Helping women thrive in life’s second chapter

The Institute Advancing Women’s Health (InAWH) unites global experts to transform midlife care for women. We translate peer reviewed evidence into care pathways, education and tools that redefine women’s health worldwide.

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We have an opportunity to rewrite a decades-old gap with trusted science, shared standards, and care models built for the second half of women’s lives

  • Women’s midlife health is half of every woman’s life, yet has been substantially disregarded in research and care

  • More than one billion women are now postmenopausal, but most clinicians receive little training in midlife care

  • Women spend 25% more of their lives in poor health than men

Introducing InAWH

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The Institute Advancing Women’s Health (InAWH) is uniting global leading researchers, clinicians, and women’s health organizations to close the midlife health gap.

We translate trusted science into practical education, training, and models of care that strengthen vitality, prevent disease, and support well-being across the decades that follow.

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About the Institute

InAWH is a global catalyst working to make evidence-based, cross-disciplinary midlife care the global standard. InAWH will meet the rising demand by uniting leading organizations and experts to develop science-based solutions that make credible women’s midlife health knowledge accessible to all.

Our Vision

A world where every woman lives with dignity, vitality and well-being.

Our Mission

To advance women's health worldwide through innovative research, specialised education and integrated care.

Our Principles

  • Evidence based or evidence informed

  • Multidisciplinary

  • Including diversity of thought

  • Transparent and providing open access

  • Outcome focused

  • Inclusive and patient centric

Our People

InAWH is building a global team of leaders in medicine, research, and women’s health working to transform midlife care.

Black and white portrait of a woman with long, wavy hair smiling at the camera, with a blue gradient overlay on part of her face and clothing.
Black and white portrait of a woman with shoulder-length wavy hair, wearing a blazer and a collared shirt, smiling slightly, with a blue tint overlay on part of the image.
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  • Connie Collingsworth is a globally recognized governance and social-impact leader with deep experience across the corporate, philanthropic, and investment sectors. She previously served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Legal Officer of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, overseeing global operations, including technology, HR, legal, and risk, for the world’s largest private family foundation. Her leadership supported an enterprise with more than $75 billion in assets, multiple international offices, and related affiliated entities.

    Connie currently serves on the board of Banner Corporation, where she chairs the Governance & Nominating Committee. She is an Independent Director of the National Philanthropic Trust and the Washington Research Foundation, a Board Advisor to Planet First Partners and serves as an advisor to Ocugen and LoudCapital. She also teaches “CEO and Board Leadership” as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Washington Foster School of Business.

    She brings to InAWH extensive expertise in governance, organizational design, risk management, and mission-driven strategy, along with a long-standing commitment to advancing women’s health globally. Connie holds an LL.M. from the University of Exeter, a J.D. from the University of Nebraska, and a B.A. from Andrews University.

  • Dr. Annalisa Jenkins, M.B.B.S., F.R.C.P., is an internationally recognized leader dedicated to harnessing the power of data to unlock insights and improve outcomes in healthcare around the globe. Throughout a 30-year career spanning clinical medicine, biotechnology, and leadership across industry and the public sector, she has focused on connecting people and organizations with the capacity to translate leading science into groundbreaking products that support healthy aging and human flourishing.

    Dr. Jenkins graduated in Medicine from the University of London and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians London. After service as a medical officer in the British Royal Navy during the Gulf Conflict, she held senior positions at Merck Serono and Bristol Myers Squibb, and later served as CEO of Dimension Therapeutics, taking the company public on NASDAQ and through acquisition. Returning to the UK, she has cultivated roles across Genomics England, The King's Fund, the British Heart Foundation, and chairs YouBelong, a leading mental health charity.

    Operating at the intersection of technology, innovation, and healthcare delivery, Dr. Jenkins builds and connects global ecosystems—across private, public, non-profit, and government sectors—aligned toward advancing better futures in mental health, women’s health, cancer, cardio-metabolic disease, and global health. As a board member and investor for multiple companies and funds, and Honorary Professor at St. Mary's University, London, she is a champion for data-driven leadership, diversity, and purpose-driven innovation.

  • Anna Samuelsson, Partner and Managing Director, Factory Capital is a global investment and strategy leader with more than 20 years of experience across investment banking, strategy, technology, and company management, including roles with Goldman Sachs and other firms. Her career spans CEO and director positions, corporate development, and scaling digital ventures, with extensive experience entering and managing markets across EMEA, the United States, and APAC.

    Anna serves as Partner and Managing Director at Factory Capital, a global investment firm focused on Healthcare, Education, Lifestyle and Technology sectors. She leads the global women’s health practice, identifies investments and works with founder-led businesses and executive teams to scale across the global footprint and strengthen leadership, drive growth, and transform companies into investment-grade assets. A firm focus on value creation is a hallmark of Factory Capital’s approach to building and scaling high-impact enterprises.

    Anna brings to InAWH deep business and cross-sector experience, global perspective, and a strong commitment to advancing innovative solutions that improve health and opportunity across diverse markets.