Women in Biohealth (WiB) is an organization that was started in the fall of 2017 to provide a platform to empower and connect women in the biohealth community. Biohealth encompasses biotech, medical devices, digital health, diagnostics, and medical research. We are currently not a nonprofit organization but are utilizing BioForward, an association representing Wisconsin’s biohealth industry, as our fiscal agent and marketing entity.
Who We Are
Get Involved
To learn more about WiB, feel free to contact a member of our team, join our Women in Biohealth group on social media or visit our website. As a network, WiB will provide mentoring, professional development, and an environment for women in biohealth to connect. No membership required — just enjoy and relax as you meet with other Women in Biohealth from the Madison area!
Our Mission
- Provide a platform for women in biohealth to connect and uplift one another
- Deliver opportunities for professional and leadership development
- Facilitate cross-company and industry career mentoring
Meet Our Steering Committee
Lisa Johnson
CEO
BioForward
Margaret Elvekrog
Corporate Strategy Manager
Exact Sciences
April Hughes
HR Generalist
Illumina
Carolyn Pettersson
Associate Director-Manufacturing Operations
Illumina
Grace Maass
Executive Administrative Assistant
University Research Park
Cathy Rasmussen
Assistant Director
Forward BIO Institute
Rissa Guffey
Marketing Manager
BioForward
Christina Thomas-Virnig
Translational Research Facilitator
UW-Madison, Department of Ophthalmology
Subcommittees
Professional Development Subcommittee
The Professional Development Subcommittee ensures a regular cadence of seminars and workshops on career and professional development topics by gathering members’ feedback and planning events to suit members’ interests.
- · Design and field semi-annual “pulse” member surveys to gauge our members’ interest and needs in various professional development topics in order to guide event planning (e.g. résumé tips, leadership, personal development, negotiating, etc.)
- · Identify potential speakers or trainings/workshops to host (aim for one event per quarter).
- · Coordinate with Steering Committee an Event Planning Subcommittee and Marketing & Communications Subcommittee to schedule each event
- · Responsible for managing speakers, hand-outs, and working with the Event Planning Subcommittee on room preparation
Event Planning Subcommittee
The Event Planning Subcommittee is a critical function that ensures our members can gather regularly for networking, professional development, and social activities by handling the logistics around venue selection, vendor coordination, sponsorships and event execution
- Work with other committees to align on yearly event schedule and venue needs (e.g. happy hours, seminars, panel discussions, etc.)
- Curate and actively maintain a database of venues that is based on event needs and member survey feedback (capacity, geography, noise level, privacy, AV capabilities, etc.)
- Identify sponsors for hosting venue, paying speaker fees and food/drinks. Work closely with Professional Development Subcommittee on speaker costs
- Contact potential sponsors and confirm support. Work with Marketing and Communications Subcommittee to fully acknowledge and thank sponsorship support
- Secure venues and vendors to suit the needs of upcoming events and manage all logistical details from event setup to take-down
This includes details such as attendee sign-in sheets, snack procurement, display of marketing collateral, name tags, etc
Marketing & Communications Subcommittee
The Marketing and Communications Subcommittee helps develop and then executes the organization’s marketing and communications strategy in order to engage and grow our member base through the dissemination of information about our mission and events
- Publicize upcoming events to our members via WiB website, Constant Contact emails, Eventbrite, and our social media channels
- Nurture and grow our member base by developing or sharing high quality, interesting, and relevant content in a newsletter and handouts
- Social media (currently Facebook and LinkedIn)
- Manage and leverage social media content/channels and publication cadence. Includes efforts to expand reach and increase membership
- Engage our current Facebook group members (85) and LinkedIn group members (250) and grow our presence on these platforms and any others
- Ensure unified branding and messaging in all communications and materials
- Collect data on events, the organization, and social media to utilize in marketing communications and year-end analysis of the WiB organization
Have an idea for our planning committee?
Please reach to out to one of our committee members for suggestions, ideas, and more information on WIB!