Women's Health Innovation Series: Contraception Summit 2021

Women's Health Innovation Series: Contraception Summit

Driving innovation, education, and investment to improve access to and quality of women’s contraception journeys

Download 2021 Agenda
VIRTUAL SUMMIT | PDT Timezone
23 February, 2021

Have you applied for the Contraception Innovation Showcase? Be in with a chance to showcase your product, device or solution 'live on stage' at the Contraception Innovation Summit. It's free to apply - so what are you waiting for?

WHY ATTEND?

Women’s health today is under-served from innovation and clinical science standpoints with outdated practices and lack of much-needed attention from key players (incl. investors and insurers). It is imperative to develop the eco-system, shift mindsets and embrace the holistic women-centred approach.

As part of our leading Women’s Health Innovation Series, The Contraception Innovation Summit is the first instalment of our 1-day themed events throughout 2021. Take a deep-dive into the verticals that are driving change in women’s health to improve the quality and access to healthcare for women globally. 

Innovation in the contraception industry is long overdue. Women's desire to take ownership over their birth control, demanding more choice, safety, efficacy and education has become a vehicle for innovation and investment in this space.

The Contraception Summit is about putting women at the centre of contraceptive research, innovations, and education to improve women’s contraceptive journeys throughout their lives. Join our leading network of pharma, biotech, medical device companies, start-ups, investors, researchers, and HCPs to drive innovation at the convergence of healthcare and technology.

WHIS Steering Committee 2021

Author:

Maryjane Lacoste

Senior Program Officer for Family Planning Service Delivery and Quality
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Maryjane Lacoste joined The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in May 2014, working with the Family Planning Team as the Senior Program Officer for Family Planning Service Delivery and Quality.  As such, she led the implementation of the Implant Access Program and currently leads and manages the DMPA-SC introduction/scale portfolio, ensuring that the strategy focuses on expanding access to method choice and strengthens quality of care including counseling, interpersonal communications, clinical training, service delivery and performance monitoring.  She also oversees the family planning portfolio in Indonesia and guides on postpartum and postabortion FP strategies.  Prior to joining the Foundation, Maryjane worked with Jhpiego for over 20 years, spending the last 15 years in the field as country/regional director in Tanzania, Indonesia and Malawi.  She has worked with Ministries of Health, donors and other stakeholders to develop and manage implementation of large reproductive health, maternal, newborn and child health and HIV projects in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as in Indonesia. Maryjane holds a Master of Arts degree from University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University.

Maryjane Lacoste

Senior Program Officer for Family Planning Service Delivery and Quality
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Maryjane Lacoste joined The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in May 2014, working with the Family Planning Team as the Senior Program Officer for Family Planning Service Delivery and Quality.  As such, she led the implementation of the Implant Access Program and currently leads and manages the DMPA-SC introduction/scale portfolio, ensuring that the strategy focuses on expanding access to method choice and strengthens quality of care including counseling, interpersonal communications, clinical training, service delivery and performance monitoring.  She also oversees the family planning portfolio in Indonesia and guides on postpartum and postabortion FP strategies.  Prior to joining the Foundation, Maryjane worked with Jhpiego for over 20 years, spending the last 15 years in the field as country/regional director in Tanzania, Indonesia and Malawi.  She has worked with Ministries of Health, donors and other stakeholders to develop and manage implementation of large reproductive health, maternal, newborn and child health and HIV projects in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as in Indonesia. Maryjane holds a Master of Arts degree from University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University.

Author:

Alice Zheng, MD, MBA, MPH

Principal
Rhia Ventures

Alice Zheng, MD, MBA, MPH

Principal
Rhia Ventures

Author:

Susan C. Nicholson, MD, FIDSA

Vice President, Women’s Health
Johnson & Johnson

Susan C. Nicholson, MD, FIDSA

Vice President, Women’s Health
Johnson & Johnson

Author:

Dr. Stephen Gerrard Ph.D.

Independent Expert Advisor Contraception R&D
Contraception R&D

Dr. Stephen Gerrard Ph.D.

Independent Expert Advisor Contraception R&D
Contraception R&D

Author:

Jarrad Aguirre

Head of Strategic Partnerships & Innovation
Myovant Sciences

Jarrad Aguirre, MD, MBA, is Head of Corporate Strategy and Advocacy at Myovant Sciences, a healthcare company focused on women's health and prostate cancer. In this role, he oversees corporate communications, patient advocacy, and digital strategy, and serves on the Executive Committee. 
 
Prior to joining Myovant, Jarrad worked as a physician, researcher, and consultant across the spectrum of health and healthcare, including at Brigham and Women's Hospital (a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School), The Colorado Health Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Collective Health. 
 
He graduated with honors from Yale University and University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. He completed the MD/MBA at Stanford University, supported by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Scholarship.  

Jarrad Aguirre

Head of Strategic Partnerships & Innovation
Myovant Sciences

Jarrad Aguirre, MD, MBA, is Head of Corporate Strategy and Advocacy at Myovant Sciences, a healthcare company focused on women's health and prostate cancer. In this role, he oversees corporate communications, patient advocacy, and digital strategy, and serves on the Executive Committee. 
 
Prior to joining Myovant, Jarrad worked as a physician, researcher, and consultant across the spectrum of health and healthcare, including at Brigham and Women's Hospital (a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School), The Colorado Health Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Collective Health. 
 
He graduated with honors from Yale University and University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. He completed the MD/MBA at Stanford University, supported by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Scholarship.  

Contraception Innovation Spotlight

From research to finished product, highlighting the key innovations in the contraception space, from hormonal to non-hormonal solutions, devices, digital health innovations and therapeutics. 6 finalists, selected by our prestigious selection committee, showcase their innovations to our audience and get priority access to our meeting platform.

What innovations are we looking for?

  • Noval Drug Solutions
  • Brith Control Devices
  • Digital Services that track cycles 
  • Telehealth solutions to access to Birth Control 

What happens if you are successful? 

Share a 3 minute video with the entire Contraception Innovation Summit audience, and raise your profile to Venture Capitalists, Investors and interested parties in contraception. 

SUBMISSION DEADLINE:  FEBRUARY 5TH, 2021

APPLY NOW

1
Day
30+
Industry Leading Speakers
4+
Dedicated Networking Hours
5+
In-depth Case Studies
200+
Industry Executives

WOMEN'S HEALTH INNOVATION SERIES 2021 CALENDAR

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2021 Contraception Innovation Speakers

 

Maryjane Lacoste

Senior Program Officer for Family Planning Service Delivery and Quality
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Maryjane Lacoste joined The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in May 2014, working with the Family Planning Team as the Senior Program Officer for Family Planning Service Delivery and Quality.  As such, she led the implementation of the Implant Access Program and currently leads and manages the DMPA-SC introduction/scale portfolio, ensuring that the strategy focuses on expanding access to method choice and strengthens quality of care including counseling, interpersonal communications, clinical training, service delivery and performance monitoring.  She also oversees the family planning port

Maryjane Lacoste

Senior Program Officer for Family Planning Service Delivery and Quality
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Maryjane Lacoste

Senior Program Officer for Family Planning Service Delivery and Quality
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Maryjane Lacoste joined The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in May 2014, working with the Family Planning Team as the Senior Program Officer for Family Planning Service Delivery and Quality.  As such, she led the implementation of the Implant Access Program and currently leads and manages the DMPA-SC introduction/scale portfolio, ensuring that the strategy focuses on expanding access to method choice and strengthens quality of care including counseling, interpersonal communications, clinical training, service delivery and performance monitoring.  She also oversees the family planning portfolio in Indonesia and guides on postpartum and postabortion FP strategies.  Prior to joining the Foundation, Maryjane worked with Jhpiego for over 20 years, spending the last 15 years in the field as country/regional director in Tanzania, Indonesia and Malawi.  She has worked with Ministries of Health, donors and other stakeholders to develop and manage implementation of large reproductive health, maternal, newborn and child health and HIV projects in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as in Indonesia. Maryjane holds a Master of Arts degree from University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University.

 

Malyse Uwase

Director of Health & Impact
Kasha

Malyse Uwase

Director of Health & Impact
Kasha

Malyse Uwase

Director of Health & Impact
Kasha
 

Sabrina Johnson

President & CEO
Daré Bioscience

Sabrina Johnson

President & CEO
Daré Bioscience

Sabrina Johnson

President & CEO
Daré Bioscience
 

Stasia Obremskey

Managing Director
RH Capital

Before joining, Stasia served in 2018 as the first Fellow of the Tara Health Foundation. She has more than twenty-five years of experience providing financial and strategic planning consulting to organizations in the U.S. and Asia. She has joined management teams as the interim Chief Financial Officer on a short term and extended term basis to provide finance, accounting and strategic planning expertise to startups, fast growing companies and non-profit organizations. Current and past clients include 18Birdies, Posit Science, Circlepoint, West Shore Technologies and We Care Solar.

Stasia Obremskey

Managing Director
RH Capital

Stasia Obremskey

Managing Director
RH Capital

Before joining, Stasia served in 2018 as the first Fellow of the Tara Health Foundation. She has more than twenty-five years of experience providing financial and strategic planning consulting to organizations in the U.S. and Asia. She has joined management teams as the interim Chief Financial Officer on a short term and extended term basis to provide finance, accounting and strategic planning expertise to startups, fast growing companies and non-profit organizations. Current and past clients include 18Birdies, Posit Science, Circlepoint, West Shore Technologies and We Care Solar. She has lived for over 8 years in Bangkok, Thailand and Hong Kong, China. She began her consulting career as a management consultant with Bain & Company. Previously, she worked in investment banking for Morgan Stanley & Co. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in finance from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business. In addition to her consulting work, she has extensive experience as a member of several nonprofit boards where she has held a number of leadership positions.

 

Eva Lathrop, MD, MPH

Global Medical Director
Public Services International

Eva Lathrop, MD, MPH

Global Medical Director
Public Services International

Eva Lathrop, MD, MPH

Global Medical Director
Public Services International
 

Vrunda B Desai, MD

Medical Director
Cooper Surgical

Vrunda B Desai, MD

Medical Director
Cooper Surgical

Vrunda B Desai, MD

Medical Director
Cooper Surgical
 

Kevin Eisenfrats

Co-Founder & CEO
Contraline

Kevin Eisenfrats

Co-Founder & CEO
Contraline

Kevin Eisenfrats

Co-Founder & CEO
Contraline
 

Heather Vahdat

Executive Director
Male Contraceptive Initiative

Heather Vahdat

Executive Director
Male Contraceptive Initiative

Heather Vahdat

Executive Director
Male Contraceptive Initiative
 

Akash Bakshi

CEO
Your Choice Therapeutics

Akash Bakshi

CEO
Your Choice Therapeutics

Akash Bakshi

CEO
Your Choice Therapeutics
 

Dr. Raoul Scherwitzl

Co-Founder & CEO
Natural Cycles

Dr. Raoul Scherwitzl

Co-Founder & CEO
Natural Cycles

Dr. Raoul Scherwitzl

Co-Founder & CEO
Natural Cycles
 

Daniela Schardinger

VP Marketing & Medical Affairs
OCON Healthcare

Daniela Schardinger

VP Marketing & Medical Affairs
OCON Healthcare

Daniela Schardinger

VP Marketing & Medical Affairs
OCON Healthcare
 

Rachel Scherl

Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Spark Solutions

Rachel Scherl

Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Spark Solutions

Rachel Scherl

Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Spark Solutions
 

Clint Dart

Vice President, Biostatistics and Programming
Health Decisions

Clint Dart

Vice President, Biostatistics and Programming
Health Decisions

Clint Dart

Vice President, Biostatistics and Programming
Health Decisions
 

Maria Velissaris

Founding Partner
Steel Sky Ventures

Maria Velissaris

Founding Partner
Steel Sky Ventures

Maria Velissaris

Founding Partner
Steel Sky Ventures
 

Sofia Noori MD, MPH

Yale Psychiatry Resident, Digital Mental Health
Yale Psychiatry Department

Dr. Sofia Noori is a third-year resident physician in the Yale Department of Psychiatry. At Yale she serves as the curriculum lead for Innovation to Impact, a NIDA-funded substance use entrepreneurship program that helps addiction researchers and clinicians commercialize their insights for the public good.  She is a founding member of the Center for Digital Psychiatry at the Connecticut Mental Health Center, which aims to integrate digital health in the care of patients with serious mental illness. Dr.

Sofia Noori MD, MPH

Yale Psychiatry Resident, Digital Mental Health
Yale Psychiatry Department

Sofia Noori MD, MPH

Yale Psychiatry Resident, Digital Mental Health
Yale Psychiatry Department

Dr. Sofia Noori is a third-year resident physician in the Yale Department of Psychiatry. At Yale she serves as the curriculum lead for Innovation to Impact, a NIDA-funded substance use entrepreneurship program that helps addiction researchers and clinicians commercialize their insights for the public good.  She is a founding member of the Center for Digital Psychiatry at the Connecticut Mental Health Center, which aims to integrate digital health in the care of patients with serious mental illness. Dr. Noori is a 2019 scholar at Flare Capital Partners in Boston, MA.

 

Aside from her endeavors in digital health, Dr. Noori deeply cares about the wellbeing of women. She is the co-founder of the Women’s Mental Health Conference at Yale, the first trainee-led women’s mental health conference in the world.  Dr. Noori also co-founded the Yale Women’s Housestaff Organization, which advocates for improved working conditions for the over 700 women residents and fellows at Yale.

 

Dr. Noori is an MD graduate of the PRIME program at UCSF School of Medicine, a dual-degree program that trains emerging physician-leaders to transform care for underserved populations. She received her MPH in health policy and management at UC Berkeley. She is passionate about women’s mental health and the use of technology to improve health equity.  

 

 

Barbara Dehn

Women’s Health Practitioner
El Camino Women’s Medical Group

Barb Dehn is a practicing Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner in Silicon Valley and a television health expert, who’s known as Nurse Barb on NBC’s California Live. An award winning author, active in Social Media and YouTube, Barb earned a masters degree from UCSF and a BS from Boston College. She is certified by the North American Menopause Society and is a Fellow in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.  She works on Global Health Initiatives at FAME Hospital in Karatu, Tanzania, where she serves on their board and as a volunteer.

 

Barbara Dehn

Women’s Health Practitioner
El Camino Women’s Medical Group

Barbara Dehn

Women’s Health Practitioner
El Camino Women’s Medical Group

Barb Dehn is a practicing Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner in Silicon Valley and a television health expert, who’s known as Nurse Barb on NBC’s California Live. An award winning author, active in Social Media and YouTube, Barb earned a masters degree from UCSF and a BS from Boston College. She is certified by the North American Menopause Society and is a Fellow in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.  She works on Global Health Initiatives at FAME Hospital in Karatu, Tanzania, where she serves on their board and as a volunteer.

 

 

Bethany Young Holt, PhD MPH

Executive Director & Founder
CAMI Health

Bethany Young Holt, PhD MPH

Executive Director & Founder
CAMI Health

Bethany Young Holt, PhD MPH

Executive Director & Founder
CAMI Health
 

David Feigal

Partner
Ex FDA, NDA Partners

David Feigal

Partner
Ex FDA, NDA Partners

David Feigal

Partner
Ex FDA, NDA Partners
 

Sheryl A. Kingsberg

Chief, Devision of Behavioral Medicine, Department of OB/GYN
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center

Sheryl A. Kingsberg

Chief, Devision of Behavioral Medicine, Department of OB/GYN
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center

Sheryl A. Kingsberg

Chief, Devision of Behavioral Medicine, Department of OB/GYN
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
 

Daniel Davis

Founder
Ex FDA, Davis Reproductive Health Consulting, LLC

Daniel Davis

Founder
Ex FDA, Davis Reproductive Health Consulting, LLC

Daniel Davis

Founder
Ex FDA, Davis Reproductive Health Consulting, LLC
 

Annie Theriault

Managing Partner
Grand Challenges

Annie Theriault, Ph.D., CFA, ICD.D

 

Annie Theriault

Managing Partner
Grand Challenges

Annie Theriault

Managing Partner
Grand Challenges

Annie Theriault, Ph.D., CFA, ICD.D

 

Annie is the Chief Investment Officer of Grand Challenges Canada and the Managing Director of the EWEC Innovation Marketplace, an initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada, NORAD, and USAID. Annie is also the Managing Partner of Cross-Border Impact Ventures, a new impact investment firm partnered with Grand Challenges Canada to launch a health technology venture capital fund focused on women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health investing with a gender lens. She is a Founding Member of The Big Push, an accelerator for women-led tech companies, and an advisor to Silver Maple Ventures, a Toronto-Based fintech company offering a full suite of solutions for private placements in early and growth stage companies. Prior to these roles, Annie spent most of her career investing in private companies as a venture capitalist and lender across multiple sectors and stages, including several impact investments.

 

Annie obtained her PhD in Management from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, is a CFA Charterholder and holds the ICD.D designation.

 

 

 

Anula Jayasuriya

Co-Founder
Kidron Capital

Anula Jayasuriya

Co-Founder
Kidron Capital

Anula Jayasuriya

Co-Founder
Kidron Capital
 

Marta Hill Gray

Executive Director
Gray Matter Group

Marta Hill Gray

Executive Director
Gray Matter Group

Marta Hill Gray

Executive Director
Gray Matter Group
 

Chandra P. Leo

Partner
HBM Partners

Chandra P. Leo is a member of the private equity team at HBM Partners, a Swiss-based healthcare investment firm with approximately $1.8 billion in assets under management. He has been responsible for investments in more than 15 private biotech, medical device and diagnostics companies in the United States and Europe, in most cases as a board member or board observer. Collectively, these companies have so far generated five NASDAQ IPOs, five M&A transactions and four FDA-approved marketed products.

 

Chandra P. Leo

Partner
HBM Partners

Chandra P. Leo

Partner
HBM Partners

Chandra P. Leo is a member of the private equity team at HBM Partners, a Swiss-based healthcare investment firm with approximately $1.8 billion in assets under management. He has been responsible for investments in more than 15 private biotech, medical device and diagnostics companies in the United States and Europe, in most cases as a board member or board observer. Collectively, these companies have so far generated five NASDAQ IPOs, five M&A transactions and four FDA-approved marketed products.

 

In the women’s health field, Chandra has backed and worked with companies focused on e.g. cervical cancer, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, gynecologic infections, urogynecologic conditions, infertility and preterm labor. Before becoming a venture capital investor, he served as a physician in the Dept. of OB/GYN at the University Hospital in Leipzig, Germany, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in reproductive biology at Stanford University.

 

Chandra holds degrees as a Doctor of Medicine from the Freie Universität Berlin (Charité), a Master in Medicines Development (MAS) from the University of Basel, and an MBA with distinction from INSEAD (France/Singapore). He lives in Zurich with his wife (a gynecologist) and their two daughters.  

 

 

Lisa Rarick, MD

Clinical/Regulatory Consultant
Ex FDA, RAR Consulting, LLC

Lisa Rarick, MD

Clinical/Regulatory Consultant
Ex FDA, RAR Consulting, LLC

Lisa Rarick, MD

Clinical/Regulatory Consultant
Ex FDA, RAR Consulting, LLC
 

Jenny Yip

Managing Partner
Adjuvant Capital

Jenny Yip

Managing Partner
Adjuvant Capital

Jenny Yip

Managing Partner
Adjuvant Capital
 

Nelson Ambrogio

Senior Vice President and General Manager Women’s Healthcare
Bayer Pharmaceuticals US

Nelson is a highly-respected and dynamic business leader who is dedicated to delivering innovative health care solutions to enhance people’s lives.

Nelson Ambrogio

Senior Vice President and General Manager Women’s Healthcare
Bayer Pharmaceuticals US

Nelson Ambrogio

Senior Vice President and General Manager Women’s Healthcare
Bayer Pharmaceuticals US

Nelson is a highly-respected and dynamic business leader who is dedicated to delivering innovative health care solutions to enhance people’s lives.


As the leader of the Bayer Women’s Healthcare team, he is responsible for Bayer’s leading contraceptive portfolio, with revenues in excess of 900m$ and leading a cross-functional organization of more than 300 team members.
In his previous role, Nelson led the Bayer Pharmaceuticals team in Australia and New Zealand, where he was responsible for the launch of blockbuster drugs including Xarelto (cardiovascular) and Eylea (ophthalmology) and guiding a team of more than 250 people.


Nelson’s career spans more than 20 years with Bayer and Schering in both mature and emerging markets across Latin America, Europe and Australasia. He has held the position of managing director of Bayer Portugal, business unit director General Medicine, Bayer Brazil and assistant to a Bayer Board Member at the company’s headquarters in Germany.
Nelson started his career at Schering in his native Uruguay and was instrumental in the program management of the Bayer-Schering integration in Latin America and Canada.

 

Diana Blithe, Ph.D.

Chief, Contraceptive Development Program, DIPHR, NICHD
NIH

Diana Blithe, Ph.D.

Chief, Contraceptive Development Program, DIPHR, NICHD
NIH

Diana Blithe, Ph.D.

Chief, Contraceptive Development Program, DIPHR, NICHD
NIH

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