Inside Look: Women's Health Lab 2025
Sherri Chambers, chief marketing officer of Hearst Magazines, kicked off the day by telling the audience that Hearst and Northwell Health support women at every phase of life by spotlighting the innovations that can make it better. Then she introduced Northwell Health's new commercial, 'Masterpieces,' which you can watch here. Afterward, Women's Health executive editor Abigail Cuffey teased the day's agenda. Read on for recaps and videos of each panel.
Northwell Health president and CEO Michael Dowling and chief medical officer Jill Kalman, MD, discussed the importance of looking at things differently—including healthcare. 'More organizations need to take women's health more seriously and focus on it,' said Dowling, pointing out that many other healthcare executives he encounters are men. 'Sixty percent of Northwell Health's leadership is women,' noted Dr. Kalman. When you have holistic advocates that push you, that's when things change, said Dowling, and that would be one of the key themes of the day.
The number-one risk factor for women is heart disease and stroke, said moderator Stacey E. Rosen, MD, executive director of the Katz Institute for Women's Health and volunteer president-elect of the American Heart Association, as she kicked off a panel that highlighted the experiences of three women with heart disease:
—Supermodel, actress, and author Christie Brinkley talked about how atrial fibrillation affected her mother.
—Journalist and lifestyle reporter Elisa DiStefano recounted her postpartum preeclampsia that occurred after the birth of her third child.
—Northwell Health patient and heart-health advocate Katherine Bormann shared how a mammogram uncovered a blockage in her arteries.
Cuffey spoke to author, entrepreneur, and Sanofi paid spokesperson Chrissy Teigen about the diagnosis of her 7-year-old son, Miles, with type 1 diabetes. They discussed how it changed the family dynamic and the importance of screening for the autoimmune disease.
Women's Health celebrates female athletes, and our director of special projects, Amanda Lucci, moderated a discussion with Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, CEO of Next 3 and governor of Gotham FC; Jade-Li English, head of women's basketball and agent at KLUTCH Sports Group; Rebecca Haarlow, an award-winning sports broadcaster; and Scout Bassett, an adaptive sprinter and president of the Women's Sports Foundation, about what sports has meant to them and how it is growing as a business.
After a video introduction from ELLE editor-in-chief Nina Garcia, the brand's digital director, Claire Stern Milch, interviewed actress and advocate Selma Blair about her life with multiple sclerosis (MS). Blair discussed how she was always sick, starting from the age of 7, and how it took 30 years for her to get an MRI—one of the tests that help diagnose the disease. 'Getting diagnosed was one of the kindest things for me,' Blair said while recounting how MS has affected her life.
In a session sponsored by Vionic, Women's Health executive health and fitness director Jacqueline Andriakos spoke to women who are creating products that help improve health for all.
—Beau Wangtrakuldee, founder and CEO of AmorSui, who created personal protective equipment (PPE) for women after a lab accident that resulted from an ill-fitting lab coat.
—Casey Ann Pidich, DPM, a podiatrist and Vionic Shoes Violab member, who discussed how healthcare professionals should consider partnering with brands.
—Nina S. Vincoff, MD, medical director and vice president for clinical initiatives and patient experience at the Katz Institute for Women's Health, who suggested brands partner with doctors who are not thought of as being in the women's-health field.
—Shannon Race, co-founder and CEO of Bio.me, which makes products that help lead to a more balanced microbiome, who talked about getting consumers to trust her supplement brand.
Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief Willa Bennett talked about anxiety, depression, social media, and more with multi-hyphenate actresses Lili Reinhart and Lizzy McAlpine. Both have been open about their own struggles with mood disorders, and they offered tips on how to cope.
In this panel sponsored by Sensei, Town & Country executive travel editor Klara Glowczewska spoke about how travel is health-adjacent because it can be a stress-reliever. Tara Narula, MD, chief medical correspondent at ABC News and associate director of the Lenox Hill Women's Heart Program, then discussed all the ways stress affects the body. 'Sometimes we don't know we're stressed,' added Vishal Patel, MD, PhD, chief science and innovation officer at Sensei, while Nellie Barnett, founder and coach at Nellbells Fitness, suggested that just taking a breath can be a mini stress-relief vacation. Then, during lunch, Dr. Patel led participants in a mindful-eating session.
Do you know someone who lives with dementia or Alzheimer's disease? In this Lilly-sponsored panel moderated by Jane Francisco, editorial director of Prevention and editor-in-chief of Good Housekeeping, all the panelists lost their mothers to Alzheimer's disease. Anne White, executive vice president and president of Lilly Neuroscience, Eli Lilly and Company; Arlinda McIntosh, owner, operator, and content strategist of Sofistafunk The Skirt Co.; and Paula Zahn, host and executive producer of Warner Bros. Discovery's On the Case with Paula Zahn and board member of the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation, shared their stories and their visions of the future of this disease.
Rounding out the day, Pilar Guzmán, editorial director of Oprah Daily, moderated a discussion about longevity, menopause and aging with Deborah Roberts, co-anchor of ABC News's 20/20; Lo Bosworth, founder of Love Wellness; Stephanie Trentacoste McNally, MD, regional vice president ob/gyn and director of ob/gyn services at the Katz Institute for Women's Health; and Tamsen Fadal, author, podcast host, documentary filmmaker, and menopause advocate. During their candid conversation, these women had many tips about how to age well. Watch to see them all.
The Health Lab concluded with activations from our sponsors, including one from Lilly and a Vionic pop-up where guests were able to pick up personal pairs of shoes from the brand designed for healthy feet. We would also like to thank Bank of America Private Bank for its support of the event.
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