About Us
The Innovation Equity Forum (IEF) was launched in 2023 through a partnership between the Gates Foundation and the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health. It was created to confront a long-standing gap: the underinvestment and underrepresentation in women’s health research and development (R&D).
The IEF brings together a global community of over 250 stakeholders committed to advancing women’s health.
Our membership includes philanthropists, venture capitalists, biopharmaceutical companies, women’s health startups, regulators, researchers, and patient advocates. Together, this diverse group is committed to advancing a more equitable, coordinated, and innovation-driven ecosystem for women’s health R&D.
The IEF was established to
Convene
key global players and decision-makers in women’s health innovation
Mobilize
transformational efforts through a shared understanding of critical R&D priorities
Catalyze
cross-sector, multinational partnerships that overcome structural barriers and drive progress
In 2023, the IEF published the Opportunity Map, a foundational resource to identify gaps, align priorities, and build momentum for transformative action in women’s health R&D.
Since then, the Forum has met regularly to strengthen accountability and impact, launching a 2024 Progress Report to track advancements across the ecosystem and forming dedicated working groups to translate insights into impact. The Innovation Equity Forum is building a movement to elevate women’s health as a global innovation priority.
Kendell Cannon
Stanford Medicine
Co-Founder/CMO/Assistant Professor
Khadija I. Yahya Malima (PhD)
Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences
Head of Department, Nursing Education and Management,
Khadija Yahya Malima
Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS)
Nurse-Epidemiologist (Senior Lecturer)
Kihara Anne Beatrice
Women Engaged in Development
Executive Director
Krista Donaldson
PAX Design Group / Stanford Biodesign
Principal (PAX), Director of Innovation to Impact (Stanford Biodesign)
Krista Donaldson, PhD
Stanford University Mussallem Center for Biodesign
Director, Innovation to Impact
Laura Stroud
Brown University Health, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Professor, Director, Senior Research Scientist
Limakatso Lebina, PhD
Africa Health Research Institute
Director of Science
Lisa Halvorson, MD
National Institutes of Health
Chief of Service, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility
Liz Powell, Esq., MPH
G2G/Women's Health Advocates
CEO
Lynette Hamlin, PhD, RN, CNM, FACNM, FAAN
Madeleine Livingston
Head of Strategic Partnerships
Contribute to quarterly meetings, connect with others across the field, propose ideas for action and collaborate with others across the ecosystem to move them forward, and share work that is advancing progress.
