Issue 009: August 2026

Hello World,

This month, we’re welcoming Instagram to the BWIB social media family, sharing a new podcast episode featuring another bioinformatics community organization, and announcing a new date and venue for our fall fundraiser.

We’re also looking back at our latest Byte and Bite, looking ahead to our summer picnic, and getting ready to discuss Invisible Women at our next online book club. And, we’re still looking for speakers for our Return to Work Panel!

From community-building to the gender data gap and everything in between, there’s plenty to catch up on so take a sip of your beverage of choice and scroll on… or don’t and get FOMO.

Here’s what’s inside this month:

• Don’t Lose Us in Spam
• Announcing Instagram!
• Coffee with CompBio
• Events on the Horizon
• Partner Events
• Events Reflections
• Call for Speakers
• Get Involved
• Executive Board
• Social Media

Don’t Lose Us in Spam

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Announcing Instagram!

We are bringing the community you love to a new corner of the internet.

Find us on Instagram at @boston_wib

Expect community highlights, behind the scenes looks at our upcoming events, and plenty of Boston bioinformatics energy.

Give us a follow, say hi in the comments, and tag us in your own event photos. We’d love to see and share your BWIB moments!

Coffee with CompBio: Building Bioinformatics Communities, from Coast to Coast & Beyond

Bioinformatics is a field built on collaboration, and some of the most meaningful work happens beyond the lab and workplace.

In our latest podcast episode, our hosts Amulya Shastry and Saba Nafees sit down with two wonderful guests, Ryan Yordanoff from the Cambridge Biotech Club and Aaron Blotnick from Bits in Bio and SynBioBeta. Together, they explore how volunteering and community building shape the future of bioinformatics. Because science isn’t just about the work we do, it’s also about the communities we build along the way!

Events on the Horizon

Boston Women in Bioinformatics Family Day at Danehy Park

Date & Time: August 23rd, 2026 @ 10 AM - 1 PM ET Danehy Park Cambridge, MA Register

Pack your sunscreen because Boston Women In Bioinformatics is hosting an outdoor hangout at Danehy Park in Cambridge this summer! Whether you’re flying solo or bringing the whole crew, soak in the fresh air and catch up with your fellow bioinformatics peers. Free parking is available right at the park, and the Alewife Red Line stop is a short walk away for those taking the T.

Book Club: Invisible Women

Date & Time: August 25th, 2026 @ 6–7 PM ET Virtual — Google Meet Register

Few books change how a room full of data scientists sees the world quite like this one. Join us online for a virtual discussion of Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez, a look at how gender data gaps shape everything from medicine to city planning to the tools we build every day. Many of the premises behind this year’s Fall Fundraiser trace back to this book, so the discussion provides a great background for those conversations.

Fall Fundraiser

Date & Time: October 1st, 2026 @ 5–9 PM ET Eli Lilly Gateway Labs, Seaport Learn More

As scientists, we often describe bioinformatics as objective. But every dataset, every pipeline, and every model is shaped by human decisions. For much of history, those decisions have been primarily driven by male perspectives. At our Fall Fundraiser, female senior leaders in our field will lead us in answering a powerful question: If the female perspective had been fully represented throughout the history of biomedical science, what would we know today that we don’t know now?

The panel will explore this question through the lens of women’s health, from the long-standing gaps in research to the ways women’s perspectives and lived experiences are helping shape the future of science.

This is one of our rare ticketed events. Ticket sales directly fund the community programming and resources we provide year-round. Want to help make it happen? We’re looking for volunteers! Reach out to Sammy or Liyang on Slack, or email events@boston-wib.org.

Invitations and registration opens soon so keep an eye on your inbox!

Partner Events

The Semantic Layer for Life-Science AI: Building Agents and Apps on the Amass API
Bioinformatics and AI XChange | Virtual | Aug 22, 10:00 AM
Join Bioinformatics & AI XChange for a hands-on, demonstration-focused session with Alexander Junge, co-founder and CTO at Amass. Junge will introduce Amass, a unified API integrating biomedical publications, clinical trials, regulatory documents, therapeutic molecules, and gene targets. The session covers how to build life-science AI agents that access structured, cross-linked biomedical knowledge through a single API. More information here.

Women’s HealthX Conference
Women’s HealthX (WoHX) | Encore Boston Harbor, Boston, MA | Dec 3–4
Women’s HealthX is a two-day conference for the leaders building the women’s health ecosystem from the ground up with sex-specific data, longitudinal research, and measurable outcomes that influence policy, reimbursement, product development, and clinical practice. You can find more information about tracks and registration here. There will be limited opportunities through BWIB for student tickets–stay tuned!

Events Reflections

Byte and Bite: Bioinformatics Lunch Meetup

The rain came down, but so did our amazing community. Despite the downpour, our latest Byte and Bite brought together new faces, familiar ones, and plenty of great conversation in Kendall Square’s new food hall. From LLMs to women’s health and data gaps, the conversations were just as tasty as the lunch options. A huge thank-you to everyone who braved the elements to join us. We’re so glad you did! Byte and Bite is one of our favorite ways to connect midday, and this one was no exception.

Call for Speakers

The BWIB Advocacy Committee is looking for women in the bioinformatics field to join our “Return to Work” panel in October 2026 (Date TBD).

We are seeking professionals to share their experiences after having taken a break in their careers, whether it was voluntary or involuntary (also includes professionals who have taken maternity leaves). We are hoping that your stories will help women going through the same journey right now and give them a direction on how they can navigate their careers. If you are interested in being a panelist, please fill this form.

Application deadline: August 31, 2026 at 11:59 pm EST

If you have any questions about the panel, please feel free to reach out to Amulya Shastry or Viveka Patil.

Get Involved

Boston Women in Bioinformatics runs entirely on volunteer energy, and we’re always looking for passionate people to join us. From organizing events and producing the podcast to managing finances and advocating for equity in the field, there’s a place for every skill set. Learn more at boston-wib.org/about/committees

🏛️ Executive Board

Lorena Pantano

Immediate Past President
Founder

Yevgenia Khodor Tolan

President

Lina Faller

Vice President
Nominating and Governance Committee Chair

Diveena Becker

Treasurer
Finance Committee Chair
Events Committee Co-chair

Minita Shah

Secretary

Katie Hughes

Board member

Francine Camacho

Board member

Liyang Diao

Events Committee Co-chair

Sakina Saif

Communications Committee Co-chair

Samantha Klasfeld

Communications Committee Co-chair

Marissa Sumathipala

Career Mentorship Committee Co-chair

Peili Zhang

Career Mentorship Committee Co-chair

Emily Brodd

Sponsorship Committee Co-chair

Prisni Rath

Sponsorship Committee Co-chair

Amulya Shastry

Enabling Advocacy Committee Co-chair

Viveka Patil

Enabling Advocacy Committee Co-chair

Saba Nafees

Podcast Committee Co-chair

Social Media

• Slack: boston-women-bioinfo
• Email: communications@boston-wib.org
• LinkedIn: Boston-area Women in Bioinformatics
• Instagram: @boston_wib
• Lu.ma: Boston Women in Bioinformatics
• Blue Sky Boston Women in Bioinformatics
• Location: Boston Area, Massachusetts