The 9th Annual Vivian W. Pinn Symposium occurred virtually on May 15, 2025, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. This annual ORWH signature event during National Women’s Health week honors the legacy of Vivian W. Pinn, M.D., the first Director of ORWH. Current ORWH Director, Janine A. Clayton, M.D., FARVO, opened the event by reaffirming ORWH’s mission to improve the health of women across their lives. This year marks ORWH’s 35th anniversary, Dr. Clayton stressed the importance of continuing to address biological, social, and structural determinants of health and to engage all partners to ensure evidence-based, individualized care for all women and to nurture scientific careers.

In her capstone address, Raquel Hill, Ph.D., Chair of Computer and Information Sciences and Professor at Spelman College, examined the links between data privacy, health disparities, and technological innovation. Drawing on early work with the Kinsey Institute and her own experience, she showed how a ZIP code can predict life expectancy by revealing socioeconomic barriers. Dr. Hill stressed that integrating environmental and socioeconomic data into biomedical research and electronic health records is essential for equitable outcomes. She discussed the challenges of collecting disaggregated health data—including re-identification risks and privacy limits—and introduced trusted execution environments as a secure, collaborative solution. Her talk mapped technical strategies and called for policy reforms and interdisciplinary collaboration to transform health care with true respect for privacy and equity.

Following the capstone, a panel showcased innovations in data-driven women’s health research. Collectively, the panelists stressed that innovative, data-driven approaches must balance technical rigor with ethical considerations to advance women’s health:

• Melissa Buffalo, M.S., CEO of the American Indian Cancer Foundation, described culturally grounded data practices to address cancer disparities among American Indian and Alaska Native women.
• Rochelle Prosser, RN, Founder of Orchid Healthcare Solutions, examined survivorship in pediatric and adolescent brain tumor populations.
• Alex Carlisle, Ph.D., Founder, Chairman, and CEO of the National Accelerator for Discovery in Precision Health, emphasized data innovation’s role in reducing persistent disparities.
• Liat Shenhav, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology and Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics Gynecology, at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, showcased her “From Code to Care” work that links microbiology, computer science, and women’s and children’s health.
• Pilar Ossorio, Ph.D., Professor of Law and Bioethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, explored ethical imperatives in biomedical data sharing. 

In a moderated discussion, Vivian Ota Wang, Ph.D., Acting Director of the Office of Strategic Coordination (on detail from ORWH), invited the panelists to address the balance between data accessibility and privacy and to consider challenges for researchers, patients, and communities. Dr. Vivian W. Pinn closed the event by stressing data’s vital role in advancing women’s health and calling for consideration of women’s health in trial design and the ethical return of research findings to participating communities. 

For a detailed recap of the event, read the official meeting summary. A recording of the symposium is also available to watch on NIH Videocast.