Women’s Health Horizons (WHH)

“Women’s health investment has grown 50% from 2023 to 2024, reaching $2.6 billion, even as overall healthcare investment declined.” — Elizabeth Bailey, Foreground Capital That powerful stat set the tone for what I experienced yesterday at the first-ever Women’s Health Horizons (WHH) inaugural conference in Boston — where optimism met urgency and where I had the honor of joining as an Advisory Board Member. It’s been many months since I walked in “mini heels,” felt that familiar spark of connection, and stood with people who share my passion for redefining the future of #womenshealth. Coming back after surgery wasn’t just physical — it was emotional. It reminded me how deeply I’ve missed being in the room — listening, learning, and leading with new ideas. What I found most brilliant about the founders of WHH is that Jason Clark pulled this entire conference together in just three months — from London — alongside co-founder Ashleigh Niziol and head of partnerships Holly Carruthers. Without having worked in the women’s health space before, they committed themselves to getting it right: building a room of over 200 people from across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. — from icons like Shelley Amster , Amy Millman, and Mitzi Krockover, MD to emerging founders like Danika Kelly. That’s not just execution; that’s vision. Several themes resonated with me: 1️⃣ Integration over isolation — On the broader impact of research, Kathryn Godburn Schubert the CEO of Society for Women's Health Research (SWHR) put it best: “We really are using our research to look at a unisex person — that doesn’t make any sense. If you really want to use your dollars efficiently and you want to research the right questions, you have to actually look at the population that you’re trying to get the answers for.” 2️⃣ Science must reflect all women — innovation depends on research that truly represents us. We heard repeatedly that studies must include women of all backgrounds and ethnicities, because genetics, hormones, and even pain thresholds differ. Without that representation, the data — & the care — miss the mark. Progress in women’s health starts with science that reflects every woman. 3️⃣ The patient voice — Perhaps the most emotional moment came from Sally Wolf Wolf, who lives brilliantly with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer and reminded us: “You must start listening to the patient and their needs — because we are your real-life clinical trial.” And as Liz Powell reminded us in her closing remarks: “Use your voice to make a difference. Write letters, show up to town halls, and join movements that advance women’s health policy.” I left Boston hopeful, inspired, and proud to be part of a movement proving that women’s health isn’t a vertical — it’s the foundation of human health. Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, Jenny Carrillo, Lara Zibners MD MMEd MBA, Vasanta Pundarika Rachel Butler Georgie Kovacs Jamie Zahlaway Belsito Cheryl Kerr Rachel Braun Scherl Megan Greenfield, Ph.D.

✨ We're still reeling from all the excitement from the past two days: thank you to all of our attendees, sponsors, speakers, and advisors for making our inaugural summit such an incredible success. Next week we'll be launching our dates for 2026 (starting with London in March). ✉️ Sign-up for our waitlist to be the first to know! https://lnkd.in/gEdvX4YT Anna Valcheva Jason Clark Holly Carruthers Ashleigh Niziol Mitzi Krockover, MD Rachel Braun Scherl Lauren Ruotolo Danika Kelly Shelley Amster Sally Wolf Liz Powell Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum Amy Millman Jenny Carrillo Cheryl Kerr #womenshealthhorizons #womenshealth #boston

Most people see women's health as a niche. These 10 communities see it as a $400 billion opportunity. 10 FemTech communities every women's health innovator should follow: 1. Femtech Insider (Kathrin Folkendt) • Started as newsletter, now global authority platform •  Focuses on reproductive, hormonal, fertility health innovation •  Bridges founders, investors, researchers, policymakers 2. Daya Ventures (Malin Frithiofsson) • World's first femtech-only venture studio • Built 10 startups in 2 years, more than16-company portfolio • Majority women-owned, East Africa innovation hub 3. Women's Health Horizons (Jason Clark) •  North America's largest women's health innovation conference •  Policy reform to tech innovation full-spectrum •  Industry accelerator driving real action and investment 4. FemmeHealth Ventures (Maryann U.) • VC proving femtech is financial growth, not charity • Portfolio tackles fibroids, postpartum depression breakthroughs • Capital efficiency meets tech innovation 5. Wellbeing of Women( Janet Lindsay) • UK charity funding 50+ research projects • Gynecologic cancer prevention to maternal-child health • Research funding + policy advocacy combined 6. Future Fem Health (Anna O'Sullivan) • Content platform empowering early-career researchers • Drives public and private sector awareness • Knowledge dissemination from grassroots to policy 7. In Women's Health (Jodi Neuhauser) • Career development platform for women's health sector • Talent pipeline and job matching marketplace • Building diverse workforce for the industry 8. Women of Wearables (Marija Butkovic) • Started as small meetup, now 20,000+ members in 60 countries • Women founders in health tech + fashion wearables • Cross-industry innovation at its best 9. Femtech Across Borders ( 🍁 Rachel Bartholomew 🇨🇦 ) • Cross-border femtech innovation network • Connects innovators and investors globally • Knowledge sharing and market collaboration 10. WEALTH: Women in Health（Devika Wood, MPH） • Women's leadership development in health sector • Empowering female leaders in health tech and medical fields • Gender diversity from the inside None of these communities existed 10 years ago. All of them are essential today. The women's health revolution isn't coming. It's already here. P.S. What else should I include on this list? Mitzi Krockover, MD | Kate C Arnold, MD, MBA | Ikram Guerd | Keren Leshem | Lara Zibners MD MMEd MBA | Vasanta Pundarika | — Enjoy this? ♻️ Repost it and follow Effie GUO for more #WomensHealth #HealthEquity #FemTech #WomensHealth #HealthInnovation #GlobalHealth

💡 A highlight from this morning's panel: The Unseen Impact of Fibroids, featuring Cheryl Kerr, Sue McKinney, Sateria Venable, and Bhuchitra Singh, MD, MPH, MS, MBA. “Women want to preserve their uterine health and fertility, yet the standard of care for women who have had children is a hysterectomy.” #womenshealthhorizons #womenshealth #boston

👏 Our advisor Danika Kelly had a moment to share some exciting news for women's health research this morning. Called "The Persons Project" - My Normative announced a groundbreaking collaboration with nine pioneering research and industry partners including: 4M: Menarche, Menstruation, Menopause & Mental Health, Clue, GSD Health Research, Trially AI, and researchers Stacy T. Sims, PhD, and Claire Badenhorst to address the critical lack of sex and gender-specific data in health research. Even in 2025, there's still work to be done forcing health research to acknowledge medical personhood of the female body: women's bodies aren't just smaller versions of men's. Read more at the article in the comments ⬇️

Such a pleasure to speak at @Women's Health Horizons, and to be on a panel with this amazing group. Each of them are making such an impact in women's health, and offered fascinating insights and analysis. Thank you Ashleigh Niziol and Jason Clark for putting together a great event. #womenshealth

🗣️ "In 2019, postpartum mental health cost this country and its families $14 billion in lost wages." Melissa Bowley Sipra Laddha, MD, Leslie Forde Jamie Zahlaway Belsito #womenshealthhorizons #womenshealth #boston