Cardiovascular disease is often perceived as an illness that poses risks to the elderly male population. However, it is the leading cause of death for women, taking the lives of one in every three women nationally and affecting even young, healthy women. Join this insightful conversation (in partnership with the American Heart Association) to learn about the differences in how cardiovascular disease presents in women compared to men and how to identify risk factors and stay on top of early detection and risk mitigation.

Light bites and refreshments will be available. The ticket includes two drink vouchers.

Program

4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.  Registration and Networking
5:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.  Welcome / Panel Discussion
6:00 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.  Q&A / Closing Remarks
6:15 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.  Networking / CPR Demonstrations

Speaker Bios

Rachel Adjemian, Associate Vice President of Social Campaigns at the American Heart Association, Moderator

Rachel is the Associate Vice President of Social Campaigns at the American Heart Association, where she leads both the Heart of Boston Campaign and Boston’s Go Red for Women. Go Red for Women seeks to improve cardiovascular disease outcomes for women by raising funding for research on women’s heart health and addressing critical community needs to mitigate CVD risk. Rachel has a decade of experience in philanthropy and has raised millions of dollars for programs that help the Greater Boston Community have equitable access to long and healthy lives. Rachel holds a bachelor's degree from Brandeis University. In her free time, she enjoys playing music, embarking on outdoor adventures, and reading books with her two children.

Sangeeta Krishnan, Survivor & Executive Leadership Team member for Go Red for Women

Sangeeta is a biotechnology executive with over 20 years of experience in consulting, pharma, and biotechnology, working in rare and specialty diseases. Most recently, she has been the vice president and head of commercial strategy and operations at Apellis Pharmaceuticals, a leading biotechnology company in the area of complement-focused inhibitors. Previously, she has served in roles leading global market access and health economics teams at Bioverativ, Biogen, and Baxter. Sangeeta began her career as a clinical pharmacist, answering drug information questions in the field from payers and physicians with Lilly and GlaxoSmithKline while also working as a retail pharmacist. Sangeeta holds a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) from Rutgers University (United States) and a Master of Science (MS) in Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy from the University of Southern California. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors running, hiking, or swimming with her husband and three children. 

Amy Sarma, MD, Co-Director, Women's Heart Health Program and Cardiovascular Disease and Pregnancy Program at Massachusetts General Hospital

Dr. Amy Sarma is the co-director of the Corrigan Women’s Heart Health Program and Cardiovascular Disease and Pregnancy Programs at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and the Cathy E. Minehan Endowed Chair in Cardiology. She is an Assistant Professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Sarma earned her undergraduate and medical degrees from Yale University. She trained in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital prior to Massachusetts General Hospital for her fellowships in cardiovascular disease and advance echocardiograph. Her clinical and research interests are in sex differences in cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular disease in pregnancy, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and spontaneous coronary artery dissection. Her ongoing funded research studies focus on the use of digital health strategies for postpartum hypertension and cardiovascular care. Nationally, she has previously served on the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Women In Cardiology Leadership Council and currently serves on the ACC Cardiovascular Disease in Women Leadership Council. She has been recognized as a semi-finalist for the International Women As One Escalator Award, as a finalist for the Elizabeth Barrett-Connor Research Award for Early Career Investigators by the American Heart Association (AHA), received the Women In Cardiology Trainee Award for Excellence by the AHA, and is a recipient of the MGH Department of Medicine Innovation Award.

Johnna D. Wesley, PhD, Scientific Vice President for Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) Research and Immunology in Cardiometabolic Disease at Novo Nordisk

Dr. Wesley works with research teams in the USA, Denmark, the UK, and China to guide the development of disease-modifying therapies for chronic metabolic and immune diseases. Dr. Wesley holds a Master of Public Health degree in epidemiology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a doctorate in medical science/immunology from Brown University. She completed her postdoctoral training at the Benaroya Research Institute before joining the clinical immunology group at a biotech company focused on personalized cellular therapy for cancer. Dr. Wesley moved to Novo Nordisk in 2012 to initially work in T1D research and translational biomarker development. Dr. Wesley recently also completed an Executive Master of Business Administration at Washington State University. Since joining Novo Nordisk in 2012, Dr. Wesley has had multiple roles, all focused on innovation in the prevention and cure of metabolic diseases, with a significant focus on T1D and immune dysfunction.

Pricing Information

• Members/Guests: $20
• Non-Members*: $40

*Not a Member? Click here to learn about the benefits of a WIB Membership — access to our video library, mentorship groups, and more. 

Please read WIB's Code of Conduct, In-Person Event Waiver, and Refund Policy.

Note: A confirmation email will be sent after registration has been completed. 

Maximum Capacity

150

Parking Information

Free parking is available onsite.

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