Issue 010: September 2026

Registration for the Fall Fundraiser is finally open and if you haven’t purchased your ticket yet, what are you waiting for? Early bird pricing ends September 18th!

Spend an intimate evening exploring data analysis in women’s health research. Learn the importance of rigorous science, examine the biases we’ve overlooked, and discover the breakthroughs ahead, from reproductive microbiomes to environmental metabolomics to menstrual health.

Additionally, see great family-friendly volunteering opportunities such as the Cambridge Science Festival, learn about the new podcast episodes and spotlights on our members, and plan for a few upcoming partner events and conferences. Happy Reading!

Fall Fundraiser: REGISTRATION OPEN

October 1st, 2026 @ 5–9 PM ET Eli Lilly Gateway Labs, Seaport Boston, MA Register Now

Registration is officially open for our 2026 Fall Fundraiser, The Data, Tech, and Opportunities Driving a New Era of Women’s Health! Join us Thursday, October 1st at Eli Lilly in Seaport for an engaging panel, dinner, and networking with leaders across biotech, healthcare, and innovation, including Ashley Abel, Ph.D., Brandi Davis-Dusenbery PhD., Shruthi Mahalingaiah, M.D., M.S., Ida Hatoum Moeller, Ph.D., and Sheri Simmons, Ph.D..

Every dataset, pipeline, and model reflects the assumptions of its creators. What scientific knowledge might we have today if women’s perspectives had been fully represented throughout history? Our panelists will explore this question through the lens of federal policy, data infrastructure, reproductive and consumer health research, the $2.6B women’s health VC landscape, and the future of the field.

Early Bird pricing ($70 professional / $45 student) ends September 18th — after that, prices go up to $80/$55, so grab your ticket now. This is one of our rare ticketed events, and proceeds directly support BWIB’s year-round programming, networking events, and community resources.

Boston Women in Bioinformatics extends our sincere thanks to the sponsors of our Fall Fundraiser:

Their support makes our programming, events, and community possible, and we’re grateful for their investment into our organization.

Call for Volunteers: Cambridge Science Carnival

We’re heading back to the Cambridge Science Carnival on Sunday, October 4th with our “DNA by Design” booth — and we need volunteers to help run it!

Kids and adults alike will become “polymerases,” matching colorful beads to build their own DNA (or a simpler single-stranded RNA) bracelet, all while our “DNA inspectors” keep an eye out for mutations to fix. It’s one of our favorite ways to bring bioinformatics to families across Cambridge, and it takes a team to pull off.

Interested in volunteering at our booth? Reach out to Samantha Klasfeld or Iqra Amin on Slack!

Coffee with CompBio: Academia or Industry?

Deciding between academia and industry is one of the biggest career forks a computational biology PhD faces. In our latest episode, host Dr. Saba Nafees joins four other active members of our community: two scholars in academia (Dr. Yaseswini Neelamraju, Ph.D. & Dr. Dina Issakova, Ph.D.) and two scientists in industry (Dr. Lina L. Faller, Ph.D. & Dr. Liyang Diao, Ph.D.) for an honest conversation about what life actually looks like in each space.

BWIB on the MicroBinfie Podcast

Micro Binfie Podcast · 154 – Boston Women in Bioinformatics

Our own members got to do the talking on someone else’s mic this time! Members Valisha Shah, M.S. and Dr. Liyang Diao, Ph.D. joined hosts Dr. Nabil-Fareed Alikhan, Prof. Andrew Page, and Dr. Lee Katz on episode 154 of the MicroBinfie Podcast to talk all about Boston Women in Bioinformatics — our mission, the resources we provide to bioinformaticians across the Greater Boston area, and what’s coming next for the group.

Blog Bytes

Blog Spotlight: Meet the Bioinformagician

Getting started in bioinformatics can feel like trying to pull a rabbit out of a hat. Isha Parikh sits down with Khushbu Patel, known to many for her YouTube channel Bioinformagician to talk about breaking into bioinformatics, why AI makes fundamentals more important than ever, and her advice for anyone tempted to skip the hard part of learning.

A Founder’s Unfiltered Look After Year One

Dr. Liyang Diao, Ph.D. is one year into consulting, and her answer to “is it worth it?” is nuanced. The flexibility is just as real as the 2 AM work sessions and the identity crisis of becoming a salesperson. A must-read for anyone thinking about the leap.

Partner Events

BAGIM Happy Hour & Networking Event
Boston Area Group for Informatics and Modeling (BAGIM) | Democracy Brewing, Boston, MA | Sep 16, 5:30 PM ET Join BAGIM at Democracy Brewing for a partner networking happy hour hosted alongside Revvity Signals and 20/15 Visioneers. Connect with fellow computational chemists, modelers, and informaticians across the biotech and pharma industries while enjoying complimentary food and drinks. More information here.

Career Possibilities Panel & Speed Networking
WEST – Women in Enterprise of Science & Technology | Online via Zoom | Sep 30, 6:00 PM ET Join WEST for a virtual Career Possibilities Panel & Speed Networking event focused on AI, data science, and computational science. Hear panelists share their career paths and transferable skills, then join small-group speed networking sessions. 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. The first 25 student registrants for our Fall Fundraiser get a FREE ticket to this conference ($99 value), including Career Zone access.

Events Reflections

Boston Women in Bioinformatics Family Day at Danehy Park

Family Day reminded us that BWIB is only possible because of the families who support our volunteers. Behind every member who shows up to events, mentors others, or leads initiatives are the people who make that commitment possible.

After spending so much time together online, gathering outdoors with our community and their families felt truly special. We’re grateful for everyone who came out to celebrate with us (either solo or with kiddos in tow) and for all those who support us from home.

Book Club: Invisible Women

A few weeks ago we had an incredible BWIB book club meeting about Caroline Criado Perez’s Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men. Our members shared what shocked them about the data gap, how the book shifted the way they think about their own work, and what it means to analyze datasets with the female perspective in mind.

Missed out? No problem. Join our new Slack channel #book-club to weigh in on gender data gaps, share book recommendations, or just hang out with people who love talking about science and society. We pick what’s next based on energy and vibes, so your suggestion might be the next read.

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🏛️ 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
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• Blue Sky Boston Women in Bioinformatics
• Location: Boston Area, Massachusetts