FemTech Focus

This special live episode of the FemTech Focus was recorded at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health as part of a women’s health innovation event.
This panel explores what it actually takes to build in women’s health—from identifying unmet clinical needs to navigating customer discovery, commercialization, regulation, fundraising, and equity in femtech innovation.
The discussion features four innovators building next-generation solutions across pelvic health, menstrual health, fetal surgery, and digital maternal health.
Moderator:
Dr. Rosemary Morgan - Associate Professor, Department of International Health Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Dr. Morgan’s work focuses on understanding how gender inequities shape health systems, healthcare access, and public health interventions globally. Her research spans sexual and reproductive health, gender analysis, and equity-centered global health systems research.
🔗 Website: Johns Hopkins Faculty Profile
🔗 LinkedIn: Rosemary Morgan LinkedIn
Panelists:
Dr. Danielle Nicklas - Founder & CEO, RedEnvelope
Dr. Nicklas is a microbiologist, researcher, and femtech founder developing a self-collapsing menstrual cup designed to improve accessibility, comfort, and usability in sustainable menstrual care. With a PhD in Pathobiology from Johns Hopkins University, Danielle combines translational microbiology, infectious disease research, and user-centered product design to create next-generation menstrual care technology.
The company is currently recruiting beta testers ahead of an anticipated Fall 2026 release.
🔗 Website: RedEnvelope
🔗 Instagram: @redenvvelope
Selena Shirkin - CEO & Co-Founder, Fetal Therapy Technologies
Selena is a biomedical engineer and entrepreneur developing microsurgical devices for fetal surgery and endovascular procedures. She co-founded Fetal Therapy Technologies through the Johns Hopkins Biomedical Engineering Design Team program and has since led fundraising, product development, and commercialization strategy for the company.
🔗 Website: Fetal Therapy Technologies
🔗 Instagram: @fetaltherapytech
🔗 LinkedIn: Selena Shirkin LinkedIn
Dr. Mary Austin -Founder, UrInControl & Assistant Professor, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Austin is a board-certified pelvic and women’s health physical therapist with more than 18 years of clinical experience treating pelvic floor dysfunction.
UrInControl is developing a reusable, tampon-shaped silicone pessary designed to provide women with an accessible, sustainable, over-the-counter solution for stress urinary incontinence.
🔗 Website: UrInControl
🔗 LinkedIn: Mary Austin LinkedIn
🔗 Instagram: @mmcvearry
Dr. Wendy Bennett - Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Co-Director, Johns Hopkins Center for Women’s Health, Sex and Gender Research
Dr. Bennett is a physician, researcher, and public health expert focused on preventing obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes among women—particularly during pregnancy and postpartum.
Health for Two is a digital maternal health intervention integrating health coaching, smart weight-tracking tools, a bilingual mobile health app, and goal-setting and wellness support during pregnancy and postpartum
🔗 LinkedIn: Wendy Bennett LinkedIn

🎙️ Podcast Host: Dr. Brittany Barreto
📘 Book: Unlocking Women's Health: FemTech and the Quest for Gender Equity
🌐 Websites: FemTech Focus & Dr. Brittany Barreto
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone passionate about the future of women’s health innovation.

🎧 FemTech Focus Podcast | Episode Title:
From Cancer Diagnosis to Advocacy: Sahar Paz Builds House of Paz

👤 Guest: Sahar Paz, Founder of House of Paz & Own Your Voice Strategy Firm
🔗 Website: houseofpaz.org
📱 Instagram: @saharpaz

📌 Episode Summary:In this deeply personal and empowering episode, Dr. Brittany Barreto sits down with Sahar Paz—a communications strategist, cancer survivor, and fierce patient advocate—to explore how voice, story, and emotional intelligence are essential tools in modern healthcare. Sahar shares her powerful journey from a stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis to launching House of Paz, a wellness and advocacy platform for women navigating treatment, healing, and prevention.
You’ll hear how Sahar used her intuition and persistence to challenge dismissive doctors, how she now teaches life science companies to humanize their data through storytelling, and why inclusive, patient-centered care is the future of medicine.

💡 Key Takeaways:
Your voice is data—why patient intuition and self-advocacy are essential in diagnosis and treatment.

Sahar’s cancer journey: from misdiagnosis and miscommunication to finding a treatment team that listened.

House of Paz: a holistic platform blending emotional healing, physical wellness, and spiritual growth.

Emotional intelligence as a leadership strategy—especially in startup and innovation teams.

Why storytelling is a critical skill for founders, clinicians, and researchers alike.

Building trust with diverse patient communities in clinical trials and health innovation.

🛠 Tools + Resources Mentioned:
Sahar’s memoir + cognitive behavior workbook: Find Your Voice

Complex Creatures – breast health rituals

Brilliantly Warm – warming pads for breast comfort post-surgery

📣 Connect with Us:
Host: Dr. Brittany Barreto – @drbrittanybarreto

Podcast: FemTech Focus

🎙 About Our Sponsor:This episode is brought to you by Withum, a forward-thinking advisory and accounting firm that specializes in helping healthtech and life science innovators scale. Whether you’re raising your seed round or preparing for IPO, Withum’s team understands the complexities of building at the intersection of healthcare and innovation.
🔗 Learn more: ⁠withum.com⁠

📋 Episode Summary:
In this bold and eye-opening episode of FemTech Focus, Dr. Brittany Barreto is joined by Gabriela Rojas, Founder and CEO of Sin Reglas, the first Spanish-speaking digital platform dedicated to comprehensive menopause care across Latin America. With two master’s degrees from Harvard and a career rooted in law, health policy, and women’s rights, Gabriela is on a mission to dismantle the silence and stigma surrounding menopause.
Gabriela shares her personal journey through perimenopause, the lack of awareness and care she encountered, and how that inspired her to create Sin Reglas. From digital self-assessments and peer coaching to workplace policy reform and public health advocacy, Gabriela breaks down the three-pronged approach Sin Reglas uses to redesign menopause for women from all backgrounds and regions.
Together, Brittany and Gabriela explore the urgent need for localized, culturally competent menopause care, why menopause is a workplace equity issue, and how systemic change—including legal reform—is essential to supporting women through this critical life stage.
🧠 What You’ll Learn:
Why most women in Mexico don’t realize they’re in perimenopause—and how the Menotest is changing that

The results of Mexico’s first national study on menopause perception and impact

How Sin Reglas combines digital care, workplace inclusion, and public policy to drive change

What it means to bring a gender lens to menopause in both healthcare and employment

Practical steps for companies to support menopausal employees—from surveys to uniforms

The cultural and structural barriers unique to LatAm—and why innovation must be local

🌎 Explore More:
Visit www.sin-reglas.mx to try the Menotest, explore menopause resources, or bring Sin Reglas programming to your workplace.

🎤 This episode is sponsored by:
Withum, a forward-thinking advisory and accounting firm empowering founders in healthcare and tech.
Nest Collaborative, the leader in virtual lactation support, available to families 365 days a year.

📋 Episode Summary:In this powerful episode of FemTech Focus, Dr. Brittany Barreto is joined by Kamila Staryga, CEO and Co-founder of Rita Health. Kamila is a seasoned entrepreneur and product leader with a background at Flo Health, Google X, and ATAP—and she’s now on a mission to change the fertility care paradigm.
Together, they explore why traditional fertility metrics like age and AMH aren't enough, how Rita Health is pioneering a proactive approach to fertility, and why fertility should be part of routine healthcare long before someone tries to conceive. Kamila explains how her team built a proprietary dataset, developed personalized care plans using AI, and is challenging the outdated notion that fertility care starts only after a problem arises.
The episode dives deep into the behavioral, biological, and systemic factors impacting fertility today—and how Rita is helping users make informed decisions about their reproductive future.
Whether you’re actively trying to conceive, considering your options, or just curious about how data and AI are reshaping women’s health, this episode is a must-listen.

🧠 What You’ll Learn:
Why fertility care should start before you're trying to conceive

The dangers of relying on age and AMH alone

How Rita Health uses AI to build personalized fertility profiles

What your family history, lifestyle, and even dental hygiene may reveal about fertility

How behavioral science and inclusive design shaped Rita’s user experience

Why it’s time to stop treating fertility as an urgent switch—and start treating it as a continuum

🔗 Explore More: Check out Rita Health at wearerita.com and sign up for early access to their new care plan. This episode is the first place it’s being announced publicly!

🎁 Listener Perk:You’re the first to know—Rita’s new proactive fertility care plan is now available for pre-order. Head to wearerita.com to reserve your spot and join the movement redefining fertility care.

🎤 This episode is sponsored by:
Clue, the leading cycle tracking app. Use promocode FEMHEALTH at helloclue.com for 1 year free Clue Plus Membership, and Nest Collaborative, the trusted name in virtual lactation support available 365 days a year.

📋 Episode Summary:
In this cutting-edge episode, Dr. Brittany Barreto sits down with Dr. Rahima Benhabbour—chemist, biomedical engineer, and founder of AnelleO, a UNC spinout transforming intravaginal drug delivery. With her roots in Algeria and her scientific training spanning three continents, Dr. Benhabbour brings a global, deeply human perspective to women's health innovation.
Together, they discuss how outdated vaginal ring technology inspired the development of AnelleO PRO, a 3D-printed, customizable progesterone ring designed for women undergoing fertility treatment. Unlike traditional rings that waste over 85% of the active drug, AnelleO's platform maximizes drug release and allows for multi-drug, multi-use configurations—including HIV prevention and contraception in a single product.
This episode is a must-listen for those interested in biotechnology, platform therapeutics, and the engineering breakthroughs reshaping reproductive care.
🧠 What You’ll Learn:
Why traditional intravaginal rings are inefficient and outdated

How AnelleO’s 3D printing technology allows for better drug release, fit, and personalization

The clinical and regulatory milestones leading to first-in-human trials for fertility care

How multi-purpose prevention technologies could transform global contraception and HIV care

The growing movement toward non-hormonal contraception and the future of male birth control

💬 Quotable Moment:
"Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it. Someone has to pave the way." – Dr. Rahima Benhabbour
🔗 Resources Mentioned:
AnelleO: www.anelleo.com

Dr. Benhabbour’s Lab: benhabbour.web.unc.edu

Nature Reviews Bioengineering article on AnelleO’s technology

🧪 Episode Sponsor:
This episode is brought to you by:
Withum – A forward-thinking accounting and advisory firm supporting innovators in the Women’s Health and Wellness industry. Learn more at withum.com.
🍼 Nest Collaborative – The pioneers in telehealth lactation support. Book your virtual appointment with an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant at . Same-day visits often available and hundreds of insurance plans accepted, including Medicaid. www.nestcollaborative.com