About This Activity
You trained to care for patients.
You also trained to lead change.
This on-demand symposium explores how OB-GYNs are using clinical expertise beyond the exam room — from industry and innovation to advocacy, academics, private practice, writing, and media.
This activity helps physicians explore meaningful career paths beyond traditional clinical roles. Faculty share practical insights on working with industry, pursuing entrepreneurship, building personal brands, practicing in academics, serving as advocates, and using medical expertise in new ways.
Participants will hear from OB-GYN leaders who have expanded their work into industry, innovation, advocacy, private practice, academic leadership, writing, and media. The program emphasizes practical next steps, real tradeoffs, and models for building a career with purpose, flexibility, and impact.
Participants will:
- See what is possible beyond the traditional OB-GYN career path.
- Learn practical steps from physicians who have already expanded their careers.
- Explore ways to use medical expertise to shape women’s health beyond the exam room.
Moderators
Emmie Strassberg, DO, FACOOG (Dist.)
Program Co-Moderator | Maternal-fetal medicine physician with a focus on preconception counseling and pregnancy loss
A board-certified maternal-fetal medicine specialist, Dr. Strassberg helps women feel empowered and confident as they plan for pregnancy. Through personalized preconception counseling, she works with patients to understand their medical history, lifestyle, and goals, reduce risks, answer questions, and create a clear roadmap toward conception and beyond. She offers telemedicine visits for patients in Virginia and Alaska.
Karla F. Loken, DO, FACOOG
Program Co-Moderator | OB-GYN, industry expert, and women’s health advocate
Dr. Loken brings experience in medical affairs for global therapeutics and medical device companies, along with more than 20 years of women’s health experience in private practice, medical education, and academics.
Faculty
Kerry Krauss, MD, FACOG
OB-GYN and Senior Medical Advisor at Natural Cycles
Dr. Krauss is an OB-GYN and Senior Medical Advisor at Natural Cycles, where she helps advance patient education, reproductive health literacy, and technology-supported women’s health. Her work reflects a commitment to patient-centered contraception, expanded birth control options, reproductive autonomy, and reduced stigma around gynecologic concerns.
Franziska Haydanek, DO, FACOG
OB-GYN, Medical Director of Obstetrics, and social media educator
Dr. Haydanek is a board-certified OB-GYN with more than seven years of experience and currently practices in Rochester, New York. She creates educational content about obstetrics and gynecology online to combat misinformation and empower audiences with evidence-based healthcare information.
Andrea Braden, MD, IBCLC, FACOG
Founder & CEO, Lybbie
Dr. Braden has devoted her career to improving postpartum care through clinical practice, education, and innovation. As Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Lybbie, she leads work in breastfeeding innovation through a wearable milk supply sensor and companion app. She also serves as Medical Director of the Atlanta Birth Center and is a board-certified lactation consultant.
Barbra Hanna, DO, FACOOG, MSCP
OB-GYN, Menopause Society Certified Practitioner, Co-Founder and CEO of MyMenopauseRx
Dr. Hanna is a board-certified gynecologist and Menopause Society Certified Practitioner who founded MyMenopauseRx after seeing patients travel long distances for menopause care. She created the virtual medical practice to expand access to evidence-based menopause care and help patients feel heard, supported, and equipped to protect their long-term health.
Renu Joshi, MD, MBA
Founder, Joshi WomenCare, Aliquippa, PA
Dr. Joshi is a board-certified OB-GYN with more than a decade of experience in women’s care and expertise in minimally invasive robotic surgeries. Her experience and compassionate approach allow her to offer comprehensive gynecologic care to patients in all stages of life.
Sadaf Lodhi, DO, FACOOG, MSCP, IF
Gynecologist specializing in menopause and sexual health, Founder and CEO of Femme Vie Health
Dr. Lodhi is a practicing OB-GYN in New York with more than 20 years of experience helping women achieve sexual, physical, and emotional health. She founded Femme Vie Health, where she provides coaching, telehealth, and in-person care focused on women’s wellness, sexual health, self-discovery, and empowerment.
Corinna Muller, DO, FACOOG (Dist.), MBA
Maternal-fetal medicine physician, physician development coach, author, and flutist
Dr. Muller is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist and board-certified perinatologist who founded Aurora Maternal-Fetal Medicine, LLC. She is a Distinguished Fellow of ACOOG, a certified physician development coach, founder of LadyDOx Physician Coaching and Ottava Creative, and author of The Ottava Method.
Anissa Mattison, DO
OB-GYN and Associate Dean at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Dr. Mattison is an osteopathic physician and academic leader at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, where she serves as Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Operations at the Detroit Medical Center campus. Her leadership reflects a commitment to medical education, student mentorship, institutional service, and osteopathic training in Detroit.
Matthew Shelnutt, DO, FACOOG
OB-GYN and Assistant Professor of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine at PCOM South Georgia
Dr. Shelnutt is an assistant professor of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine South Georgia and a graduate of PCOM Georgia’s Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program. He completed his OB-GYN residency at University of Michigan Health-West, served as co-chief resident, and now leads curricular integration between osteopathic principles and clinical medicine.
Amy Burkett, MD
OB-GYN Vice Chair and Patient Experience Officer at Cleveland Clinic
Dr. Burkett works as an OB-GYN hospitalist and Centering Pregnancy facilitator with Cleveland Clinic Akron General. Throughout her career, she has advocated for OB-GYNs and the patients they serve. Her work emphasizes physician wellness, negotiation, boundaries, and building a career aligned with the life a physician wants to lead.
Jodi A. Benett, DO, FACOOG
Pediatric and adolescent gynecologist and women’s health advocate
Dr. Benett is a board-certified gynecologist who has practiced at Advocare Center for Specialized Gynecology since 2007. She chairs the ACOOG Government Affairs Committee, serves on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Government Relations Committee, has participated in Congressional Leadership Conferences, and advocates for women’s health and legislative priorities.
Angela Jones, DO, MS, FACOOG
Medical Director of Pharmacy Services, Capital Rx
Dr. Jones serves as Medical Director of Pharmacy Services at Capital Rx, a role she has held since 2022. She practiced obstetrics and gynecology for more than a decade in hospital and clinic settings before moving into pharmacy benefit leadership. She earned her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Pikeville College School of Osteopathic Medicine and a Master of Science from Wright State University, completed her residency at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Hospital, and became a Fellow of ACOOG in 2013.
Vrunda B. Desai, MD, FACOG
Chief Medical Officer, CooperSurgical
Dr. Desai is a board-certified OB-GYN with fellowship training in minimally invasive gynecological surgery. She serves as Chief Medical Officer at CooperSurgical and holds a faculty appointment as Associate Professor, Adjunct in Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at Yale University School of Medicine.
Sessions
Crafting Influence: Medical Writing, Storytelling, and Media Engagement for the Modern OB-GYN
Kerry Krauss, MD, FACOG • Franziska Haydanek, DO, FACOG
Learn how physicians use writing, storytelling, social media, and media engagement to educate audiences and advance women’s health.
Founders and Innovators in Medicine: Finding Solutions to Unmet Needs
Andrea Braden, MD, IBCLC, FACOG • Barbra Hanna, DO, FACOOG, MSCP
Learn how physician founders turn clinical insight into products, services, companies, and care models that address gaps in women’s health.
From Burnout to Breakthrough: Building a Bold Future in Private Practice
Renu Joshi, MD, MBA • Sadaf Lodhi, DO, FACOOG, MSCP, IF • Corinna Muller, DO, FACOOG (Dist.), MBA
Examine practical paths to autonomy through private practice, concierge care, hybrid models, and Direct Primary Care-style approaches.
Academic Leadership and Teaching Pathways in OB-GYN
Anissa Mattison, DO • Matthew Shelnutt, DO, FACOOG
Discover how OB-GYNs build careers in academic medicine through teaching, mentorship, scholarship, promotion, program leadership, and institutional service.
Advocacy in Action: Physicians Leading Change Through Policy and Nonprofit Leadership
Amy Burkett, MD • Jodi A. Benett, DO, FACOOG
Explore how physicians move from clinical concern to organized action through policy advocacy, nonprofit leadership, board service, and community engagement.
Bridging the Gap: Navigating Industry Collaboration and Career Pathways for Clinicians
Karla F. Loken, DO, FACOOG • Angela Jones, DO, MS, FACOOG • Vrunda B. Desai, MD, FACOG
Explore how physicians work ethically and effectively with pharma, medtech, diagnostics, advisory boards, research teams, and other industry partners
PO Box 17598