WHIRL
Women's Health Innovation, Research and Leadership Summer School
London, UK
1-3 July, 2026
Why WHIRL?
(aka the first interdisciplinary women's health summer school)
For decades, women’s health has been under-researched, under-funded, and under-represented across biomedical research, clinical trials, and health innovation.
Historically:
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Women were excluded from clinical trials until the 1990s
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Sex-specific data gaps persist across disease areas
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Women’s health innovation has lagged behind broader healthcare innovation
At the same time, there is growing recognition that closing the women’s health gap is not only a scientific and clinical necessity, but also a social and economic imperative. Despite this momentum, training opportunities that bridge research, clinical practice, and innovation in women’s health remain rare.
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WHIRL was created to address that gap.
WHIRL's mission
Our mission is to empower the next generation of women’s health leaders by providing interdisciplinary training at the intersection of:
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Scientific research
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Clinical insight
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Innovation and entrepreneurship
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We aim to foster:
evidence-based approaches to women's health
cross-disciplinary collaboration
translational thinking from bench to bedside to market
Above all, we aim to build a global, supportive community committed to advancing women’s health.
What exactly is WHIRL?
(aka what I will be doing for 3 days and who are the other participants?)
WHIRL 2026 is a three-day immersive summer school combining expert-led lectures, interdisciplinary teamwork, and hands-on innovation in women’s health.
WHIRL is designed for:
early career researchers
clinicians
industry members
who want to deepen their understanding of women’s health challenges and develop solutions with real-world impact.
2026 themes
As women's health is an incredibly broad field, for the morning lectures of our first edition we are focussing on 3 themes: ​
MATERNAL & FETAL HEALTH
with a focus on the global south
DAY 1
CHRONIC REPRODUCTIVE CONDITIONS
DAY 2
SEX- and GENDER-SENSITIVE MEDICINE
DAY 3
How WHIRL works
A typical day at WHIRL 2026 will look something like this:
BREAKFAST
MORNING EXPERT-LED LECTURES​
Participants attend interactive expert lectures introducing state-of-the-art research and clinical practice (see 2026 themes), alongside key unmet needs in women’s health.
LUNCH BREAK
CHALLENGE-SOLVING SESSIONS
Participants work in interdisciplinary teams on real-world challenges proposed by the lecturers. With the support of mentors, teams explore the problem, assess the market landscape, and design an innovative solution.
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Across the three days, teams refine their ideas and pitch their solutions to investors and experts in women’s health..
Speakers & mentors
WHIRL 2026 will feature leading women's health experts from academia, clinical practice, entrepreneurship and investment.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER - MATERNAL & FETAL HEALTH
PROF. JANE
HIRST
Chair of Global Women's Health Imperial College London
KEYNOTE SPEAKER - CHRONIC REPRODUCTIVE CONDITIONS
PROF. ANDREW
HORNE
Professor of Gynaecology; Director of Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh &
President of World Endometriosis Society
KEYNOTE SPEAKER -
SEX- and GENDER-SENSITIVE MEDICINE
PROF. SABINE
OERTELT-PRIGIONE
Professor of sex- and gender-sensitive medicine at Radboudumc and Universität Bielefeld
SPEAKER & MENTOR
MARIA TERESA PEREZ ZABALLOS
CEO and co-founder of EndoGene.Bio
SPEAKER & MENTOR
DR. CRISTINA FERNANDEZ MOLINA
Head of Science and co-founder of EndoGene.Bio
SPEAKER & MENTOR
DR. BIANCA
SCHOR
AI Researcher in Women's Health at Amsterdam UMC
SPEAKER & MENTOR
NINA VAN SCHAICK
Co-founder and COO of Peripear & Midwife
SPEAKER & MENTOR
DR. THOMAS BAINTON
Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
The organising team
DR. MAGDA MARECKOVA
Teaching Fellow at Oxford University & Consultant at Emm
DR. VALENTINA LORENZI
Translational Staff Scientist at the Wellcome Sanger Institute
LESLEY FARRAH
Chief of Staff at Lake8, Co-founder of Femtech Portugal and of the Cambridge Femtech Society
DR. DANIELLE PERRO
Medical Affairs Manager at Natural Cycles
WHIRL's supporters
We are proud to be supported by organisations committed to advancing women’s health research and innovation.
To ensure WHIRL is accessible to participants from a wide range of backgrounds, we are seeking support to help cover programme delivery costs and keep participation fees affordable. If you are interested in supporting equitable access to women’s health education and innovation, please get in touch using the form below!
