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.

Elnur Babayev, MD, MSc, is an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist. He is an NIH Women’s Reproductive Health Research (WRHR) Scholar whose research focuses on two major areas: basic and translational research in ovarian aging and drug discovery for women’s health conditions. His laboratory investigates the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying ovarian aging, with an emphasis on identifying novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets to improve reproductive longevity. His drug discovery efforts focus on developing novel therapeutics to address unmet needs in reproductive medicine and women's health. Dr. Babayev completed his medical training at Istanbul University, earned an MSc in Clinical Embryology from the University of Oxford, and completed postdoctoral training at Yale University, followed by residency and fellowship training at Northwestern University.

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. Bharadwaj is Executive Director, Drug Discovery Analytics at Revolution Medicines, where she is building and leading a new AI/ML team to advance the company’s RAS(ON) inhibitor platform, including its work on daraxonrasib, zoldonrasib, and elironrasib. In this role, she is embedding AI across target identification, molecule design, and translational research to accelerate discovery against RAS-driven cancers — one of oncology’s most historically challenging targets. She brings prior experience leading enterprise AI adoption at Novartis, Sanofi, and Biogen, along with a background at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. She also founded Prevara, a startup supporting preconception health, and mentors emerging talent through Women in AI and Nucleate.

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 Platform for accelerating drug discovery. Vanessa began her career in academics and clinical research in molecular and cell biology and public health at UC Berkeley and UCSF and then transitioned to roles building new products, strategic alliances, commercial ecosystem growth in AI and life sciences.

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.

Maria Gonzalez Manso is CEO and co-founder of Tucuvi, building Clinical Voice AI to help bridge the gap between what patients clinically need and what healthcare teams have the capacity to deliver. Trained in Biomedical Engineering, she has spent the past several years working with health systems across Europe and the US, with Tucuvi now deployed across 80+ health systems. She is excited to share lessons from real world deployments on closing the trust gap in AI-driven remote monitoring, from the clinical evidence and governance care teams require to keeping human judgment at the center of chronic disease management.

Dr. Felicia Gray is a biomedical scientist working in small-molecule drug discovery at Schrödinger. Her work spans target ideation, biological rationale, and therapeutic concept evaluation, testing emerging ideas against data and unmet patient needs. Dr. Gray has served as biology lead on small-molecule programs across oncology, neuroscience, inflammation, and women’s health, contributing to two oncology INDs and building funding support and key research collaborations in non-hormonal contraception.

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.

Dr. Kathleen Jordan is one of the founders and Chief Medical Officer at Midi Health. At Midi, she leads a team of hundreds of clinicians serving women in all 50 states on their virtual telehealth platform that serves women in midlife. She is a menopause-certified provider and trained internist. Her background: Always a proponent of digital health and solving access issues, she has worked to leverage innovative technology into patient care. After running her practice, she became a Chief Medical Officer at St. Francis Hospital and, most recently, a leader in women’s healthcare startups, and joined the founding team at Midi Health in 2021 and has led the growth of services to become the leading menopause care solution and one of the largest national telehealth providers of women's care, serving tens of thousands of women every week. Her career has been highlighted by establishing telehealth services at the Hospital site, attaining Health Equity Leadership Certification for the Hospital and its programs, and establishing a new trans health program in San Francisco for which she was awarded the Leadership in Innovation award. She joined the founding team at MidiHealth to help advance the access to expert care. Her expertise has been featured in multiple news outlets, publications, and podcasts. She is a graduate of the UCLA School of Medicine and Stanford University. Midi Health has experienced fantastic growth and recognition since its inception in 2021.

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.

Dr. Kommagani is the Roger D. Rossen Endowed Professor of Reproductive Pathology at Baylor College of Medicine and a leader in microbiome-driven innovations for women's health. His groundbreaking research established a causal role for the gut microbiome in endometriosis and led to the discovery of a stool-based metabolic signature with potential as a noninvasive diagnostic test. His laboratory also identified microbiome-derived therapeutic candidates that are advancing new treatment strategies for endometriosis. These discoveries generated multiple patents and launched startup companies focused on diagnostics and therapeutics. Through a combination of scientific discovery, translational research, and commercialization, Dr. Kommagani is advancing microbiome-based solutions aimed at improving the diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis.

Caitlyn Krebs is a seasoned life sciences executive and entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience across biotechnology, diagnostics, and digital health. She is a recognized expert in the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) and is focused on leveraging cutting-edge science and AI to develop novel therapeutics that address pain, inflammation, and women’s health. As Co-Founder & CEO of Nalu Bio, Caitlyn is advancing an AI-driven ECS discovery platform targeting CB1 and CB2 receptors to develop next-generation treatments, with an initial focus on endometriosis and chronic pain. Previously, Caitlyn served as Chief Business Officer at an early cancer detection company, COO of Neurotrack, and VP of Business Development at Rock Health. She has also held business development leadership roles at multiple biotech and diagnostics startups. Caitlyn graduated with honors from Brown University with a BS in Biology and was raised on the Big Island of Hawaii.

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.

La Keisha Landrum Pierre is a forward-thinking venture capitalist, strategic operator, and three-time founder reshaping early-stage investing. As Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Emmeline Ventures, she leads a top-performing, operator-led fund deploying capital into high-growth, tech-enabled startups. Her investment thesis anchors a robust portfolio of over 35 market-leading companies transforming women’s health, wealth, and sustainability—building vital modern infrastructure while driving exceptional returns. Her investment playbook is backed by over 13 years of hyper-scaling operational experience. As the former CEO and COO of Sahara Reporters Media Group, she scaled the platform's audience from 2 million to 50 million monthly users and secured millions in institutional capital. Her deep background in venture validation includes building two startups through the Harvard Innovation Lab—yielding a successful digital health exit—and directing advanced technology research at Harvard Law School’s Berkman Klein Center. This track record has earned her global industry recognition. La Keisha was recently named one of PEI’s 50 Women of Influence in Private Markets and featured by Venture Capital Journal for her work in capital-efficient fund design. An expert speaker, she recently took the stage at Carta’s Innovators Summit to outline next-generation fund architectures and capital allocation strategies. Her leadership across private markets has commanded prestigious accolades. The Aspen Institute selected her as a 2025 Aspen Ideas Health Fellow, complementing consecutive honors including the Los Angeles Business Journal Women’s Leadership Awards and the LA Times Studios Inspirational Women Forum & Leadership Awards. La Keisha seamlessly pairs enterprise scalability with institutional execution, unlocking major, undervalued market opportunities.

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.

Margaret Melville is the CEO and Co-Founder of Lasa Health, a health technology company leveraging artificial intelligence to support the early diagnosis and management of chronic pelvic pain. Her work addresses the persistent 6–12 year diagnostic delay for conditions such as endometriosis by integrating machine learning into clinical decision support tools used at the point of care. Lasa Health’s platform has been validated in collaboration with Mayo Clinic and supported by the NSF, ARPA-H, and the Colorado Office of Economic Development. She holds an MBA from INSEAD and has experience across global health, medical devices, and impact investing. She lives in Boulder, Colorado, where she enjoys raising goats, mushroom foraging, and speed puzzling.

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.

Raquel Mura is a distinguished global regulatory strategist and R&D transformation expert, celebrated for her ability to develop high-performing cross-functional teams. She is an advocate for the role of technology and AI in enhacing decision making, innovation, and the human experience, having spearheaded digital transformation initiatives, including advanced analytics and automation of processes. Mura has successfully optimized global R&D operations, transformed operating models, and has crafted regulatory strategies to drive innovation and pipeline growth. Her career includes leadership roles at Sanofi, Pfizer, Novartis, and Bristol-Myers, having lived and worked in North America, Europe and South America. A PharmD, JD and MBA, she has earned accolades such as the TOPRA Inspiration Award, HBA Luminary and recognition as one of America’s Most Inspirational Women in Leadership. A committed advocate for equity, she led and contributed to various initiatives, including the HBA's Gender Equity Think Tank.

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.

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.

Valerie B. Palmieri is an accomplished healthcare and biotech executive, board leader, and Founder and CEO of Momentum Consulting, LLC. She has held executive and board positions across public and private companies, overseeing organizations with more than 1,000 employees. Through Momentum Consulting, Valerie advises diagnostic companies in oncology, women’s health, and neurodegenerative disease on reimbursement, market access, laboratory operations, commercialization, and mergers and acquisitions. Her expertise includes Medicare coverage and coding pathways, including MolDX, Local Coverage Determinations (LCDs), and Advanced Diagnostic Laboratory Test (ADLT) designation. She is also a frequent speaker on FDA regulation of laboratory-developed tests. Valerie champions women’s health and FemTech as an advisor, board member, and healthcare policy advocate. At Women’s Health Advocates, she co-chairs the Reimbursement and Menopause Committees, supporting legislative initiatives to advance menopause care and midlife women’s health. She has also engaged with CMS and FDA on emerging diagnostic regulatory pathways. Her previous leadership roles include Executive Chair, CEO/President, and COO of Aspira Women’s Health; CEO/President of Diagnocure; and Senior Vice President of Operations at Laboratory Corporation of America and DIANON Systems. Valerie holds a BS in Medical Technology, with honors, from Western Connecticut State University, a Mini MBA from Elon University, and executive education certificates from Columbia Business School, Stanford Directors College, and the Wharton School.

Amanda “Mandy” Pinheiro, PhD, is a co-founder of Evina Biosciences, a preclinical-stage women’s health therapeutics company developing non-hormonal treatments for uterine fibroids. Mandy leads Evina's drug discovery program and company operations. She has secured federal and private funding to advance research originating at Northwestern University toward new treatment options for women. She earned her PhD in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology & Biochemistry and MS in Human Physiology from Boston University, and her BS in Biomedical Engineering from The University of Akron.

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.

Cassie Ricci joined Roche Diagnostics in 2022 and currently leads the organization's Alliance Development Program within the Access & Government Affairs team. In her role, Cassie is responsible for establishing and growing relationships with patient advocacy and stakeholder organizations to advance the value of diagnostics and patient outcomes. In addition to leading Alliance, Cassie is a key contributor to Roche Diagnostics' federal legislative and public policy priorities. Prior to joining Roche Diagnostics, Cassie held roles at GE HealthCare and Deloitte and has over a decade of health policy expertise within the medical imaging and diagnostics industries.

Livia Robic is Product Manager for Women's Health at Withings, leading the company's strategy across fertility, pregnancy, perimenopause and menopause. With a background in bioengineering, she brings deep expertise in physiology and connected health technology to the intersection of data science and women's care. She drove the research behind the Menopause Transition 2026 Report and is passionate about closing the menopause care gap through preventive monitoring and personalized health insights.

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.

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.

Dr. Shikanov is a Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan, home to the #7-ranked biomedical engineering program in the country. There, she also serves as the Associate Director of the Cellular and Molecular Biology Graduate program. Dr. Shikanov’s academic journey began with a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences from Hebrew University. She then pursued postdoctoral training in women's health at Northwestern University with Dr. Lonnie Shea and Dr. Teresa Woodruff, pioneers in reproductive science. Since starting her lab at the University of Michigan in 2012, she has established a research program focused on ovarian function, fertility preservation, and reproductive health. A major focus of her work is developing immuno-isolation devices for ovarian tissue transplantation, designed to restore ovarian endocrine function in young girls who have undergone chemotherapy and lost puberty signals or fertility. She has conducted preclinical studies in non-human primates to test these devices and is now advancing this work into human studies in collaboration with an IRB that facilitates the collection of reproductive tract tissues from deceased donors for follicle retrieval. Dr. Shikanov’s lab is also engineering biomimetic matrices to promote folliculogenesis, exploring in vitro maturation of early-stage follicles, and investigating the reproductive consequences of testosterone administration in transgender individuals. Her research is highly interdisciplinary, integrating biomaterials, reproductive biology, and regenerative medicine to address urgent clinical needs in women's health. Her contributions have been widely recognized, with support from multiple NIH R01 grants, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, an NSF CAREER Award, and the Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (CMBE) Young Innovator Award. She is also a Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), reflecting her leadership and impact in the field.

Dr. Luba Soskin is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist and Global Clinical Lead in Women’s Healthcare at Bayer. She brings experience across clinical practice, academia, and pharmaceutical development, with a focus on advancing innovative solutions for women’s health. Her work spans clinical development and scientific strategy, complemented by advisory roles supporting innovation in the women’s-health ecosystem.

Sarah Temkin, MD, FACS serves as Senior Director, Early Detection at the American Cancer Society. She previously served as the Associate Director for Clinical Research at the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health where she developed and disseminated research priorities on women's health for the agency. A gynecologic oncologist, Dr. Temkin has a recognized expertise in cancer and women, cancer prevention and early detection, and health equity.

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.

Elcin Zan, MD is the Chair of Nuclear Medicine at Cleveland Clinic. Elcin focuses on exploring the full potential of Radiopharmaceutical Therapies in oncology to meaningfully improve patient outcomes in clinic and research. Elcin and her team develop AGI tools to study the collective intelligence of cancer from cells to body-wide networks integrating pathology and PET diagnostics.