MEET THE PANELISTS

JOELLE ABRAMOWITZ, PHD

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.

CINDY ADAM, FNP

Cindy Adam is one of the co-founding clinicians and CEO of Choix, a telehealth clinic offering abortion care and sexual and reproductive healthcare to patients in the comfort of their home. Cindy co-founded Choix with Mark Adam, CTO of Choix, and with clinicians, NP Lauren Dubey and Dr. Aisha Wagner. Both Lauren and Aisha are compassionate, highly skilled abortion providers, with extensive telehealth and research experience in abortion care. Cindy & Lauren won the National Abortion Federation 2022 Clinicians in Abortion Care Leadership Award for their work advancing the scope of NP practice through their work at Choix. Cindy completed her Master’s Degree in Nursing at the University of California in San Francisco. She started her nursing career practicing full scope primary care with the Santa Rosa & Santa Cruz Community Clinics. She specialized in sexual & reproductive heathcare through her work with the SF Department of Public Health, in private practice with a local obgyn, and with an early stage contraceptive care telehealth provider. Cindy also had the pleasure of working with UCSF’s Advancing Standards in Reproductive Health Turnaway Study on the experiences of people seeking abortions.

LINDA GOLER BLOUNT, MPH

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.

HEATHER CARTER, EDD

Dr. Heather Carter is Executive Vice President with Greater Phoenix Leadership, with a special focus on Arizona’s health sector and P-20 education. Prior to this role, Dr. Carter served 10 years in the Arizona State Legislature and held a variety of faculty and leadership roles with Arizona State University and the University of Arizona. Heather graduated from ASU with a degree in communication. She then completed a master’s degree in educational technology at ASU and earned a doctorate degree in education leadership from NAU.

KIM CHRISTENSEN CLARK

Kim Clark serves as Legal Director at Legal Voice, a nonprofit organization that advances gender equity throughout the Pacific Northwest through impact litigation, policy advocacy and legal rights education. Ms. Clark's work includes cases in federal and state court throughout the Pacific Northwest that seek to protect and expand the rights of all people to reproductive justice. Ms. Clark also manages and extensive portfolio of policy initiatives in both Washington and Idaho. Ms. Clark holds a JD from Harvard Law School and a BA from the University of Arizona.

LARA COMPTON

Lara Compton is a member at Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. and a trusted advisor to clients ranging from traditional health care providers to disrupter digital health platforms. Lara has a unique depth of knowledge across HIPAA privacy and other regulatory issues governing the use of data, state and federal fraud and abuse laws, business planning and operational issues. Lara advises health care providers, clinical trials companies, ancillary providers, technology start-ups, HMOs, insurance companies, and large technology companies on compliance with HIPAA and other health data privacy and security regulations and has led significant HIPAA breach investigations. Lara guides clients not only on risk avoidance but also on essential challenges of growth, including the transition to value-based care arrangements and the development of new health technology and digital health–related products and services. She also previously served as an in house attorney at two nonprofit health systems, Sutter Health and Community Medical Centers, where she advised extensively on HIPAA and state privacy laws, Anti-Kickback, Stark Law, day-to-day operational risk and cost control management as well as creating, evaluating and implementing internal policies, compliance programs, and marketing and training initiatives.

BLAIR HIRST

Blair Hirst is a leader in the area of digital health equity through their work in healthcare technology, innovation and entrepreneurship. As CEO and Founder of Digital Health Review, Blair has launched a podcast, newsletter and digital health marketplace that empowers consumers to find apps & products that will keep their data and body safe.

Previously, Blair has led product at a Series A post-acute care startup, productized and commercialized Diversity in Clinical Trials Data offerings at Acorn AI, built the first MVP healthcare product at S&P Global Market Intelligence, and launched telehealth, e-consent, NLP chatbots and innovation programs at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Their work has centered on developing health technology products that use data and analytics to understand the effects of these tools on social determinants of health such as health literacy and access to care.

A graduate of Brown University School of Engineering with a bachelors in Biomedical Engineering, Blair received their masters degree in Innovation and Technology Management from NYU Tandon School of Engineering.

STEPHANIE HUMPHREY

Stephanie is a former engineer who was most recently a contributor to ABC News as Tech Expert on the nationally syndicated daytime talk shows Good Morning America and GMA3. She is currently a tech contributor to Fox 29’s Good Day Philadelphia, CheddarTV, and other broadcast outlets. Stephanie writes a monthly technology column for the Philadelphia Sunday Sun and contributes tech content to WDAS 105.3 FM and WURD 900 AM. Stephanie is a content creator who uses social media to help people understand tech basics with her weekly 60-Second Tech Break on various platforms @TechLifeSteph.

MITZI KROCKOVER, MD

Mitzi Krockover, M.D., is a leader in the area of women’s health and women’s issues. As CEO and founder of Woman Centered, LLC, she launched the Beyond the Paper Gown podcast, which aims to inform, inspire and engage women to achieve optimal health. She is also a Managing Director of Golden Seeds, an angel investment organization dedicated to funding early-stage women-led companies; she serves as co-chair of the Golden Seeds Health Care Sector Group.

Previously, Dr. Krockover was the founding Medical Director of the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center, designated a Center of Excellence by the Department of Health and Human Services. As Vice President of Women’s Health for Humana Inc., she was the company’s chief healthcare strategist and spokesperson for women’s health. 

Dr. Krockover serves as President of the Institute for Mental Health Research and on the Black Women’s Health Imperative board. She is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Women’s Health Initiative of Springboard, an accelerator for entrepreneurial life science and technology companies led by women.

DELPHINE O'ROURKE, ESQ

Delphine is recognized as one of the few and foremost attorneys specializing in women’s health, a health law subject matter expert and a leader of Goodwin's groundbreaking Women's Health & Wellness Industry practice. She represents founders, health companies and investors. Delphine is a thought leader, global speaker and lectures at Columbia Law School on the business of health and the law.

KELLIE LEASE STECHER, MD, OBGYN

Kellie Stecher is an OBGYN and Co-Founder and President of Patient Care Heroes, as well as the Governor of the 8th district of the American Medical Women’s Association, and advisor to multiple other companies focusing on patient and staff safety.

SOPHIA YEN, MD

Sophia Yen MD is the CEO and Co-Founder of PandiaHealth.com, providing expert women’s healthcare, convenience, and confidentiality via telemedicine and medication delivery. Pandia Health is the ONLY #WomenFounded #WomenLed #DoctorFounded/Led birth control delivery company. She co-founded Pandia Health because “No one should suffer from ‘pill anxiety’ - the fear of running out of birth control and the stress of obtaining it each month.” Dr. Yen enjoys educating the public and physicians about birth control, menstrual regulation, race differences in birth control, BMI and Emergency Contraception, and #PeriodsOptional. Graduated from MIT, UCSF Medical School, and UC Berkeley’s MPH program and with 20+ years in medicine, she’s a Clinical Associate Professor at Stanford Medical School. She co-founded 3 non-profit projects to improve the lives of women: The Silver Ribbon Campaign to Trust Women, SheHeroes.org, and fffl.co (Female Founded, Female Led, B2C awareness campaign, by from a FFFL!) Mother of 2 future SheHeroes, wife of a feminist.