FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

WHAM Invests $250,000 In Scientists Leading a New Era of Women’s Health

The 2026 WHAM Edge Awards are backing 10 researchers investigating why diseases affect women exclusively, differently or disproportionately.

GREENWICH, Conn. (November 12, 2026) — WHAM (Women’s Health Access Matters) today announced the recipients of its 2026 WHAM Edge Awards, investing $250,000 in 10 early-stage research projects exploring sex-based differences in disease. Their work targets critical gaps in medical knowledge, identifying new opportunities that improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. 

There are still many unanswered questions in women’s health. Why are nearly two-thirds of Alzheimer’s patients’ women? Why are nine in 10 adults with lupus women? Why do some lung cancer immunotherapies appear to benefit women less than men? The WHAM Edge Awards support researchers pursuing answers to these unknowns. By investing in promising research today, WHAM is helping advance discoveries that could inform the next generation of healthcare. 

“Every unanswered question in women’s health is an opportunity to improve lives,” said Carolee Lee, CEO and Founder of WHAM. “These scientists are asking bold questions and pursuing research that can transform care for women.  WHAM is proud to invest in their leadership.” 

This year’s projects show how much remains to be learned. Half of the projects apply artificial intelligence to problems ranging from drug discovery to breast imaging. Three projects focus on the menopause transition, examining its effect on brain health, its links to autoimmune disease, and how treatment can be better personalized.  

“When diseases affect women differently, we need to ask why, because those differences can lead us to important new scientific questions,” said Dr. Nicole Woitowich, Executive Director of the WHAM Research Collaborative. “These researchers are uncovering insights that could ultimately improve how we prevent, diagnose, and treat disease, not just for women, but for everyone.”

Awardees were selected by WHAM’s Scientific Advisory Board, which includes, Dr. Noémie Elhadad (Columbia University) Dr. Lori Frank (WHAM), Dr. Sabra Klein (Johns Hopkins), Dr. Hadine Joffe (Harvard Medical School/Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center), Dr. Anula Jayasuriya (WHAM), Dr. Alyson McGregor (University of South Carolina Greenville), Dr. Katherine Sharkey (University of South Carolina Greenville), and Dr. Nicole Woitowich (Northwestern University). 

2026 WHAM Edge Awards Recipients 

Dr. Stacey Aaron, Tenure-track Assistant Professor, University of Illinois Chicago  

Regional Cerebrovascular Vulnerability Across Menopause: Patterns, Mechanisms, and Modifiers 

Dr. Aaron will use existing brain scans from the Human Connectome Project to map how blood flow to the brain shifts during menopause and identify the factors that may put some women at greater risk of cognitive decline. 

Dr. Omar Borges-Sosa, Postdoctoral Fellow, Indiana University 

Sex Differences in Estrogen Receptor Blockade and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Resistance in Lung Cancer  

Dr. Borges-Sosa will test whether fulvestrant, an estrogen-blocking drug already approved for breast cancer, can slow tumor growth and shift the tumor’s immune environment, laying the groundwork for making immunotherapy work better for women. 

Dr. Attila Feher, Assistant Professor, Yale University School of Medicine 

Defining a Multimodal Cardiovascular Phenotype in Women with Autoimmune Rheumatic Disease Using AI-Enabled Cardiovascular Imaging  

Dr. Feher will combine cardiac stress-test results with AI analysis of existing chest CT scans to better identify women with autoimmune disease such as lupus who are at higher risk of heart disease, without additional testing or radiation. 

Dr. Laura Gravelsins, Scientific Associate, Laboratory of Behavioural Neuroendocrinology, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) 

Advancing Precision Medicine for Healthy Brain Aging: Investigating Menopause Hormone Therapy Types and Gene Interactions  

Dr. Gravelsins will use about a decade of data from thousands of postmenopausal women to compare how different types of menopause hormone therapy relate to memory and thinking over time and whether genetics change who benefits most.  

Dr. Tina Yi Jin Hsieh, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center 

Toward Placental Histopathology as a Digital Biomarker: Foundation Model-Based Classification of Perinatal Outcomes with Pathologist-Validated Spatial Interpretability  

Dr. Hsieh will apply advanced AI models to placental tissue samples from over 500 pregnancies to improve the diagnosis of perinatal complications. This research aims to turn routinely collected placentas into digital biomarkers that identify mothers needing long-term follow-up for heart and metabolic conditions. 

Dr. Habibah Ijaiya, Postdoctoral Fellow, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health 

Developing a Postpartum-Specific Electronic Health Record Algorithm for Antihypertensive Treatment Intensification After Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy  

Dr. Ijaiya will adapt an electronic health record algorithm to improve postpartum care, helping health systems identify and address gaps in treatment during the period when nearly three-quarters of maternal deaths related to pregnancy-induced high blood pressure occur. 

Dr. Carolyn Moderbacher, Instructor, La Jolla Institute for Immunology 

Decoding the Immune Origins of Lupus to Unlock New Therapeutic Targets  

Dr. Moderbacher will use a simple nasal swab to collect immune cells from lymph tissue, where the antibodies that drive lupus develop, and test whether changes in these cells track flares better than blood tests do, which could reveal new drug targets.  

Dr. Yuanyuan Wei, Postdoctoral Scholar, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) 

Sex-Aware Validation of AI-Discovered Tau Aggregation Inhibitors for Alzheimer’s Disease  

Dr. Wei will expand her AI-driven search for compounds targeting tau, a protein that builds up abnormally in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s, to investigate whether potential treatments work differently in female and male neurons.   

Mr. Hyeokjun Yoon, PhD Student, Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT) 

AI-Guided Portable 3D Ultrasound for Accessible, Operator-Independent Breast Imaging  

Mr. Yoon will integrate AI guidance into a portable 3D ultrasound device designed to complement mammography, which can miss cancers in dense breast tissue, while expanding access to reliable imaging in rural communities, community clinics, and mobile screening vans.  

Dr. Kristen Young, Assistant Professor, Mayo Clinic Arizona 

Distinguishing Menopausal Symptoms from Rheumatoid Arthritis using AI  

Dr. Young will use AI to read imaging reports and determine whether women with rheumatoid arthritis had actively inflamed joints when they reported menopause symptoms, helping doctors tell the two conditions apart and choose the appropriate treatment.  

For more information about the 2026 WHAM Edge Award recipients and their projects, please visit https://whamnow.org/2026-wham-edge-awardees.  

Investing in the Future of Women’s Health 

The WHAM Edge Awards reflect WHAM’s commitment to advancing women’s health as both a scientific priority and an economic opportunity. By supporting early-stage research, WHAM is helping generate the evidence needed to improve health outcomes, open new avenues for innovation, and accelerate progress across healthcare. 

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About WHAM 

Women’s Health Access Matters (WHAM) is a data-driven nonprofit organization leading the transformation in redefining women’s health while forging critical partnerships across public, private, and research sectors. Through its groundbreaking research, reports and innovative initiatives, WHAM is building the business case for investing in women’s health in this historically underfunded, undervalued space. For more information, visit whamnow.org. 

Media and Organization Contact:

Marianne Foss-Skiftesvik
(203) 434-2383
marianne@whamnow.org