Summary of event
UPMC Enterprises, the innovation, commercialization, and venture capital arm of UPMC, is convening a dedicated group of stakeholders to discuss partnership opportunities to enhance and enable progress in women’s health.
The discussion will take place as a pre-session in advance of the annual Top of Mind Summit: Life Sciences, a gathering of leaders from pharma, biotech, clinical care, insurance, research, and VC to tackle the leading translational challenges in health care.
The discussions will be rooted within the context of ground-breaking advancements in women’s health that are taking place at Magee-Womens Research Institute, the country’s largest women’s research institute, and UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, a world-class women’s hospital.
At UPMC Enterprises, we are committed to investments in life sciences companies that are targeting diseases of high unmet medical need. It is our goal in convening a network of committed partners across the spectrum of women’s health research, access, and investment that we can strategize tangible action-items to make real progress in this critical area.
Produced in partnership with:
Agenda overview
Monday,
September 9, 2024
Session Title
11:00-11:10 a.m.
Welcome and opening remarks
11:10-11:45 a.m.
Keynote: Partnering to Usher in a New Era of Women’s Health
11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Lunch
12:30-1:25 p.m.
From the Heart: Improving Cardiovascular Health and Care for Women
1:25-2:20 p.m.
Funding to Drive Innovation
2:20-2:30 p.m.
Break
2:30-3:55 p.m.
Advancing Access: Designing Solutions for Getting Women the Right Care at the Right Time
3:55-4:15 p.m.
Summary and closing remarks
Highlighted
Speakers
Michael Annichine
Magee-Womens Research Institute
Ellen Beckjord
UPMC
Richard Beigi
UPMC
Katie Berlacher
UPMC
James Coons
University of Pittsburgh
Jennifer Coppola
Pfizer
Jessica Federer
Sage Therapeutics
Jocelyn Fitzgerald
UPMC
Lori Frank
Women’s Health Access Matters
Caroline Gaynor
Lightstone Ventures
Nina Goodheart
Medtronic
Christina Isacson
Lightstone Ventures
Carolee Lee
Women’s Health Access Matters
Annmarie Lyons
UPMC
Alicia Chong Rodriguez
Bloomer Tech
Hy Simhan
UPMC
Luba Soskin
Bayer Pharmaceuticals
Sarah Tilstra
UPMC
Van-Khue Ton
Massachusetts General Hospital
Jannine Versi
Elektra
Agenda
11:00-11:10 a.m.
Welcome and Opening Remarks
As the venture capital arm of UPMC, UPMC Enterprises is partnering with stakeholders across the United States to enable and advocate for tangible progress in addressing gaps in women’s health. In opening remarks, the goals for the day will be presented by leaders from UPMC Enterprises.
11:10-11:45 a.m.
Keynote Fireside: Partnering to Usher in a New Era of Women’s Health
To address the importance of partnerships in tackling disparities in women’s health, this keynote fireside will highlight the growing recognition that all stakeholders are required if progress is to be achieved in this complex area of health care. Collaborations are needed to drive innovation in research, improve access to care, and target investment in new solutions. Our esteemed speakers deliver their perspectives on actions necessary to accelerate progress.
11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Lunch
12:30-1:25 p.m.
From the Heart: Improving Cardiovascular Health and Care for Women
In the first of three topical discussions, this panel will explore a specific disease area that disproportionately affects women — cardiovascular disease. The format for the session will be four, 5-minute presentations by experts, followed by interactive discussion with the audience that seeks to drive actionable solutions toward advancing cardiovascular medicine and care for women.
Katie Berlacher, Director, Magee-Womens Heart Program and Chief of Medicine, UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital
1:25-2:20 p.m.
Funding to Drive Innovation
In the second topical discussion, a panel of experts will discuss efforts to boost investments in women’s health solutions, from seeding more early discovery and development work to funding commercialization with a focus on the economic case for investment and the role of public-private partnerships.
2:20-2:30 p.m.
Break
2:30-3:55 p.m.
Advancing Access: Designing Solutions for Getting Women the Right Care at the Right Time
The third topical session will be a workshopping exercise exploring key challenges impeding women’s access to the right care at the right time: Medical Education, Reimbursement, and Care Pathways. The format will be a facilitated and interactive discussion, with short presentations by practitioners in each of the sub-topics.
Following the presentations, small group discussions will be convened to road-map specific solutions to the challenges presented in each of the sub-topics.
Sub-topic 1: Medical Education
Strategies for increasing physician education and awareness.
Alyson McGregor, Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and Development, University of South Carolina
Sarah Ann Tilstra, Section Chief, Women’s Health, Director, Women’s Health Track, Internal Medicine Residency Program, UPMC
Sub-topic 2: Care Pathways
Strategies for designing care pathways that will facilitate better access to care for women.
Robert Edwards, Professor and Chair, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Hy Simhan, Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Executive Vice Chair of Obstetrical Services, Director, Clinical Innovation, Women’s Health Service Line, University of Pittsburgh/UPMC
Sub-topic 3: Reimbursement
Market access strategies and reimbursement paths for enhanced therapeutics for women and targeted preventive and wellness care.
Jocelyn Fitzgerald, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Division of Urogynecology, University of Pittsburgh/UPMC
3:55-4:15 p.m.
Summary and Closing Remarks
Women’s Health @ Top of Mind Summit will close with a summary of the day’s discussions and a call to action to all participants to follow through on solutions put forward.
Robert Edwards, Professor and Chair, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine