CAT BOHANNON, PHD
Author of Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution
Dr. Cat Bohannon is a researcher, scholar, and author with a Ph.D. from Columbia University in the evolution of narrative and cognition. Her essays and poetry have appeared in leading outlets including The Atlantic, Scientific American, Science Magazine, The Georgia Review, and The Best American Nonrequired Reading. Her debut book, Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution (Knopf, 2023), is a New York Times bestseller. She lives in Seattle with her family.
JANET FOUTTY
Senior Advisor, WHAM; Former Deloitte Chair and Consulting CEO, Deloitte
Janet Foutty is a renowned leader and a trailblazer in promoting equity across industries. In addition to her 33-year tenure at Deloitte, Janet currently serves as a board member at Quiver Biosciences, Insight Enterprises, Argonne National Laboratory, and The Chicago Network, and is currently a leadership fellow at the University of Chicago. She is also Chair of Bright Pink, a nonprofit dedicated to the young women’s breast and ovarian health.
Janet is the co-author of the best-selling book Arrive and Thrive: 7 Impactful Practices for Women Navigating Leadership, which underscores her commitment to empowering women. With her unparalleled experience in business leadership, technology innovation, and organizational transformation, Janet brings invaluable insights to WHAM as a Senior Advisor to advance investment and innovation in women’s health.
ANULA JAYASURIYA, MD, PHD, MBA
Co-Founder and Managing Director, Kidron Capital; Chief Scientific Officer, WHAM
Dr. Anula Jayasuriya has worked at the leading edge of life science innovation in the US, Europe, and India, where she co-founded the first health care private equity fund.
Dr. Jayasuriya has been investing in life sciences and health care since 2001, first with TVM and Skyline Ventures and subsequently with funds she co-founded or founded. She combines successful investment expertise and industry operating experience together with scientific and medical knowledge. Most recently, Dr. Jayasuriya formed EXXclaim Capital to capture the compelling yet under invested business opportunity in women’s health.
Anula received a BA from Harvard summa cum laude, and an MD and PhD (in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics) from Harvard Medical School. She interned in Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital and received an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School. Anula also holds a M. Phil. in pharmacology from the University of Cambridge, in England.
JILL KALMAN, MD
Executive Vice President, Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Physician-in-Chief, Northwell Health
Dr. Jill Kalman is the Chief Medical Officer, Senior Vice President, and Deputy Physician-in-Chief at Northwell Health—the first woman to hold the organization’s top clinical role. She also serves as the volunteer chair of Go Red for Women in New York City. Dr. Kalman joined Northwell in 2014 as Associate Medical Director and went on to lead Lenox Hill Hospital as Executive Director and Medical Director, overseeing quality, safety, and daily operations. Under her leadership, Lenox Hill became a destination for top-tier care, and she played a pivotal role in the hospital’s COVID-19 response.
A nationally recognized expert in congestive heart failure, Dr. Kalman has dedicated her career to improving care for patients with advanced heart disease and has been widely published on the subject.
ESTHER KROFAH
Executive Vice President, Health, Milken Institute
Esther Krofah is Executive Vice President of Health at the Milken Institute, leading FasterCures, Public Health, the Future of Aging, and Feeding Change. She has extensive experience bringing together diverse stakeholders to tackle complex health challenges and advance initiatives that improve patients’ lives. Krofah is also actively involved in the Milken Women’s Health Network, supporting efforts to close gaps in research and policy. Previously, she served as Director of Public Policy at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), engaging with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and other federal agencies on broad healthcare issues. She has also held roles as Deputy Director of the HHS Office of Health Reform, Program Director at the National Governors Association healthcare division, and consultant at Deloitte Consulting LLP. Krofah earned her BA from Duke University and a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
CAROLEE LEE
CEO and Founder, Women’s Health Access Matters (WHAM)
Carolee Lee is a visionary entrepreneur and global health leader, best known as the founder and CEO of WHAM (Women’s Health Access Matters). Celebrated for her innovative approach to advancing women’s health on a global scale, Lee was recognized on TIME100’s Most Influential People in Global Health list in 2024. WHAM, the nonprofit she launched in 2020, is dedicated to transforming women’s lives and the global economy by increasing awareness and funding for women’s health research. Under her leadership and with the guidance of a board of 25 influential businesswomen, WHAM commissioned The WHAM Reports—groundbreaking studies produced by the RAND Corporation that quantify the significant economic return on investing in women’s health.
Before her groundbreaking work with WHAM, Lee made her mark in the business world as the founder and CEO of Carolee Designs, a globally recognized jewelry brand acquired by Luxottica. Her influence reaches beyond entrepreneurship into philanthropy and policy, having served on several high-profile boards, including The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, DSW, and the Museum of Arts and Design. She continues to lend her expertise to prestigious institutions, currently serving on the boards of the La Jolla Institute for Immunology, The Women’s Health Advisory Board at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and The Women’s Leadership Board at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
ALYSON MCGREGOR, MD
Professor of Emergency Medicine & Associate Dean, Faculty Affairs and Development, University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville
Dr. Alyson McGregor’s groundbreaking research on the impact of sex and gender differences in emergency medicine has established her as a global leader and outspoken advocate for sex- and gender-based research. Her TEDx talk, “Why Medicine Often Has Dangerous Side Effects for Women,” which has garnered over 1.8 million views, and her acclaimed book, Sex Matters: How Male-Centric Medicine Endangers Women’s Health – and What We Can Do About It, have helped ignite a national conversation on the critical importance of recognizing sex and gender differences in the delivery of acute medical care.
In addition to her public advocacy, Dr. McGregor serves as a Scientific Advisor to the OM Health Hub, a groundbreaking initiative focused on advancing precision medicine through the lens of women’s health. Her work supports efforts to close long-standing data gaps by ensuring that research, diagnostics, and treatments are designed with a more accurate understanding of how biological sex influences health outcomes.
PAMELA MOALLI, MD, PHD
Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vice Chair of Research, Executive Director of the Magee Womens Research Institute; Director, Division of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery, UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital of the University of Pittsburgh, Magee-Womens Research Institute
Dr. Moalli earned her BA in Biology with distinction from Brown University, and later pursued her MD and PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology at Northwestern University through the National Institutes of Health-sponsored Medical Scientist Training Program. She completed her residency in Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Pittsburgh, Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, followed by a Fellowship in Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery. Dr. Moalli’s research focuses on the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of common pelvic floor disorders; including pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence. She is designing biomaterials for pelvic surgeries in women with constructive healing properties. This research aims to improve outcomes of gynecologic surgeries by promoting safety and healing.
STACEY ROSEN, MD
Executive Director, Katz Institute for Women’s Health, Senior Vice President, Women’s Health, Northwell Health; Volunteer President, American Heart Association
Dr. Stacey E. Rosen is the President of the American Heart Association, Executive Director and Senior Vice President for Northwell Health’s Katz Institute for Women’s Health. At the Katz Institute, Dr. Rosen focuses on the elimination of health care disparities through comprehensive clinical programs, gender-based research, community partnerships and education. Dr. Rosen is the co-author of Heart Smarter for Women: Six Weeks to a Healthier Heart and produced the movie, Ms. Diagnosed, to showcase the real women whose lives and families have been disastrously affected by the inequities women face in receiving medical care. Dr. Rosen is the Partners Council Professor of Women’s Health and a Professor of Cardiology at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.
ASH SHEHATA
Retired Partner and National Sector Leader, Healthcare and Life Sciences, KPMG; Managing Director, Impact Advisors
Ash Shehata is a U.S.-based healthcare executive with more than 35 years of experience at the intersection of healthcare and information technology. He has held leadership roles at some of the world’s top IT and consulting firms, driving advancements in telemedicine, e-commerce, membership systems, healthcare management, and customer service. Ash specializes in healthcare IT solutions, including health information exchanges, longitudinal clinical records, cloud-based systems, and business intelligence. Known for building strong, collaborative teams, he has a proven record of forging lasting client relationships and delivering transformational solutions that advance healthcare innovation and sustainable growth.
NICOLE WOITOWICH, PHD
Executive Director, NUCATS Institute & Research Associate Professor, Northwestern University; Executive Director, WHAM Research Collaborative
Dr. Nicole Woitowich focuses on the evaluation of the biomedical research enterprise through various lenses, such as the integration of science outreach into existing research infrastructure, and the advancement of women and minorities in STEM and medicine to help bridge the gap in women’s health research. As Associate Director of the Women’s Health Research Institute at Northwestern University, Dr. Woitowich is a fierce advocate for expanded women’s health research, putting a spotlight on the effects of sex and gender on health.
ALICE ZHENG, MD
Partner, Foreground Capital
Alice Zheng, MD, MBA, MPH, is a Partner and Co-founder at Foreground Capital, a venture firm investing in early-stage companies transforming women’s health. A physician and women’s health expert, she brings experience across clinical medicine, global health, consulting, and venture capital.
Before launching Foreground, Alice was a Partner at RH Capital, where she led investments in leading women’s health innovators including AOA Dx, Seven Starling, Millie, Evvy, and Cofertility. She also serves on the boards of Millie and Seven Starling and as a Board Observer at Cofertility and AOA Dx.