With nearly 1.4 billion women worldwide over the age of 45, the Institute Advancing Women’s Health aims to close the gap between research on menopause and clinical practice
SEATTLE, WA, May 18, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- The Institute Advancing Women’s Health (InAWH), a new global nonprofit focused on improving women’s health in midlife, today announced the appointment of Paula Schneider as its chief executive officer and introduced its founding medical advisory board.Nearly 1.4 billion women worldwide are 45 and over, yet the gap between what is known about women’s midlife health — from perimenopause through postmenopause — and how care is delivered in practice fails to meet their needs. A Cleveland Clinic study released on May 7 found that more than half (52%) of U.S. women surveyed say menopause is not discussed enough.
InAWH will help close this gap by working with clinicians, researchers, and partners to make existing evidence more accessible and easier to apply.
“Too many women feel left to navigate midlife health on their own,” said Schneider. “Women deserve clearer information, a better understanding of their health risks, and more informed conversations with their doctors.”
Schneider previously served as president and CEO of Susan G. Komen, where she led the organization through significant transformation and expansion in research, advocacy, and patient support. She brings deep experience in women’s health, organizational leadership, and building partnerships at scale.
InAWH’s priorities will be guided by a medical advisory board of leading experts across a range of disciplines involved in midlife health, including endocrinology, cardiology, obstetrics and gynecology, epidemiology, and genomics, with representation from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and South Africa. The medical advisory board initially consists of:
- Barbara Gulanski, MD, MPH — Endocrinologist and Board-Certified Internist, Yale University School of Medicine
- Mary Jane Minkin, MD, FACOG — Clinical Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine
- Erica S. Spatz, MD, MHS — Associate Professor of Cardiology and Epidemiology, Yale University School of Medicine; Director, Preventive Cardiovascular Health Program
- John Eden, MB, BS, MD, RCOG, RANZCOG, CREI — Conjoint Professor, School of Women and Children’s Health, University of New South Wales; Head of the Menopause Unit, Royal Hospital for Women, Sydney
- Nicole Jaff, PhD, MSCP — Board of Trustees, International Menopause Society; Executive, South African Menopause Society; Honorary Lecturer, University of the Witwatersrand and University College London
- Prof. Cecilia M. Lindgren, PhD, FMedSci — Executive VP Applied AI & Robotics and Principal Scientist, Ellison Institute of Technology; Visiting Professor in Statistics, University of Oxford
“In the clinic, we see how often midlife women are trying to connect symptoms that don’t fit neatly into one category,” said Mary Jane Minkin, MD, FACOG, clinical professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine. “Clinicians need clearer, more practical guidance that reflects how these issues actually show up in real patients.”
Those challenges are not limited to individual patient visits but extend to how knowledge is generated, shared, and applied across the field.
InAWH will also be governed by a board of directors with experience spanning global health, biotechnology, and philanthropy, providing strategic oversight and guiding its long-term direction:
- Connie Collingsworth, Chair — Former chief operating officer, Gates Foundation
- Dr. Annalisa Jenkins OBE — Former head of R&D at Merck Serono and CEO of Dimension Therapeutics
- Anna Samuelsson — Partner and managing director, Factory Capital
InAWH was founded by Factory Capital, an Australia-based investment firm specializing in women’s health. While navigating care for perimenopausal symptoms, which can begin when a woman is in her thirties, managing director Anna Samuelsson was told she was too young for treatment despite clear evidence to the contrary. This led her to identify a broader structural gap in women’s midlife health.
“The opportunity in women’s health is well understood; what’s been missing is the infrastructure required to turn that demand into investable businesses,” Samuelsson said. “We created InAWH to address that gap directly, by building the foundations that allow better care models, better data, and ultimately better companies to emerge.”
Today’s announcement represents the first step in a broader effort by InAWH to convene stakeholders, build partnerships, and define priority areas for action. The organization will host its first convening in October 2026, bringing together leaders across healthcare, research, and policy to shape the initial phase of work.
About Institute Advancing Women's Health
The Institute Advancing Women’s Health (InAWH) is a global nonprofit focused on closing the gap between what science knows about women’s midlife health and how care is delivered. By translating evidence into practical tools, care pathways, and training, InAWH works to make midlife care more integrated, accessible, and effective worldwide. For more information, visit www.inawh.org.
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