Women’s Unique Health Needs and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): UNGA79 Photo Gallery

On September 24, 2024, the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) joined the ECHAlliance to co-host Women’s Unique Health Needs and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a call to action at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA79) Science Summit this fall.

The event discussed key developments and opportunities to advance women’s health care and research, with a focus on addressing disparities; the role of women in health care decision-making; access to preventive care; and representation in the women’s health workforce.

Host moderators for the day included Irene O. Aninye, PhD, Chief Science Officer at the Society for Women’s Health Research; Nicole Althaus, US Ambassador at the ECHAlliance The Global Health Connector; Brian O’Connor, Chair of ECHAlliance; and Bleddyn Rees, Chair of the Digital Health Society ECHAlliance.

Speakers, in order of appearance, included Ru-Fong Joanne Cheng, MD, FACOG, Director of Women’s Health Innovations at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Aisha K. Brooks, DNP, MPH, RN, FAAN, Captain with the U.S. Public Health Service; Anuradha Gupta, President of Global Immunization at the Sabin Vaccine Institute; Rachel Sturke, PhD, MPH, MIA, Acting Deputy Director of the Fogarty International Center at the National Institutes of Health; Magdalena Skipper, PhD, Editor In Chief, Nature; Janine Austin Clayton, MD, FARVO, Director of the Office of Research on Women’s Health at the National Institutes of Health; Carolyn Harris, Labour MP for Neath and Swansea East in the UK Parliament; Eleanor Nwadinobi, MBBS, EMA, FAAC, President of the Medical Women’s International Association; and Michele Barry, MD, FACP, FASTMH, Director of the Center of Innovation in Global Health at Stanford University.

Mala Adiga, JD, MPH, Deputy Assistant to the President and Policy Director to the First Lady Dr. Jill Biden from the United States White House gave special remarks during the day.

The day also included two closed roundtables. The maternal health roundtable featured Dr. Aninye; Eleanor Nwadinobi; Marleen Temmerman, PhD, MPH, OB/GYN, DTM&H, MD, Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Director Women’s Health, Faculty of Heath Sciences at Aga Khan University; and Beth Battaglino, RN, CEO of HealthyWomen. The femtech roundtable featured Nicole Althaus; Janna Guinen, Executive Director of the HLTH Foundation; Jess Guenzl, Principal at 137 Ventures; and Mitzi Krockover, MD, WomenCentered, LLC.