Meet the Moderators and Panelists

Dr. Joelle Abramowitz is an Assistant Research Scientist at the Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research and Co-Director of the Michigan Federal Statistical Research Data Center. Her research topics include work, health insurance, medical expenditures, time use, marriage, fertility, and general health topics. Her research examines the effects of policies on individuals’ major life decisions and wellbeing. She completed her Ph.D. in Economics in 2013 at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington.

Linda Goler Blount, MPH, is the President and CEO of the Black Women’s Health Imperative, the only national organization focused on Black women’s emotional, physical and financial health. Since joining the organization in 2014, Ms. Blount has overseen more than $20 million invested in Black women and research to prevent chronic disease and HIV, ensure reproductive justice and healthy maternal outcomes, and advocate for health promoting policies. Ms. Blount, an epidemiologist, edited IndexUS, the first research on Black women’s health based on healthy Black women. Her career includes successful tenures at CDC, the Coca-Cola Company and consulting with health ministries in countries in Europe, Africa and the Caribbean.

Dr. Michal Elovitz is a physician-scientist, mentor and advocate. She is the inaugural Dean of Women’s Health Research at the Icahn School of Medicine. She is also the founding Director of the Women’s Biomedical Research Institute which is focused on revealing the biology that drives female specific conditions as well as understanding sex-specific biology that contributes to significant gender health inequities for so many health outcomes. Dr. Elovitz is committed to advancing women’s health research from the bench to the bedside to make meaningful advances for women across their lifespan.

Michelle L. Oyen is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis and founding Director of the Center for Women's Health Engineering. She has a background in materials science, mechanical engineering, and medical physics. She has researched and advocated for engineering methodologies within maternal health and women’s health for over twenty-five years. She is especially interested in using these approaches to improve maternal-fetal outcomes, including prevention, diagnosis, and interventions relevant to preterm birth. Current research projects focus on multi-scale characterization of placenta function, biomimetic material models of the uterus, and digital twin representations of pregnancy.

Rachel Braun Scherl is a marketing strategist, business builder, author, speaker, and podcast co-host, focused on building businesses in women's sexual and reproductive health. She brings deep knowledge of menstruation, fertility, sexual disease prevention, birth control, pregnancy, menopause, and incontinence to help brands and businesses grow. As President and co-founder of Semprae Laboratories, Rachel and her team built a company that developed and marketed sexual health and wellness products for women - creating a new category. Semprae attracted significant media attention and industry interest and was sold to Innovus Pharmaceuticals in 2013. Rachel is the best-selling author of Orgasmic Leadership: Profiting from the Coming Surge in Women’s Sexual Health and Wellness. As the co-host of a podcast, Business of the V, Rachel drives the conversation about the intersection of unmet needs and unanswered in women’s health with the businesses created to respond to them. Rachel is a frequent public speaker at universities, colleges, and industry conferences, including Duke, Stanford, CES, SXSW, Johnson & Johnson, Abbvie, and The Minnesota Vikings, among others. She has completed hundreds of strategic growth projects for leading companies including J&J, Pfizer, Merck, Bayer, Church & Dwight, Reckitt and Allergan.

Kathryn Schubert has served as President & CEO of the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) since April 2020. She is a trusted leaders 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 named as one of the most influential people shaping policy in healthcare 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.

Dr. Crystal Pirtle Tyler serves as the CEO of the Illinois Public Health Institute, whose mission is to advance health justice through policy and systems change. Crystal brings over 20 years of experience leading research, evaluation, and programming that advances health equity for underserved communities and communities of color. She serves on the Board of Directors for Orchid Capital Collective, the Society of Family Planning, the Black Women’s Health Imperative, and on numerous advisory boards, including the Coalition to Expand Contraceptive Access. She has also published in Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Journal of Adolescent Health, Contraception, the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, among others. Crystal completed both her Ph.D. and MPH in Epidemiology at Michigan State University and the University of Michigan, respectively, and her Bachelor’s degree in Women’s Studies at Spelman College.