Advocating for Women’s Health Research 101

Sateria Venable has been a Patient Advocate and Researcher for Uterine Fibroids since 2007. As The Fibroid Foundation, Founder and CEO, Sateria has advocated for the more than 26 million women in the United States with uterine fibroids, and for those diagnosed with fibroids globally. The Fibroid Foundation reaches over 180 countries providing support, and education to erase menstrual stigmas. From The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to Mayo Clinic Office of Health Disparities Research Grant to COMPARE-UF – a $20 Million, 5-year fibroids treatment research grant – Sateria has lent her expertise and activism as a subject matter expert around the issues women face with uterine fibroids.  In 2020, she led efforts to introduce The Fibroid Bill into the US House of Representatives and the Senate; and is part of The White House Women’s Community Group, FDA Women’s CRN, as well as a Patient Advisor for Dartmouth Fibroid Study on physician/patient interfacing and visual aids.

Venable, who holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University, has co-authored several scientific papers for American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Implementation Science and Obstetrics & Gynecology on fibroid research.  Through the evidence-based research coupled with her personal journey, she invented an undergarment that seeks to transform intimate apparel for all women dealing with fibroids. From the Washington Post, Ms. Magazine to Huffington Post, Venable has been a sought-after speaker, expert and champion for women’s health issues around fibroids.

Erika Sward is the Chief Advocacy Officer of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, where she is responsible for leading the organization’s advocacy and policy, coalitions, and communications work. She has extensive experience in patient advocacy, having served as the American Lung Association’s lead lobbyist for 19 years with Congress and the executive branch on access to care, tobacco control, appropriations, and lung disease and lung health issues. This year, Sward will lead UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Women’s Brain Health Initiative.

Erika was a founding member and an original board member of the Partnership to Protect Coverage, a coalition of patient advocacy organizations committed to ensuring affordable, adequate and accessible healthcare for everyone. She is also past president of the board of directors of the Coalition for Health Funding, a membership organization that works to preserve and strengthen federal funding investments for health agencies.

Originally from Ohio, Erika received her BA in Political Science and MA in American Politics from American University. She and her husband live in Maryland with their two teenagers, cat and their pandemic rescue dog.

Lauren Ruotolo is an author, public speaker, video producer, and content marketing leader, as well as a nationally recognized disability and women’s health advocate. She has worked with global brands including Johnson & Johnson, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Neutrogena, and Seventeen Magazine, using storytelling to humanize health, science, and lived experience.

Born with McCune-Albright Syndrome—a rare genetic disease affecting the skeletal and endocrine systems—Lauren is the youngest woman on record in the United States to experience precocious puberty at just eight months old as her pituitary and ovaries work independently of each other. By the age of five, Lauren walked full time with forearm crutches. Rather than allowing her diagnosis to limit her, she transformed her lived experience into purpose, advocacy, professional success and impact.

Lauren is the author of Unstoppable in Stilettos and has received multiple awards for her work in marketing, storytelling, and female empowerment. She has advised and inspired Fortune 500 companies to more authentically integrate disability into their DE&I strategies, talent initiatives, and brand narratives.

Through her speaking, writing, and advocacy, Lauren empowers others to embrace their uniqueness, challenge outdated systems, and advocate boldly for their health, visibility, and worth.

Kathryn “Katie” Schubert has served as President & CEO of the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) since April 2020. She is a trusted leader and consensus builder among women’s health stakeholders, and previously served as chief advocacy officer at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM). Schubert began her career on Capitol Hill and subsequently advised organizations on policy strategy in the healthcare space. She is a board member of the National Health Council, Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance, and ASPN Foundation. She is a previous president of Women in Government Relations, and in 2020 was named Advocate of the Year by Professional Women in Advocacy for her work on inclusion of pregnant and lactating populations in research, and in 2024 and 2025 was named as one of the most influential people shaping policy in health care by the Washingtonian magazine. Schubert holds a bachelor’s degree from Mary Washington College and a master’s degree from the George Washington University. When not advocating for women’s health, she’s spending time with her husband, three kids, and dog George.