Women’s Health Summit 2026

Angelika Fretzen, PhD, MBA, is COO and Technology Translation Director at the Wyss Institute, leading commercialization of breakthrough science. She founded the Women’s Health Catalyst and has over 20 years in biotech, including work at Ironwood and Catabasis. She holds a PhD from the University of Geneva and an MBA from Suffolk.

Ashley Abel, PhD, is Co-founder and CEO of Metri Bio, developing targeted therapeutics for endometriosis. Based at Lilly Gateway Labs in Boston, her work builds on research from Yale School of Medicine. She was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Healthcare list

Ben Swanson, DDS, PhD, is Founder and CEO of Skeletalis, a biotech developing bone-targeted therapies for musculoskeletal disease. A clinician-scientist trained at the University of Michigan, his research led to Skeletalis’ core platform for precision drug delivery in osteoporosis and related conditions

Deborah Palestrant, PhD, MBA, is Partner at 5AM Ventures and Executive Chair of the 4:59 Initiative. She has 20+ years in life sciences across drug discovery and company building, with prior roles at Relay Therapeutics, Editas, and Novartis. She holds a PhD from Columbia and an MBA from Northeastern

Dr. Tara Iyer is a physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Instructor at Harvard Medical School. She specializes in menopause and midlife care, is board-certified in Family and Obesity Medicine, and leads initiatives to expand access to evidence-based menopause care across Mass General Brigham.

Joanna Strober is CEO and Co-founder of Midi Health, a virtual care platform for menopause. She previously founded Kurbo (acquired by Weight Watchers) and spent 20+ years in private equity and venture capital. She is author of Getting to 50/50 and has been recognized by Forbes, CNBC, and TIME.

Jodi Neuhauser is a four-time founder who has raised $100M+ and generated over $1B in business. She founded In Women’s Health, a leading talent and education platform, and co-founded the bipartisan Women’s Health PAC. She now leads 51&, focused on civic engagement and healthcare equity.

Kathryn McDonough is Managing Director and Head of Life Sciences for J.P. Morgan’s Innovation Economy. She has 20+ years of experience across banking and capital markets, partnering with biotech companies from early-stage through commercialization and scaling, and advising investors across the healthcare ecosystem.

Keenan Szulik is CEO of Slocum Management, a private investment firm. He has invested in women’s health initiatives and previously worked in early-stage ventures and professional baseball analytics. He serves on the boards of Book Harvest and the Mead Art Museum.

Paula Soteropoulos is a biotech executive, investor, and board leader with 35+ years of experience. She is Chairman of Ensoma and has led companies including Akcea Therapeutics through IPO and product launches. A strong advocate for women’s health, she supports innovation across rare disease and personalized medicine.

Physician-scientist and engineer at MIT, Dr. Sangeeta Bhatia leads the Marble Center for Cancer Nanomedicine and is an HHMI Investigator. She has co-founded multiple biotech companies and is a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. She serves on boards including Vertex Pharmaceuticals and advises numerous biotech firms.

Yvonne Hao is COO and General Partner at Flagship Pioneering. Formerly Massachusetts Secretary of Economic Development, she has held leadership roles at PillPack (sold to Amazon), Bain Capital, and Cove Hill. She serves on multiple boards and holds degrees from Williams College and the University of Cambridge.