnson held senior leadership roles across the biotechnology sector, including Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of WomanCare Global and Chief Operating Officer of Cypress Bioscience, where she guided multiple strategic transactions and product launches. Earlier in her career, she held marketing and sales roles at Advanced Tissue Sciences and began as a research scientist with Baxter Healthcare’s Hyland Division, working on the recombinant factor VIII program. She holds a Master of International Management from the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird), an M.Sc. in Biochemical Engineering from University College London, and a B.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering from Tulane University. Ms. Johnson is recognized for combining scientific insight with business acumen to bring first-in-category products to market. She currently serves on the boards of ATAI Life Sciences, Biocom California (board chair), and BIO. Her leadership has been honored by Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year (Pacific Southwest Region), Fierce Pharma’s Most Influential People in Biopharma, and inclusion on the Medicine Maker Power List and Endpoints Women in Biopharma. Driven by the belief that women deserve better options, Ms. Johnson champions innovation to transform how women worldwide experience their health and well-being.

Jessica Kamada is an investor and growth expert. She is the Managing Partner of Swizzle Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on advancing women’s health & wealth through life's toughest pivotal stages. Swizzle Ventures has invested 40% of Fund I in women's healthcare companies. Previously, she built Bamboo, a growth marketing agency leading growth programs for consumer tech businesses like Headspace, DoorDash, Peloton and The New York Times. Jessica grew up figure skating in Michigan and now lives in Seattle with her husband and 2 young boys.

Petrina Kamya, PhD, is the Head of AI Platforms and President of Insilico Medicine, Canada an end-to-end artificial intelligence-driven drug discovery company. Before joining Insilico, Dr. Kamya spent eight years in various roles at Chemical Computing Group that involved scientific and business-related aspects of preclinical drug discovery. In addition to establishing the corporate strategy for the sales and business development of molecular modeling software for academia, she also played an active role as an application scientist working on real-world discovery projects and finally in a senior role in strategy and business development for pharma and biotech companies. Following her time at CCG, Petrina moved to Certara as a Market Access Manager, where she learned first-hand the challenges of getting drugs to market. Petrina has been with Insilico Medicine since August 2020. She holds a PhD in Chemistry (specializing in computational chemistry) from Concordia University.

Jessica Karr is Founder & Managing Director of Coyote Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in bold innovations in health equity & women’s health that drive health outcomes for overlooked populations. Jessica’s experience launching novel impact-focused products began when she joined Impossible Foods as the 12th employee, where she helped develop and launch the Impossible burger. She has worked with over a dozen startups as a consultant and advisor, she holds an MS in Biochemistry and an MBA. She can be found swimming in the SF bay and walking her Pomeranian puppy.

Dr. Tarul Kode is Vice President of Partnerships & Alliance Management at Persephoni Bio, where she leads strategic partnerships across the company’s venture studio, portfolio, and broader innovation ecosystem. A healthcare and life sciences executive, board member, advisor, and investor, she focuses on redrawing the map for how biotech and philanthropy work together by supporting purpose-driven leaders who execute on bold vision to deliver enduring impact for patients and communities.

Mitzi Krockover, MD is Founder and CEO of Woman Centered, LLC, a women's health consultancy and producer of the "Beyond the Paper Gown" podcast. She serves as a managing director at Golden Seeds, which invests in early-stage women-led companies, where she co-chairs the Health Sector Group and co-founded the Arizona chapter. Dr. Krockover co-founded FemtechAZ and serves on advisory bodies including the Women's Health Innovation Council of Springboard, the Black Women's Health Imperative, the Gates Foundation’s Innovation Equity Forum and Women’s Health Advocates. She is also a Professor of Practice at ASU College of Health Solutions, developing coursework on women’s health innovation. Her previous positions include Founding Medical Director of the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women's Health Center and Vice President of Women's Health at Humana Inc.

Neha Kumar currently leads Global Commercial Precision Medicine Strategy at Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Innovative Medicine, and drives innovative applications of precision medicine in neuroscience, immunology, and women's health. Prior to J&J, Neha founded a consulting firm supporting startups bringing transformative genomics and digital health solutions to women's health and rare disease. Before that, Neha led New Markets, Commercial Strategy, and Biopharma Partnerships at Invitae, and was VP of Global Marketing at CooperSurgical. She joined CooperSurgical following the acquisition of Recombine, where she was Chief Product Officer and a founding employee. Neha has a Sc.M in Genetic Counseling from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and National Human Genome Research Institute, and a Sc.B in Human Biology from Brown University.

Seema Kumar joined Cure Experience in 2022 as the Chief Executive Officer. Prior to Cure, Ms. Kumar spent nearly 20 years at Johnson & Johnson in senior leadership roles, including most recently as the Global Head, Office of Innovation, Global Health and Scientific Engagement, and served on J&J’s Innovation Strategy, Public health leadership and the COVID-19 vaccine steering committee, where she led the company’s external affairs efforts and public education program on COVID and vaccine literacy. Before her tenure at J&J, Ms. Kumar was the Chief of Staff to Dr. Eric Lander and the Chief Communications Officer at the Whitehead Institute/Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Genome Research where she played a leadership role in the Human Genome Project. She also has held leadership positions at the U.S. National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the National Institutes of Health, and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Ms. Kumar holds an M.S. in Science Journalism and Communications from the University of Maryland.

Uroš Kuzmanovic, PhD, as a result of his childhood experiences, is passionate about breaking healthcare inequalities and power imbalances existing in the US healthcare system. To do so he translated technical work developed during his Biomedical Engineering PhD at Boston University into technology which addresses dire unmet needs. He has raised $2M entirely in non-dilutive funding, grown a team of 9, interviewed over 100 potential customers, worked directly with lawyers on 6 patents (4 of which are granted), gathered support from Fortune 500 companies, amassed a large network of advisors and mentors, and moved the company into a premiere incubator space in Cambridge, MA. His successes led him to be recognized as ‘Rising Entrepreneur of the Year' by TiE Boston in 2022. He’s first focused on developing a wearable which will revolutionize IVF by allowing for at-home and continuous hormone monitoring.

Dr. Indy Lane is the Vice President of Women’s Health at Allina Health. She is responsible for implementing the vision, mission, and strategic clinical priorities for every aspect of women’s health. Transforming care delivery to maintain high quality patient care while navigating financial challenges and provider wellbeing is a critical component of her role. Developing team-based models of care for inpatient obstetric and gynecologic care is critical to access to women’s health care. Her previous experience includes standardizing best practices in hypertension in pregnancy, enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) for hysterectomy, management of substance use disorder in pregnancy, and midwifery care. She also helped develop the first Intimacy Clinic and Women’s Wellness clinic to support the complex needs of women during perimenopause, menopause, and following cancer treatment. Looking to the future, she is interested in how technology can bridge the gaps in women’s health care across the country.

Dr. Dawnette Lewis, Lead for the Center for Maternal Health, wears many hats in the maternal-fetal medicine community. She serves as the Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine - North Shore University Hospital, Associate Director of Patient Quality and Safety, North Shore University Hospital, and Physician Lead for New York State Respectful Care and Promotion of Safe Vaginal Delivery Initiative. She is also an Associate Professor at Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. With over 20 years in maternal-fetal medicine, Dr. Lewis's leadership in the field has always been guided by her passion – birth equity for Black-birthing mothers. Her passion fuels her goal of providing care that ensures the best pregnancy outcomes for patients and their babies. Dr. Lewis's value of her work is reflected in her investment in the relationships she fosters with her patients, colleagues, and fellows. An MFM fellow recently thanked Dr. Lewis for her "enthusiasm and passion for the institution." Dr. Lewis prioritizes the people in the institution. She engages in relationships from a place of compassion, thoughtfulness, sensibility, and authenticity. Her strong ethos of people-first plays a crucial role in ensuring the best outcomes possible. An equally matched passion of Dr. Lewis is her family. From her two school-aged children to her extended family of sisters, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and mother, Dr. Lewis' first and foremost love is her family. Born in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, and raised in the Bronx, Dr. Lewis embodies the idea of strong cultural grounding with a commitment to one's community. When not playing with her children or enjoying her great-nieces and nephews, she can be found serving as the class photographer for her children's school, reading a good book, or coaching the New York Giants from her living room.

Michael N. Liebman, PhD (theoretical chemistry and protein crystallography) is Managing Director of IPQ Analytics, LLC and CSO of United Cancer Centers after serving as Executive Director of the Chan Soon-Shiong Institute for Molecular Medicine. He is Adjunct Professor of Pharmacology and Physiology, Drexel College of Medicine and Adjunct Professor of Drug Discovery, Wenzhou Medical University and Fudan University. He serves on the Advisory Board for the Center of Biomedical and Health Research, University of Massachusetts (Lowell). Previously, he was Director, Computational Biology and Biomedical Informatics, University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center. He served as Global Head of Computational Genomics, Roche. He serves on the Board of the Nathaniel Adamczyk Foundation in Pediatric ARDS. Michael chairs Translational Medicine for the PhRMA Foundation and serves on the IUPAC Division on Human Health. His research focuses on computational models of disease that stress complexities of real-world patients and real-world clinical practice utilizing systems-based approaches for representation and analysis for pharma and healthcare. Current application areas include: multiple sclerosis, heart failure, and a focus on women’s health: triple negative breast cancer, hypertension and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, infant-maternal morbidity and mortality, perimenopause-menopause transition with an emphasis on underserved populations and health disparities.

Dr. Ewa Lis is the Founder and CEO of Koliber Biosciences, a pioneering computational biology company that leverages an advanced AI platform for the discovery and optimization of peptides. With a rich background in both computer science and biological sciences, Dr. Lis's expertise encompasses deep learning, data augmentation, graph networks, and various domains of biology and chemistry. Before establishing Koliber Biosciences in 2014, she held key positions at Life Technologies, Genomatica, and Reveal Biosciences, where she contributed to the development of diverse technologies ranging from algorithms for pathology tissue classification to tools for genome engineering research and sustainable microbial chemicals. Dr. Lis earned her BA in Chemistry from Cornell University and her PhD in Biological Sciences from The Scripps Research Institute.

Imen Clark is a tech entrepreneur and innovator with a passion for building multicultural teams and designing technology that thrives across cultural boundaries. With experience leading initiatives across Asia, North Africa, Europe, and North America, she brings a uniquely global lens to human-centered AI, immersive technology, and behavior-driven digital health. She is the Founder and CEO of Prickly Pear Health, a women’s brain health platform that combines AI, voice as a biomarker, and wearable data to support emotional well-being, mental clarity, and cognitive resilience, especially during midlife hormonal changes. While designed for women aged 36 to 56, Prickly Pear’s insights benefit a wider community. Grounded in neuroscience, lifestyle medicine, and emotional intelligence, the platform delivers personalized daily guidance through a “Joy by Design” philosophy. It also champions inclusive tech that reflects the realities of Black, Latina, and Middle Eastern women, advancing equity in cognitive care. Imen was recently named one of Phoenix Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” and secured a $350K pre-seed round to launch Prickly Pear. She is a graduate of Journey Venture Studio and Springboard Enterprises’ 2025 Women’s Health Cohort, backed by sponsors including CVS Health, Eli Lilly, and AWS. A two-time founder, Imen previously co-founded a company that developed and patented motion-capture technology translating body movement into music and therapeutic data for neurodegenerative care such as Parkinson’s and dementia. At 27, she became the youngest board member of Novant Health in North Carolina, exemplifying her early leadership in healthcare innovation. She holds a BSc in Business Administration from Tunis Business School, an MSc in International Marketing from Hult International Business School, and has completed executive education in Design Thinking at Stanford Graduate School of Business. In 2017, she was honored with the Meta Collaborative Leader Award at the MIT Media Lab. A frequent speaker on AI, health tech, and cognitive design, Imen has appeared at Silicon Oasis, Startup World Cup AZ, CES, Tulane’s AI and Healthcare Design Lab, and JPMorgan Healthcare events. Her mission is to shift the narrative of women’s midlife from one of decline to one of empowerment, reimagining this life stage as a time of cognitive opportunity. She leverages technologies like AI, XR, EEG, and HCI to foster a more expressive, connected, and sustainable world through technology that is deeply human.

Tracy MacNeal is a healthcare executive with a specialty in commercializing medical devices. With 6 successful transactions and over 25 years in medical devices, diagnostics and digital health, she brings a wealth of experience to the MedTech industry. A driver for health access and community care, Tracy also serves on the Board of Directors for AdvaMed, the national industry organization for medical devices. Tracy is President and CEO of Materna Medical, a novel OBGYN platform company that defines a $25B market in the most common pelvic conditions women face. Tracy holds a BE in Chemical Engineering from The Cooper Union and graduated summa cum laude with an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

Dr. Malkas is a Professor of Molecular Diagnostics and Experimental Therapeutics at City of Hope, where she also serves as the Dean for Translational Science and External Affairs. An expert in DNA replication, repair, and cancer biology, she has made significant contributions to the discovery of cancer biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Dr. Malkas is particularly known for her work in women’s health, with a focus on breast cancer, as well as pediatric neuroblastoma. Her most notable achievement is the discovery of a molecule that can inhibit cancerous cell activities, a breakthrough with the potential to transform cancer treatments. In 2017, she was appointed to the board of CIRM, California’s stem cell research center, and has held leadership roles in several prestigious cancer research organizations, including the National Cancer Institute and the Department of Defense. Dr. Malkas joined City of Hope for its commitment to translating laboratory discoveries into clinical therapies. Her pioneering drug, AOH1996, which targets a form of the PCNA molecule in cancer cells, entered Phase I clinical trials for solid tumors in 2022, marking an exciting step forward in cancer therapy. Most recently, a new phase clinical trial for evaluating AOH1996 in AML has been approved by the FDA.

I am founder and CEO of Alpha Millennial Health, which helps companies successfully transition through mission-critical change, especially focusing on founders in health tech. I am also founder of Joyuus, a SaaS tech platform for women's health, focused initially on the 12 months postpartum. I am both a recipient of numerous SBIR awards, including Joyuus Phase I and Phase II, and I advise for and sit on NIH review panels for SBIR grants. My journey spans research and executive leadership roles across the healthcare industry as Vice President and Executive Director for a Clinical Research Organization and in a VP role at a Fortune Top 25 health insurer before leaving to establish my consulting firm. I have a master’s in public health from Boston University, a Professional MBA Certificate from Bryant University’s Executive Development Center, and was recognized as one of the 100 Women to Know in America 2025. I am a member of the Women President's Organization and KNOW Women, and am WBENC and WSOB certified.

Megan received her BA in Chemistry from Miami University and her PhD from Penn State University under Marty Bollinger and Carsten Krebs. Her PhD work led to an understanding for how iron- and 2-oxoglutarate dependent oxygenases suppress hydroxylation to allow for halogenation and other outcomes important in natural product biosynthesis. Upon graduation, she performed postdoctoral studies at Scripps Research in the chemical biology laboratory of Ben Cravatt as a Helen Hay Whitney Fellow. Matthews investigated the prevalence of undiscovered protein-bound electrophiles and the (dys)functions that the unknown electrophiles impart, uncovering evidence for their involvement in cancer and diseases of the central nervous system. Her program is tracking down these and a host of other leads to novel disease biology and therapeutics.

Following a career in law and government service, McKinney moved to Vietnam in 1994. She explored Vietnam’s resources to develop high-quality exports while contributing to the dynamic economic and social growth of Vietnam. Vietnam’s herbal medicine traditions align with FDA Botanical Drug regulations whereby scientifically validated plant formulations can become approved drugs. McKinney recognized the potential for novel Vietnamese botanicals to treat global unmet medical needs with a pivot to biotech in 2007. Nutraceutical clinical research led to botanical drug development. McKinney raised non-dilutive donations facilitated by the Black Women’s Health Imperative. Botanical formulations were successfully tested on human uterine fibroid cell lines at Dr. Ayman Al-Hendy’s University of Chicago lab. McKinney leads an FDA savvy research and commercialization team at Altin Biosciences. A Composition of Matter patent for Altin Biosciences’ non-hormonal uterine fibroid botanical drug candidates was approved June 1st. Mah Jongg, dogs, cats, and Rotary cultivate mindful balance.

Jason is a creative and visionary leader serving as Vice President of the Women’s and Reproductive Health Service Line for OhioHealth. In 2023, he and his team secured approval for a transformational comprehensive Women’s Center dedicated to care across the lifespan including a strong emphasis on wellness and post-reproductive care. For that project, Jason is currently working with his dyad partner, Kristina Stuecher, to not only create the physical structure but also to create a philosophy in care delivery that allows women and those who identify as women to feel seen, heard, and cared for in a true partnership with our providers and our Health System. Jason began his academic journey at St. Louis University where, in addition to a well-rounded education heavy in theology, philosophy, and the arts courtesy of the Jesuits, he received Bachelor of Arts degrees in both English and Biology. From there, he attended The Ohio State University for medical school, where he received his MD prior to his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Riverside Methodist Hospital. Jason spent 20 years in private practice for Ob/Gyn, delivered almost 4000 babies, and built out several aspects of his practice including real estate ventures and a malpractice captive. In his career, Jason served as president of the Columbus Medical Association where he worked to advocate with the Ohio Legislature to preserve and strengthen the “One Bite” law for impaired physicians and helped to create the Physicians Leadership Academy where he not only was a member of the first cohort, but currently serves as Chair of their Board of Directors. Jason served two terms as President of the Medical Staff at Riverside Methodist Hospital and as a physician member of the OhioHealth Board of Directors. Since 2020, he has worked full-time for OhioHealth to create and lead the Women’s and Reproductive Health Service Line. In that role, he has fostered partnerships with community health organizations to help combat a shockingly high infant mortality rate for black babies in Franklin County, created new in-house coverage models, and helped lead the organization’s growth and financial sustainability work. He recently helped to open two specialty clinics for the Women’s and Reproductive Health Service Line—The Fourth Trimester Clinic focusing on care of women after they delivery, and the Midlife and Menopause Clinic focusing on the needs of women in the second-half of their lives. In his scarce spare time, Jason enjoys owning and breeding harness racing horses, cooking with his wife, gardening with his eldest daughter, sharing funny texts and memes with his younger daughter, meeting his two boys for brunch, and spending time with his granddaughter working to prove to her that he is the cool/fun grandparent. Jason also currently serves as a Trustee for the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association’s insurance plan, combining the commonalities of and accentuating his affection for horse racing and insurance captives (two things that go together like peas and carrots!).

Valentina Milanova is the founder and CEO of Daye, a gynae health research and development company seeking to close the gender health gap with proprietary medical and diagnostic devices aimed at common, yet under-served gynae health conditions, ranging from period and pelvic pain to cervical cancer prevention. Valentina's research has been published in The Journal of Endometriosis and Uterine Disorders as well as The Journal of Human Reproduction. In 2022 and 2023 Valentina was featured on Forbes 30 Under 30, and in 2024 The Daye Diagnostic Tampon was named as Invention of the Year by TIME Magazine.

Amy Millman is a passionate advocate for women tech and life science entrepreneurs. She currently is a Managing Partner of the StageNext fund investing in tech and health care companies led by women who are serial entrepreneurs. In 2000, she founded Springboard Enterprises to accelerate the growth of companies led by women through access to essential resources and a global community of experts. She led the organization for 21 years, creating and leading its programming. She achieved her vision of building a collaborative, global network of investors, industry experts, influencers and innovators all dedicated to scaling high-growth potential companies led by women transforming industries in the fields of enterprise technology, health/med tech, agbio and life science. During her tenure, the portfolio topped 800 companies creating over $35 Billion in value for investors, clients and customers through equity raised, IPOs and sales to strategic acquirers. Prior, she served as a lobbyist for corporate and industry groups and served as Executive Director of the National Women’s Business Council, a US federal commission. She is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and holds a Master’s in Public Administration from The George Washington University.

Dr. Jayne Morgan is an accomplished Cardiologist and Vice President of Medical Affairs at Hello Heart, with a strong focus on Women’s Health. As a recognized medical expert, she also provides frequent on-air medical analysis for CNN. With extensive experience in cardiovascular research, she is a recognized advocate for health equity, particularly in increasing women and minority participation and representation in clinical trials. Dr. Morgan has held leadership positions at Piedmont HealthCare, where she led community health education efforts and the Covid Task Force. As the sole Cardiology advisor on the research team at AbbVie (formerly Abbott Labs), Dr. Morgan made a groundbreaking contribution to the development of the Mitraclip, a minimally invasive device for treating mitral valve regurgitation. Moreover, she has published multiple studies in both Cardiology and Covid-19. Dr. Morgan is also well known for her award winning social media series, The Stairwell Chronicles, which provides accessible medical information in an easy to understand format. Further, Dr. Morgan has been named to the Top 500 Most Powerful Leaders in Atlanta for 2 years in a row, and has been acknowledged with numerous other accolades, including the NAACP Award, the National Women's Empowerment Award, the GA Bio Award, the American Heart Association Metro Atlanta Award, Medical Association of GA Humanitarian Award, the Atlanta Business Chronicle, just to name a few. She holds an Adjunct Associate Medicine Professorship at The Morehouse School of Medicine, and serves on various advisory boards and Steering Committees, including GeoVax and Novartis. Her pioneering work in cardiovascular research, clinical trials, and women's health has made her a respected voice in the medical community. Outside of her professional work, Dr. Morgan is also a certified pilates instructor, promoting overall health and wellness in and out of the clinic.

Candace Nagaraja is a Managing Director and Partner with LEK Consulting, where she leads the US Women's Health practice across medical device, provider services, diagnostics, and consumer health. Outside of LEK, Candace sits on the Springboard Women's Health Council acting as a mentor for innovative women's health startups. Candace received her AB in Economics from the University of Chicago College and her MBA from the University of Chicago Booth.

Jodi Neuhauser is a four-time founder and senior healthcare executive with a track record of building and scaling venture-backed companies. Over the course of her career, she has raised more than $100M in capital, scaled brands across 99 markets, and generated over $1B in new business. Currently, she is the founder of In Women’s Health, the leading community, education, and talent development platform for women’s health, best known for its weekly newsletter featuring open roles across the industry and reaching more than 10,000 subscribers. She has trained over 300 operators, clinicians, and investors through the Women’s Health Mini-MBA and Mastermind programs and is a recognized authority on the business of women’s health. Neuhauser is also the co-founder of the first-ever bipartisan Women’s Health PAC, which supported 16 candidates in the 2024 election cycle and positioned women’s health as a national policy priority. She is currently leading a stealth venture launching in October that is designed to build a $900M annual economic engine for women’s health. By uniting consumer dollars, voices, and networks, the initiative will address systemic gaps across infrastructure, policy, research, innovation, and reimbursement—bringing capital and influence to women’s health at an unprecedented scale.

As CEO of Medicines360, Dr. Andrea Olariu leads the organization in its mission to expand access to health innovations for all women from day one. She established the organization’s groundbreaking 360 Innovation Hub to identify and address critical health gaps for women, in order to bring needed innovations to women everywhere. Since joining Medicines360 in 2010, Dr. Olariu has held several key roles within the organization. She oversaw the development program for Medicines360’s first product, a hormonal intrauterine device (IUD), that included the largest and most diverse U.S. Phase 3 clinical study ever on an IUD. This work catalyzed broader access to the IUD for all women. Following FDA approval of the IUD in 2015, Dr. Olariu led the strategy to further extend the IUD’s duration of use and to make it available in several low- and middle-income countries. Dr. Olariu is a medical doctor specializing in dermatology and venerology with a PhD in Immunology, who started her career in academia. She was previously Associate Professor of Dermatology at the University of Szeged in Szeged, Hungary and Senior Lecturer of Immunology at the Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Timisoara, Romania. Prior to joining Medicines360, Dr. Olariu developed and implemented clinical and regulatory strategies for medical devices that received approval in the United States, Canada, and European Union. Her commitment to women’s health is shaped by her upbringing in Romania when human rights and access to health care, particularly for women, was very limited. Dr. Olariu has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed medical publications, is the recipient of several academic honors, and has spoken at national and international conferences.

Dr. Sophia Ononye, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., is a scientist, strategist, and entrepreneur with two decades of cross-sector leadership in life sciences, public health, and innovation strategy. She is the Founder and CEO of The Sophia Consulting Firm, which empowers innovators by combining human and artificial intelligence to expand access to education, health, and opportunity. Through her firm’s advisory services, workforce development programs, and the globally recognized Amplifying Scientific Innovation® Video Podcast, she bridges science, strategy, and storytelling to drive measurable impact. Dr. Ononye’s background spans pharmaceutical R&D, corporate communications, investor relations, and translational research. A published author and speaker, she is committed to advancing inclusive innovation, mentorship, and thought leadership at the intersection of science and society.

Michele M. Oshman is Chief Patient Advocate, Senior Vice President, Alliance Development at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). BIO is the premier biotechnology advocacy organization representing biotech companies, industry leaders, and state biotech associations in the United States and more than 35 countries around the globe. BIO members range from biotech start-ups to some of the world’s largest biopharmaceutical companies – all united by the same goal: to develop medical and scientific breakthroughs that prevent and fight disease, restore health, and improve patients’ lives. In her role, she leads an incredibly strong patient advocacy team, where she oversees BIO’s engagement with patient advocacy and other key stakeholder communities, drives support for members’ patient engagement and patient advocacy work, and ensures BIO’s policies reflect patient perspectives. Ms. Oshman joined BIO in January 2020 after a successful 18-year career at Eli Lilly and Company, where she led federal alliance development outreach. She served in multiple clinical development, patient advocacy and corporate leadership roles, earning a Six Sigma Black Belt, and leading multiple transformational efforts across the company. Ms. Oshman serves on the Board of Directors for the National Health Council (NHC). Created by and for patient organizations more than 100 years ago, NHC brings together over 160 national health-related organizations and businesses, including 100 patient advocacy groups. NHC drives drive patient-centered health policy and promotes access to affordable, high-value, and equitable health care. She is serving her second term on the Board of the American Brain Coalition, a non-profit organization comprised of professional and academic organizations focused on brain health. In 2023, she was elected to Health On Wednesday, a women’s organization whose membership is limited to 45 executive health policy leaders. Ms. Oshman also serves on the prestigious Committee on Nominations and Leadership Development for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). An active member of the Japan America Society of Washington DC, Ms. Oshman graduated from American University with a dual degree in Political Science and Communications. She has two wonderful children, a loving husband of over 26 years, an oversized Akita, and a very small house.

Anu Parvatiyar is CEO & Cofounder of Ananya Health, a medical device company building a platform to prevent cervical cancer by freezing precancerous cells without consumable cryogen. She has over 15 years of experience in global health and medical devices, including five years in research and development at CR Bard where she worked on product development, regulatory, and manufacturing. Before founding Ananya Health, she served as Associate Director at eHealth Africa, leading polio eradication programs that helped bring cases in Nigeria from 122 in 2012 to zero in 2015. She managed a $15M program and a 300-person team while also building organizational strategy across eight countries. Anu holds a BS in biomedical engineering from Georgia Tech. She is a Y Combinator alum, and a Georgia Tech 40 Under 40 honoree. She has worked in public health and medtech across the US, West Africa, and Asia.

Lisa Pellerin brings over 40 years of diverse experience in women’s health, having served in key roles ranging from Surgical Technologist and Labor & Delivery Nurse to Clinic Operational Director and ultimately System Vice President of a women's health service line. Her career reflects a rare depth of insight, with nearly a decade of leadership at each level of her organization. Currently, Lisa is focused on improving community health outcomes through innovation and cross-functional collaboration. She works closely with multidisciplinary teams and partner organizations across her region to address critical healthcare needs and drive sustainable impact. Lisa began her clinical education at Ochsner Allied Health School of Surgical Technology and Charity Hospital School of Nursing, later earning both a Bachelor and Master of Science in Nursing from Loyola University of New Orleans. In 2009, she was named one of Louisiana’s Top 100 Registered Nurses, and in 2019, she was awarded a fellowship from the American College of Healthcare Executives. Outside of work, Lisa enjoys traveling to visit her two grown children and their families. She recently celebrated the arrival of her first grandchild in 2024.

Nisha Perez is a seasoned preclinical development and clinical pharmacology leader with a deep DMPK expertise. She has worked across multiple therapeutic areas, including cancer, IO, rare diseases, fibrosis, inflammation, women’s health, and GI. She has contributed to multiple program strategies, regulatory filings (10 INDs), and drug approvals (3 NDAs). She serves as an SAB member, has 2 patents granted, and was part of the 2023 award-winning IQ consortium team for leading guidance on at-home blood sampling for clinical trial continuation during the COVID-19 pandemic. She earned her ScD in Medical Science from Northeastern and MS in Chemistry & Chemical Biology from Boston College.

Liz is Founder of G2G Consulting, which creates and implements government to growth (G2G) strategies for clients—securing $550 million since 2007. We advance health and high-tech innovation for businesses and nonprofits by accessing non-dilutive funding, shaping policies and regulations, and building relationships with key decision-makers. Liz founded the Women’s Health Advocates, which is in all 50 states and has organized the first-ever Women’s Health Capitol Hill Day on May 21, 2025, Breast Cancer Hill Day on July 16, 2025, Congressional Briefings, online forums, an advocacy letter-writing campaign, and legislative language for appropriations bills and amendments. Previously, she served as Legislative Director in Congress where she staffed the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, Armed Services Committee and Small Business Committee and served as a Policy Analyst for UK Parliament’s Health Committee and as congressional and presidential campaign staff. She received the Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award and Women of Achievement Award and earned her MPH from Harvard, JD from George Washington, and BA from Colgate.

Janet Pregler, M.D., is a nationally recognized educator and advocate in women’s health. She has been director of the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center since 1997. A co-editor of the textbook Women’s Health: Principles and Clinical Practice, she has collaborated on educational programs on women’s health for the American College of Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; and the Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health. Over the past 15 years, the Center’s pilot research funding program that has awarded more than $1,000,000 to women’s health researchers from a variety of disciplines throughout the UCLA community, resulting in over $55,000,000 in grants and contracts secured with data from pilot studies. In 1999, Dr. Pregler was named to the Women’s Health Policy Council which advises the Los Angeles County Office of Women’s Health on priorities and programs. In 2017, Dr. Pregler was named “Woman of the Year” in the “Health Advocate” category by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and the Los Angeles County Commission on Women. Dr. Pregler has honors including the Award for Excellence in Medical Education from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; a Commendation by the County of Los Angeles for efforts on the Women’s Health Policy Council; and a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition by Hilda L. Solis, Member of Congress, and a Certificate of Recognition from the West Hollywood City Council for service to the Los Angeles County Lesbian, Bisexual & Queer Women’s Health Collaborative.

A recognized healthcare thought leader and 20-year veteran in the industry, Vasanta Pundarika is focused on improving care delivery in women's health and behavioral health. As the CEO & Founder of Lotuspring, she is an Advisor, partnering directly with CEOs and other healthcare leaders on how to integrate their healthcare missions with scalable business strategies to positively impact more patient lives. Her advisory work includes strategic planning and execution, while achieving sustainability. Vasanta was driven to founding Lotuspring to leverage her expertise and advisory skills to further women's health. Previously, Vasanta was a healthcare investment banker for 18 years, advising on complex transactions, from multi-billion dollar health system mergers to emerging start-ups. Her industry experience is therefore both broad and deep across healthcare services, which gives her a unique lens on the industry, one that balances financial rigor with a commitment to mission-driven care. Vasanta is a frequent speaker at healthcare conferences and has been quoted in many industry articles and served as a podcast guest on several occasions. She is also a Board Director and brings that disciplined governance to all of her work. Ultimately, what really shines through about Vasanta is her strong commitment to furthering healthcare for all women.

Dan Radecki is President and Head of Global Clinical Research at Object Pharma, an innovative biopharma company focused on new therapies for mental illness. He previously held executive roles at Pfizer, Allergan and Abbvie where he led global drug development programs. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a Master’s in Biopsychology, and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience. Dan spent 5 years focusing on women’s health programs at Pfizer and continued this work as an Executive Director in the Urology and Women’s Health Dept at Allergan. He designed and executed the first industry-sponsored clinical trial assessing the benefit of Botox for depression in female patients. Dan also co-founded the Academy of Brain-based Leadership where he has been published in the Harvard Business Review and has lectured internationally to thousands of leaders in over 70 countries, and co-authored the book “Psychological Safety: The Key to Happy, High-Performing People and Teams.”

With over 27 years of experience in the Life Sciences and Health Care industry at Deloitte, Jen is a trusted advisor who enables health executives to embrace and prepare for digital transformation and innovation within the ever-changing health ecosystem. Jen leads teams that enable market leaders to leverage applied innovation and Nextgen technologies to define business growth strategies, design new models of clinical care, and create future-back strategic roadmaps, with a shared agenda to improve customer connectivity, clinical outcomes, access, and provider satisfaction. As a Founding Partner of Deloitte’s Health Institute in 2022, Jen teamed to set the strategy for our purpose driven agenda and investments and authored research around health disparities in the US and most recently, Women’s Health. As next gen technologies, GENAI, predictive analytics, supported by engagement platforms and new workforce models are being adopted, the basis of competition is shifting to platform business models. Jen is passionate about partnering with health organizations through the next wave of disruption and reassembly, defining innovative and equitable business models, and the organization & workforce strategies that enable them. She is a nationally acclaimed speaker on the topics of Future of Health and Women’s Health and has authored primary research & publications on these topics as well as Leadership, Future of Work & Workforce Transformation, Decision Making & Organization Strategies in the industry. Jen was recently nominated to the Board of Trustees for the New York Academy of Medicine to bring her academic and work experience to support research and programs focused on extending health span in New York City. Jen received her BA in Anthropology and Gender Studies from Amherst College, MPH in Population Health from the Mailman School of Public Health, and MBA in Finance from Columbia Business School. A lifelong New Yorker, Jen resides in Manhattan with her husband & three children – Olivia (22), Aidan (19) and Julian (15), and goldendoodle, Milo, together they focus on curtailing food insecurity in the city.

Dr. Rariy is a Chief Health Officer and Senior Vice President of Digital Health at Oncology Care Partners, a first-of-its kind, purpose-built value-based oncology care company leveraging technology to both deliver oncology care and also to provide integrated, high-touch, high-tech whole person oncology care improving patients’ experience and outcomes, while lowering unnecessary spend. She oversees oncology innovation care delivery systems and leads digital transformation, including strategies to leverage AI/ML and emerging technologies. In addition to being a healthcare executive, she is a practicing endocrinologist with a focus on endocrine oncology, investor, keynote speaker, peer reviewed author, and serves on several non-profit and private boards that support the advancement of digital health, technology, and equity. Dr. Rariy has more than 15 years’ experience within the digital health and medical technology industry. Most recently she served as venture partner at Takeda Digital Ventures, Takeda Pharmaceuticals and prior to that held senior executive roles in various markets including pharmaceuticals, government, academic, private, Fortune 5 “Big Tech” (Amazon Care at Amazon, Inc.), to start-up. With such a unique combination of expertise and perspective, she has been recognized by ASCO/AVBCC as “40 under 40” in Cancer Innovation. She is the co-founder of Equity in STEMM, Innovation, & AI, which collaborates with academia, industry, and policymakers to overcome barriers in healthcare and amplify the STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine) potential throughout communities. Dr. Rariy is board certified in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, fellowship trained in clinical and research at Harvard Medical School’s Brigham & Women’s Hospital and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), with a medical degree from Harvard Medical School.

Judy Regensteiner, PhD, is the Director of the Ludeman Family Center for Women’s Health Research and Distinguished Professor of Medicine in the Divisions of Internal Medicine and Cardiology at University of Colorado Anschutz. She holds the Judith & Joseph Wagner Chair in Women’s Health Research. Her research expertise is in the cardiovascular effects of diabetes with a specific focus on women with type 2. Her lab has been funded for over 30 years and she has authored more than 190 research publications. She is also known for her research on peripheral arterial disease. Dr. Regensteiner is currently PI for the National Institutes of Health’s Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) grant as well an NIH R01 grant. As co-founder and Director of the Ludeman Center, Dr. Regensteiner leads an interdisciplinary team of researchers who focus on women’s health and sex differences research.

Dr. Kathryn Rexrode is the Chief Academic Officer at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), Chief of the Division of Women’s Health in the Department of Medicine at Mass General Brigham, and a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. As Chief Academic Officer she supports and advances the research and educational missions of the hospital. Dr. Rexrode has broad and deep research experience in women’s health and is the author of more than 300 research publications. She is also Chief of the Division of Women’s Health and the Director of the Gretchen and Edward Fish Center for Women’s Health which provides comprehensive women’s health services, including 14 specialties and a dedicated clinic for menopause and midlife care. Building on its core mission of leading the field in state-of-the-art care for women, the Division of Women’s Health conducts translational women’s health research and leads innovative education programs for medical students, residents, and faculty to advance the health of women.

Dr. Carlos Roberts is a board-certified gynecologic surgeon who specializes in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery and a Master Surgeon in robotic surgery. He is the Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of the Women’s & Children’s Serviceline at WellSpan Health, and he has been pivotal in advancing numerous key initiatives including improving the experience and outcomes for our birthing people, reducing healthcare disparities in breast cancer screening, and enhancing the surgical experience and outcomes through technology. Under his leadership, three WellSpan hospitals earned U.S. News and World Report’s 2024 Best Hospital for Maternity Awards. Dr. Roberts was also named one of the “Black Healthcare Leaders to Know” by Becker’s Hospital Review in 2024. Dr. Roberts is a graduate of Howard University College of Medicine, in Washington, D.C. Dr. Roberts is a passionate leader who seeks to improve the landscape of healthcare by promoting excellence in the delivery of care for all members of our community as well as playing a critical role in advocating and advancing diversity in healthcare.

Dr. Amy Sarma is Director of the Corrigan Women’s Heart Health Program and co-Director of the Cardiovascular Disease and Pregnancy Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. In addition, she is the Cathy E. Minehan Endowed Chair in Cardiology. Dr. Sarma earned her undergraduate and medical degrees from Yale University. Her clinical and research interests are in sex differences in cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular disease in pregnancy, and spontaneous coronary artery dissection. Nationally, she has previously served on the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Women In Cardiology Leadership Council and currently serves on the ACC Cardiovascular Disease in Women Leadership Council. She has been recognized as a semi-finalist for the international Women As One Escalator Award, as a finalist for the Elizabeth Barrett-Connor Research Award for Early Career Investigators by the American Heart Association (AHA), received the Women In Cardiology Trainee Award for Excellence by the AHA, and is a recipient of the MGH Department of Medicine Innovation Award.

Lori-Ann Satran RN, BSN, MS-L, NE-BC, ANLC-P is the Associate Vice President of the Women and Children Services for HonorHealth. She has been member of the HonorHealth team for 34 years. In that time, she has worked her way up from being a staff nurse to her current role today. She is an active member with AWHONN (Association of Women’s Health Obstetrical and Neonatal Nurses) in Arizona as well as nationally. She is a Board Member for the Arizona Perinatal Trust, a nonprofit that helps regionalize obstetrical and neonatal care across Arizona and areas in Nevada since 2015. She is a current Advisory Board member for Synova, a perinatal and neonatal leadership company. Lori-Ann has presented at National Conferences, is published, and was an Executive Fellow of the Advisory Board out of Washington, DC. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Southeastern Massachusetts University in 1988 and her Master of Science in Leadership from Grand Canyon University in 2008. She holds two certifications, Nurse Executive NE-BC and Advance Nurse Leadership Certification- Perinatal ANLC-P.

Eric Schaefer leads the Innovation Fund at March of Dimes as the Senior Director – Portfolio Strategy & Investment. In this role he leads a venture fund investing in a portfolio of promising startups focused on addressing key clinical issues in the areas of maternal and infant health. Prior to March of Dimes, Eric served as Vice President, Healthcare Innovation at Coplex, a startup studio focused on developing new healthcare ventures with corporate partners. Eric also worked at UnitedHealth Group R&D where he collaborated with subject matter experts and business leaders to develop innovative investment projects for UHG. Eric has deep experience with healthcare providers, having worked in strategy and business development roles for Allina Health and North Memorial Health. Eric has a BA from the University of Wisconsin, and an MBA from the University of Minnesota.

Rachel Braun Scherl is a marketing strategist, business builder, serial founder, author, speaker, podcast co-host, and Vagipreneur, focused on building businesses in women's health – defined as conditions that affect women only, primarily, and differently. She brings deep knowledge of menstruation, fertility, sexual disease prevention, birth control, pregnancy, menopause, and incontinence to help brands and businesses grow. As President and co-founder of Semprae Laboratories, Rachel and her team built a company that developed and marketed sexual health and wellness products for women - creating a new category and transforming women’s health. Semprae attracted significant media attention and industry interest and was sold to Innovus Pharmaceuticals in 2013. Rachel has continued to work with companies in women’s health, both large and small, effectively driving topline growth. As an advisor and partner, she serves as the connective tissue between players in the ecosystem, creating strategic partnerships for funding, distribution, and marketing. She has authored many articles and a best-selling book, Orgasmic Leadership: Profiting from the Coming Surge in Women’s Sexual Health and Wellness. As the co-host of the podcast, Business of the V, Rachel drives the conversation about the intersection of unmet needs and unanswered questions in women’s health, with businesses being created to respond to them. Rachel is a frequent public speaker at universities, colleges, and industry conferences, including Duke, Stanford, CES, SXSW, Women’s Health Innovation Series, Johnson & Johnson, AbbVie, and the Minnesota Vikings, among others. She has completed hundreds of strategic growth projects for leading companies, including J&J, Pfizer, Merck, Bayer, Church & Dwight, and Allergan, as well as venture-backed start-ups. Rachel serves as a valued advisor, board member, and mentor to executives and founders. In addition to her client and advisory work, Rachel has conducted primary research, interviewing 120 leaders in femtech and women’s health about strategies for both survival and growth, given the idiosyncrasies in the ecosystem. The research study, analysis, and learning are being evaluated for publication in academic journals. Rachel co-teaches a mini-MBA in Women’s Health, providing an overview of critical fundamentals, vocabulary, and complex issues that are critical to understand how to navigate the system. To date, nearly 250 participants have completed the program. Rachel is also an integral part of the founding team of a new organization, which focuses on creating an infrastructure and business designed to fill the gaps in the current healthcare system, which is not designed for, nor has it effectively served, women.

Jennifer Schneiders, Ph.D., was promoted to Division President, Diagnostics Solutions in April 2023. Before that, she served as Vice President, U.S. Sales and Commercial Excellence for the Company's Diagnostics Division. Dr. Schneiders joined Hologic in March 2008 upon its acquisition of Third Wave Technologies and has held various roles of increasing responsibility, including Vice President, Diagnostic Laboratory Solutions from September 2020 to November 2022 and Senior Director of Clinical Solutions prior to that. She has been a key player in driving Hologic's market-leading position in women's health diagnostics. Dr. Schneiders began her career with Third Wave in 1998, holding various roles until its acquisition by Hologic. Dr. Schneiders holds a Bachelor's Degree in biochemistry from Trinity College and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Boston College.

Dr. Yael Schwartz earned her M.S. degree in Toxicology from Northeastern University and her Ph.D. in Endocrine Physiology from UMASS Medical School. Her post-graduate work in Immunology led her to advance her career in the pharmaceutical industry, where she worked on teams that led to 8 INDs and 5 NDAs across multiple therapeutic areas. Yael is a serial entrepreneur. Or-Genix Therapeutics is her third company, with a primary focus on women's health and well-being. She is driven by curiosity, grounded in connection, and inspired by innovation that changes lives. With a deep respect for human stories and a passion for science that serves real people, she works at the intersection of biotech and impact, where bold ideas become better futures.

Dr. Aritro Sen is the Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Maipl Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing first-in-class medicines for women’s health indications. Previously, Dr. Sen served as a Program Officer at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), NIH, where he oversaw programs across three branches: Fertility & Infertility, Gynecological Health & Disease, and Pregnancy & Perinatology. He was also the Director and Therapeutic Area Head for Reproductive Medicine & Maternal Health in Global Drug Discovery and External Innovation at Ferring Pharmaceuticals. Earlier in his career, he held faculty appointments at Michigan State University in the Reproductive and Developmental Sciences Program and at the University of Rochester Medical Center in the Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Department of Medicine. In addition, he has served as a consultant for the Center for Human Reproduction in New York, NY, and continues to serve as an expert advisor to several venture capital firms and pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Sen earned his Master’s in Biochemistry from the University of Calcutta, India, and a Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology from West Virginia University. He completed two postdoctoral fellowships: one in Reproductive Biology at Michigan State University and another in Molecular Endocrinology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He has authored more than 45 publications, served as an Editorial Board member, Associate Editor, and reviewer for multiple scientific journals, and participated on numerous federal, foundation, industry, and international grant review panels. Dr. Sen is also the recipient of the Pfizer Early Career Investigator Award from the Endocrine Society.

Bishwas is the co-founder and CEO of Adjuva Bio, a biotech startup pioneering innovative cell therapies to treat women’s health diseases, starting with endometriosis, and expanding to fibrotic conditions like pulmonary fibrosis. With a PhD in Immunology and extensive experience in cell therapy development, Bishwas has contributed to research programs, including work at Fate Therapeutics (developing iPSC-based T cells, now in clinical trials) and Caribou Biosciences (advancing NK cell therapies for autoimmune diseases). Combining deep scientific expertise with a venture-building mindset, he is passionate about creating next-generation therapies for underserved diseases.

Nikki Simpson is an in vivo pharmacologist with over 17 years of industry experience in translational research and animal model development. She specializes in target validation and novel pathway biology, with expertise spanning neurological diseases, metabolic conditions, cardiovascular diseases, oncology, fibrosis, and inflammatory diseases. She spent 13 years at the Novartis Institute for BioMedical Research in San Diego (GNF), where her work developing in vivo and ex vivo models for inflammatory bowel disease led her to become Head of Pharmacology and Principal Scientist at Velia, a start-up focused on identifying and evaluating microproteins as novel drug targets. After more than 15 years working across diverse indications, Nikki turned her efforts to her personal passion: women’s health. She is now a Principal Investigator at PostEra, focused on establishing relevant animal models for reproductive health and committed to bringing safe and effective drugs to patients struggling with infertility.

Kristina Stuecher is a visionary healthcare executive and currently serves as Vice President of Operations for the OhioHealth Women’s Center. She is leading the largest investment in OhioHealth’s history: the development of a state-of-the-art hospital and medical office building dedicated to women’s and reproductive health, scheduled to open on the Riverside Methodist Hospital campus in early 2027. Kristina’s leadership is focused on designing and building a patient-first women’s hospital that delivers coordinated, seamless, and personalized care for women across the region. Since joining OhioHealth in 2014, Kristina has advanced through several administrative vice president leadership positions for the Surgery, Women’s and Reproductive and Primary Care service lines and Vice President of Central Ohio Specialty, helping unify provider operations system-wide. Before joining OhioHealth, Kristina held the role of Director of Operations and completed an administrative fellowship at Penn Medicine. She also served in operational leadership at Ascension’s St. Vincent Seton Hospital in Indianapolis. Kristina holds a Master of Health Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from Indiana University and completed significant coursework in pharmacy at Purdue University. Outside of work, Kristina is active in the Columbus community, serving on the boards of Freedom a la Cart and the Community Shelter Board, and enjoys exploring the city’s performing arts scene with her family.

Sarah Temkin, MD, worked across the NIH to coordinate clinical research focused on the health needs of women. She has specific expertise in gynecologic cancers, cancer prevention, clinical trials, and health disparities. Her clinical research team oversaw the Underrepresented, Underserved, and Underreported (U3) Program.

Megan Tirone, MD, serves as the vice president and chief medical officer (CMO) of Women’s Services for BayCare Health System, St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital and Winter Haven Women’s Hospital. BayCare is one of the nation’s best-performing health care systems and is renowned for delivering the highest clinical excellence with extraordinary, compassionate care. Dr. Tirone oversees medical excellence at both hospitals while leading the Women’s Clinical Institute, working to unify and elevate care across the health system. Her vision is to provide exceptional, evidence-based care for every patient, setting new standards for women’s health delivery. Dr. Tirone has an extensive background in obstetrics and gynecology, serving as an accomplished physician and trusted leader. She previously held the roles of director and CMO of St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital and St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, where she helped guide clinical and operational improvements. Her educational credentials include a Doctor of Medicine from Tulane University, a Master of Public Health from Tulane University School of Public Health and a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from Johns Hopkins University.

Nadine Walker, MSN, BSN, RN, C-EFM, C-ONQS, NE-BC, ANLC-P, FAWHONN Executive Director of Nursing AdventHealth for Women Central Florida Division Nadine Walker is a women’s health nurse executive with expertise in maternal-child health, equitable care and collaborative care models. She co-authored One-Team and One-Mission Collaboration in Obstetric and Emergency Medicine published in JOGNN and has led programs to improve wrap around care for pregnant patients and families while reducing disparity and improving health literacy and outcomes. Programs like Perinatal Compass, Joint Commission Maternity Levels of Care, Safe Sleep Certification, and Fourth-Trimester Coordination take a multidisciplinary safety net approach to addressing maternal and infant mortality and morbidity. A Fellow of AWHONN, Nadine is board certified in nursing leadership, quality and safety, and electronic fetal monitoring.

Gina Xiaojing Wang is currently a Distinguished Scientist and Senior Director at Genentech. She earned a BSc degree from Peking University, a PhD from the University of Florida, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at RTI International. She has also held positions at Ionis Pharmaceuticals and Johnson & Johnson. Gina served as the project team leader and co-inventor of GDC-0570/NB004 (a pan-Pim inhibitor in Phase 1 trials) and giredestrant (an oral SERD in Phase 3 trials), for which she received the Inventor Award and the Ralph Schwall Memorial Award. She was featured in the *Portraits in Science* series on the company's external website (gene.com/portraits). Additionally, Gina has contributed to the field as a member of the Steering Committee for the CICR working group of the AACR and as a drug discovery board member for the Royal Society of Chemistry. As a thought leader, Gina has been interviewed by *Chemical & Engineering News* and invited as a panel speaker at the Keystone Symposium. She has also presented at the first-time disclosure sessions organized by both ACS and AACR. Gina is a co-inventor and co-author of 71 patents, research publications, book chapters, and reviews. Several of her articles in ACS *Medicinal Chemistry Letters* and the *Journal of Medicinal Chemistry* have been selected as featured articles by the editors.

Tracy Warren is an influential leader who devotes deep experience in entrepreneurship and early-stage venture capital investing to American Heart Association Ventures as Senior Managing Director. Passionate about women’s and children’s health, she leads the investment strategy for the Go Red for Women Venture Fund. Notably, Tracy has been an active and successful investor in women’s health through Astarte Ventures, a firm she founded in 2013. Pre-seed investments in Alydia (sold to Organon for $240M), Maven Clinic (the first women’s health unicorn) and Materna Medical have produced significant cash on cash returns, validating the investment case for women’s health. Tracy served as venture capital manager for Healthworx, the venture arm of CareFirst BCBS, prior to joining AHA Ventures. She was previously co-founder and CEO of Astarte Medical, a health IT start-up focused on early life nutrition and gut health for preterm and critically ill infants. Among other game-changing roles, Tracy was co-founder and executive director of FedIMPACT, which commercialized technologies from Department of Energy national laboratories, and co-founder, board chair and CEO of NellOne Therapeutics, Inc., a regenerative biologics company. Tracy is a co-inventor on three patents and has authored numerous articles on early nutrition and pediatric care. Among many board positions, Tracy served on the Board of the Children’s Research Institute at Children’s National Medical Center, where she chaired the Technology & Innovation Advisory Committee, and the Clemson University Research Foundation Board. Tracy holds a BS in Accounting and International Business from New York University and MBA at Columbia Business School in Finance.

Léa Wenger is the CEO of Cyclana Bio, a Cambridge-born start-up looking to revolutionise tissue level drug discovery in women’s health by harnessing the ‘dark matter of tissue’: the extracellular matrix. Léa studied veterinary medicine at the University of Cambridge, before completing a PhD in Clinical Neurosciences, working on 3D brain organoid models of disease. She has a diverse background in biomedical research, with projects spanning neuroscience, biotremology, epigenetics and ageing. She has years of experience in biotech, notably working in epigenetic drug discovery as a scientist at Altos Labs. There, she was diagnosed with endometriosis and decided to apply her learnings to furthering women’s health. She is also an avid triathlete and advocate for women’s sport.

Debra Wickman, MD, MS, FACOG, is a gynecologist certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She directs Female Sexual Medicine, Vulvar Disorders, and Menopause Health as Associate Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Banner University Medical Center - Phoenix and is a clinical faculty member of University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix. Her model of diagnosis and treatment incorporates programs that uniquely educate, empower, and encourage personal growth, sexual discovery and healing for women. The programs look beyond a singular medical, pharmaceutical, or behavioral therapy, and instead integrate all approaches from a mind-body perspective. Whether exploring ways to induce "flow state" for pleasure and connection; regaining intimacy following cancer treatment; or restoring sexual function in the face of chronic pain or disease, her goal is to improve quality of life metrics. Central to her model is a holistic sexuality approach, using her training as a gynecologist to link the physical aspect of healing with mental, emotional and relational facets to treat the whole sexual being.

Wendy Young, PhD, is a biotechnology, pharma, and life sciences executive and board advisor with more than 30 years of experience in the discovery and development of new medicines for patients. She currently serves as a board member and scientific advisor at several venture capital backed start-up companies and is an advisor at Google Ventures. Previously, Wendy was an executive partner at MPM Capital, where she actively supported investments and new company builds. Prior to this role, she was the Senior Vice President, Small Molecule Drug Discovery at Genentech, where for 15 years she actively built and led the research & discovery organization. Under her leadership, more than 25 clinical candidates progressed into development. Additionally, Wendy led the BTK discovery program and is co-inventor of fenebrutinib, which is currently in Phase 3 trials for multiple sclerosis. Prior to joining Genentech, Wendy held roles of increasing scientific leadership at Celera Genomics and Scios, a J&J company. Wendy is an inventor and/or author on more than 70 published patents and manuscripts. Wendy earned her PhD in chemistry from Princeton University under the guidance of E.C. Taylor and was an American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratories of Samuel Danishefsky at Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Dr. Sophie Zaaijer is a Principal Investigator and Consultant committed to advancing precision medicine through investigating the impact of representation of human population groups in preclinical and clinical research. She aligns regulatory (FDA) and industry requirements with improved data collection methods from genetically representative (ancestry and sex) and complex cellular systems to improve clinical risk and efficacy predictions. She obtained scientific training at the NIH/NCI (Bethesda), UCL, Columbia University, the New York Genome Center, and Harvard Medical School. Her expertise spans the R&D pipeline, with a specialization in molecular biology, genetics, and cell biology.

Alice Zheng has been a women’s health enthusiast throughout her career spanning global health, clinical medicine, and the private sector. She is currently a Partner at Foreground Capital, a venture capital firm investing in early-stage women’s health start-ups. Previously, she was a Principal at Foreground’s precursor funds at RH Capital, where she and the team built one of the largest dedicated venture capital portfolios in women’s health. At Foreground Capital, she continues to manage RH Capital funds and serves as a board director for Seven Starling and Millie and as a board observer for AOA and Cofertility. Previously, Alice was a women’s health practice leader and management consultant at McKinsey & Company, where she published foundational research on women’s health. Earlier in her career, she trained as a physician with a focus on women’s health and worked in global public health in East Africa and Asia. She has also been a patient in many women’s health area, including infertility, abortion, and difficult pregnancies. Alice holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and MD/MPH from the University of Michigan, where she was a Dean's Merit Scholar. She has been recognized as a VC Rising Star and 30 under 40 Healthcare with her profile featured in Business Insider, Michigan Medicine and more. She holds advising and mentoring roles with multiple women’s health accelerators and summits and also serves on the investment advisory board of the Michigan Biomedical Venture Fund.