SWHR 2025 Annual Awards Gala

The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) is thrilled to be hosting its 35th Annual Awards Gala this spring on April 30, in celebration of the Society’s 35th anniversary and the incredible contributions of several leaders in women’s health. SWHR’s 35th anniversary marks a moment to reflect on the Society’s history of groundbreaking advocacy, partnership, and advancement in women’s health – and a time to imagine what is possible for women’s health in the next 35 years. SWHR will recognize Kim Love and Teresa Woodruff, PhD for their commitments to improving women’s health at this year’s event. These leaders represent the Society’s long-standing collaboration across research, education, and industry. Additional awardees will be announced this spring.

SWHR will present a Women’s Health Visionary Award to Kim Love for her commitment to improving women’s health in her role as an industry leader at Amgen, including the significant impact she has had on women’s health research by driving forward innovative initiatives, promoting research, and advocating for policies that address the unique health needs and challenges faced by women. Love is Senior Director of Government Affairs and Strategic Alliances at Amgen, building critical partnerships between Senate Democrats and various stakeholders to shape effective health policy. With expertise spanning Capitol Hill, industry, and advocacy, she brings a unique perspective to complex health care challenges. Health care policy has been the cornerstone of Love’s career for three decades. During her 12 years on Capitol Hill, she served as Legislative Director for Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) during the landmark passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and worked alongside Chairman John Dingell (D-MI-12) on the Energy & Commerce Committee. Success in public service led Love to launch her own consulting firm, where she represented patient and provider advocacy groups before Congress and united diverse stakeholders around shared public policy goals. Through shaping legislative strategy at the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR), she secured crucial federal funding for stem cell research, demonstrating the power of strategic partnerships. Before joining Amgen, Kim gained valuable industry perspective through roles at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) and the national trade organization, PhRMA.

SWHR will present a Women’s Health Visionary Award to Dr. Teresa Woodruff for her contributions to women’s health research in endocrinology, ovarian biology, and reproductive science. She is also being honored for her leadership surrounding the sex as a biological variable policy within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and integration of women’s health research across the NIH. Dr. Woodruff is a MSU Research Foundation Professor and President Emerita of Michigan State University, and past president of the Endocrine Society. She is responsible for many discoveries, three of which have changed our understanding of fundamental reproductive processes and others that led to a new field of medicine. Woodruff and her collaborators discovered the remarkable ‘zinc spark’ which allows an assessment of egg quality in a non-invasive way; she was the first to mature ovarian follicles leading to live births of mice outside the body and fertilizable human eggs; she used this technology to develop pathways for cancer patients receiving life-preserving but fertility-threatening treatments to have a family, a field of medicine known as ‘oncofertility’. Additionally, she created the first three-dimensional (3D) printed ovarian ‘bioprosthetic’ which produced the first live birth from a printed organ; cloned the inhibin and activin subunits and defined the molecular basis of negative feedback in the reproductive system; and reconstructed an ovarian cycle outside the body in a system now known as EVATAR/Lattice. Woodruff championed the inclusion of sex as a biological variable in federal grants and in the process, created new areas of education in the reproductive sciences. She was awarded the Presidential Award for Mentoring in Science, Technology, and Math by President Obama and the National Medal of Science by President Biden. Woodruff is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, National Academy of Medicine, National Academy of Inventors, and the Guggenheim Foundation.

Finally, SWHR is excited to welcome Anita Ravi, MD, MPH, MSHP, FAAFP with PurpLE Health Foundation as the keynote speaker for the evening. Dr. Ravi is a board-certified family medicine physician, researcher, and health policy leader dedicated to transforming health care for survivors of gender-based violence (GBV), including women and girls who have experienced human trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual assault. She is the CEO and founder of PurpLE Health Foundation, a pioneering non-profit organization advancing GBV care as a recognized field in health care through a novel model of clinical care, research, and clinician training. Dr. Ravi’s work integrates direct patient care, survivor-centered research, and policy development, all aimed at expanding access to high-quality health care for GBV survivors. Her groundbreaking contributions to GBV health care as a social entrepreneur have garnered national recognition, including being selected as a “40 Under 40” Leader in Minority Health, receiving the American Medical Association Foundation’s 2024 Courage in Women’s Health Advocacy Award, and selection for prestigious programs, including the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center Residency and as a Fellow with the National Academy of Medicine.

SWHR supporters will gather in person for the 2025 Annual Awards Gala to celebrate the achievements of Love and Dr. Woodruff as well as hear remarks from Dr. Ravi and other women’s health leaders about the progress we’ve made over the last 35 years and the future ahead of us within women’s health research. The event will be held on April 30, 2025, at the Willard InterContinental Washington D.C., with a reception beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET and dinner following at 7:00 p.m. ET.

The SWHR 35th Annual Awards Gala also provides a moment to celebrate the Society during its anniversary year. Thirty-five years ago, women were actively and intentionally excluded from medical research. In 1990, SWHR was founded and since has played a critical role in identifying clinical and research gaps; raising awareness of diseases, conditions, and life stages that differently, disproportionately, or exclusively affect women; and promoting policies that could positively shape health outcomes for women. Learn more about the history of SWHR and share your own SWHR story with the team here.

Sponsorships and tickets are available. Information about both can be found here. Funds raised from the event will support SWHR’s science, policy, and educational initiatives. For additional information about the Annual Awards Gala, please contact Development Director Julie Miller at julie@swhr.org.

Find out more about the event here.

About SWHR  

The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) is a national nonprofit and thought leader dedicated to advancing women’s health through science, policy, and education while promoting research on sex differences to optimize women’s health. Founded in 1990 by a group of physicians, medical researchers, and health advocates, SWHR is making women’s health mainstream by addressing unmet needs and research gaps in women’s health. Thanks to SWHR’s efforts, women are now routinely included in most major medical research studies and more scientists are considering sex as a biological variable in their research. Visit www.swhr.org for more information.