Events
Women’s college basketball coaches unite to improve cardiovascular health
Nineteen NCAA women’s basketball coaches have joined forces to raise awareness about heart disease, which kills more than 440,000 US women each year.
The Hearts on the Court Collective, led by Louisiana State University women’s basketball head coach Kim Mulkey, will launch social media campaigns throughout the season to promote heart-healthy habits.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the US, taking more lives than all cancers combined.
The American Heart Association says nearly 45 per cent of women over 20 live with some form of the disease, yet only about half are aware it is their greatest health threat.
Nancy Brown is chief executive officer of the American Heart Association.
Brown said: “Women are often misdiagnosed and undertreated when it comes to cardiovascular disease and there are many reasons why that is so important to recognise.
“From low representation of women in clinical research to women being less likely to receive lifesaving bystander CPR, major gaps exist.
“For more than 20 years, the American Heart Association and its Go Red for Women movement have empowered women to listen to their bodies, seek care when something feels wrong and advocate for the care they deserve.”
The campaign will promote Life’s Essential 8 for Women – key actions including knowing blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose numbers, eating healthily, being active, avoiding tobacco and getting quality sleep.
It will also highlight how pregnancy and menopause can influence heart disease risk.
Kim Mulkey is women’s basketball head coach at Louisiana State University and chair of the Hearts on the Court Collective.
She said: “We all have women in our lives we can’t bear to live without – our mothers, our sisters, our daughters, our friends.
“Women need allies in the fight against a disease that takes so much from them
“I know firsthand how important heart health is.
“By coming together to highlight the ways that heart disease can be prevented, we are working to champion women’s health and empower the next generation of female athletes and those they love to take charge of their well-being.”
The inaugural members include head coaches from NCAA women’s basketball programmes at Georgia, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Michigan, Kentucky, Tennessee, UCLA, Baylor, Alabama, Florida, USC, Oklahoma State, Notre Dame, Iowa, Ohio State, Arizona State, Indiana and California, Berkeley.
According to the American Heart Association, about 80 per cent of heart attacks and strokes are preventable through lifestyle changes and education.
The Go Red for Women movement, now in its third decade, continues to close awareness and clinical care gaps for women at every stage of life.
By Women’s Health Week
With four weeks to go until Women’s Health Week USA, the excitement is ramping up!
The final early bird pricing closes this Friday, the full speaker lineup is confirmed, and a record number of pitch applications signals the depth of innovation now moving through the sector as we enter the Era of Scale.
Women’s Health Week USA takes place May 13-14 at the New York Academy of Medicine in New York City, bringing together 600+ senior decision makers spanning investors, founders, multinationals, payers, providers and policymakers around one shared agenda: taking women’s health from growth to scale.
Early bird tickets are available until midnight on Friday, April 17.
Book by then to save up to $600 on your place
The Full Speaker Lineup is Confirmed
The full speaker lineup has finally been confirmed, with 80+ voices spanning investment, innovation, policy, medtech and pharma.
The programme reflects the event’s 2026 theme, The Era of Scale, moving beyond early validation into the harder work of institutionalising women’s health as a category.
Confirmed speakers include Kate Ryder (Maven Clinic), Mallika Mundkur (FDA), Melanie Newman (Planned Parenthood), Nichole Young-Lin (Google), Jill Angelo (OURA), David Stern (Kindbody) and Tammy Sun (Carrot Fertility), alongside representation from the NYSE, ARPA-H, the World Health Organization, Samsung Next, Novo Holdings and more.
170 Pitch Applications and Counting
The Women’s Health Week USA Innovation Showcase received a record 170 applications ahead of its April 10 close, the highest number in the event’s history.
The volume reflects the growing depth of innovation in the sector, but it was the quality of submissions that stood out, with companies across Medical Devices & Therapeutics and Consumer & Tech bringing genuinely differentiated solutions to conditions that have been underserved for decades.
The selected companies will get the chance to pitch on the mainstage at the New York Academy of Medicine in front of the full audience of 600+ investors, corporates, innovators and strategic partners.
Results will be announced next week.
Register your interest to find out who makes the WHW USA Innovator Class of 2026
NYSE Partnership: A Quick Recap
For those who missed our announcement on Femtech World last week, the New York Stock Exchange is the Official Exchange Partner of Women’s Health Week USA 2026.
On the morning of May 13, WHW will feature in the NYSE Market Update, reaching approximately 200 million viewers.
Women’s Health Week will also light up the North Star Billboard in Times Square for a full week around the event, with live and taped interviews distributed across NYSE Live and Taking Stock.
It remains one of the most significant institutional endorsements the women’s health sector has seen.
Early Bird Pricing Closes This Friday
Tickets increase by up to $600 after midnight on Friday, April 17. For anyone with May 13-14 in their calendar, this week is the window to move.
By Women’s Health Week
When the New York Stock Exchange signs on as the Official Exchange Partner of a women’s health event, it’s worth paying attention to.
Women’s Health Week USA, taking place May 13-14 at the New York Academy of Medicine in New York City, has confirmed the NYSE as its Official Exchange Partner for 2026.
It is one of the most significant institutional endorsements the women’s health sector has seen, and it says something meaningful about where global capital markets are directing their attention.
Find out more about WHW USA 2026 here.
What the Partnership Involves
This is not simply a logo on a lanyard.
The NYSE partnership comes with a set of activations that put women’s health in front of audiences well beyond the event itself.
On the morning of May 13, Women’s Health Week will be featured in the NYSE Market Update, reaching an audience of approximately 200 million viewers across outlets including Yahoo Finance and the Financial Times.
For a sector that has historically struggled for mainstream financial visibility, that kind of reach is significant.
Women’s Health Week will also light up the North Star Billboard in Times Square for a full week around the event, placing the brand at the centre of one of the most commercially visible locations in the world.
NYSE will produce live and taped interviews with WHW leadership and keynote speakers, distributed across NYSE Live, Taking Stock, and partner platforms reaching tens of millions of viewers monthly.
A dedicated NYSE content team will be on the ground at the New York Academy of Medicine capturing the conversations and connections taking place across both days.
The NYSE’s Healthcare & Life Sciences team will also take to the stage at Women’s Health Week USA, sharing their perspective on trends shaping the sector from a capital markets standpoint.
Why It Matters
The partnership is a signal as much as it is a sponsorship.
Women’s health has spent years making the case that it is a commercially serious category.
The NYSE’s involvement makes that case in a language the broader financial world understands.
Women’s Health Week USA 2026 is themed around The Era of Scale, a deliberate framing around the idea that the sector has moved beyond early validation into the harder work of institutionalisation.
Capital is moving. M&A activity is increasing. Generalist investors are entering a space that was once left to specialists. The NYSE partnership fits neatly into that narrative.
With 600+ senior decision makers confirmed across investors, founders, multinationals, payers and policymakers, the event is already one of the most commercially concentrated gatherings in the women’s health calendar.
The NYSE’s reach extends that concentration well beyond the walls of the New York Academy of Medicine.
Find out for yourself why this partnership is so perfect and join Women’s Health Week USA. Secure your ticket here.
The Pitch Sessions
For founders and early-stage companies, Women’s Health Week USA also hosts a mainstage Pitch Session across two categories: Medical Devices & Therapeutics and Consumer & Tech. Fifteen companies will be selected to pitch in front of the full audience.
Applications close April 10.
They are free to submit, and any company working on a condition that affects women exclusively, differently, or disproportionately is eligible.
Entrepreneur
Women’s HealthX brings together leading pharma innovators advancing the future of women’s healthcare
Women’s HealthX is convening a powerful lineup of pharmaceutical and biotech leaders, uniting global organisations including AstraZeneca, Bayer, Gilead, Chiesi, Eli Lilly, Alexion, and Daré Bioscience alongside 750+ senior clinicians, hospital leaders, insurers, and policy makers shaping the future of women’s health.
As the women’s health market continues to evolve, the event provides a unique platform for pharma leaders to share how they are leveraging clinical trial data, real world evidence, and digital innovation to reduce regulatory risk, improve representation in research, and unlock new opportunities for partnership and pipeline growth.
Across seven dedicated stages covering the full lifecycle of care, attendees will gain direct insight into how industry leaders are driving measurable change in outcomes, access, and equity.
Confirmed sessions and trailblazers include:
Maternity & Maternal Care
- Empowering Mothers, Advancing Equity, and Improving Outcomes in Premature Care
Erica Smith, Vice President, Value & Market Access, US, Chiesi
Evidence, Data & Innovation
- Addressing Design Barriers: Paving the Way for Sex Specific Data Clarity
Julieta Jimenez, Executive Director, Program Management Clinical Operations, V&I, AstraZeneca
- Design Trials That Generate Clinically Meaningful Evidence for Women
Luba Soskin, Global Clinical Lead, Women’s Health, Bayer
Chronic Disease Management
- Improving Outcomes in Obesity Through Evidence Based Person Centred Care
Tracy Sims, Executive Director, Corporate Affairs, Cardiometabolic Health, Eli Lilly
- Tackling Sex Based Health Inequities by Breaking Down Barriers and Bias
Adrian Kielhorn, Senior Director, Global Head HEOR Neurology, Alexion
Sexual Health & Wellness
- The Clinical Impact of Internal Stigma in Sexual Health
Kesha O’Reilly, Director Medical Affairs, HIV Franchise, Gilead
- Explore Innovative Product Manufacturing Pathways Beyond Conventional Regulatory Models
David Friend, Chief Science Officer, Daré Bioscience
We have also just announced Endometriosis Advocate Padma Lakshmi as a keynote speaker, bringing one of the most influential voices in women’s health advocacy to the stage.
See full list of confirmed trailblazers here
Together, these leaders represent the organisations driving innovation across research, development, and commercialisation, offering practical insight into how to bring safer, more effective solutions to women worldwide.
The program moves beyond discussion into delivery, equipping attendees with the latest clinical evidence, regulatory strategies, and innovation frameworks needed to accelerate impact across the healthcare ecosystem.
With senior decision makers from across pharma, biotech, and healthcare in attendance, women’s healthX is where partnerships are formed, strategies are shaped, and the future of women’s health is defined.
Entrepreneur3 weeks agoThree sessions that show exactly where women’s health is heading in 2026
Menopause4 weeks agoCalifornia plans US$3.4m menopause care overhaul
Pregnancy3 weeks agoHow NIPT has evolved and what AI NIPT means in 2026
Menopause4 weeks agoWatchdog bans five ads for women’s heath claims
Entrepreneur4 weeks agoWHIS USA 2026 announces first ticket release for landmark Women’s Health Innovation Summit
Menopause4 weeks agoMenopause has no lasting impact on cognition, research finds
News3 weeks agoTwo weeks left to make your mark in women’s cardiovascular health
Opinion3 weeks agoQ1 momentum: Female founders are advancing, but the system still hasn’t caught up
1 Comment