XX in Health: A Peek Inside Last Week’s Retreat

Last Thursday, May 24th, 120 women descended upon the Ritz-Carlton in downtown San Francisco to participate in Rock Health’s first ever XX Retreat. The attendees were comprised of leading women in healthcare from a wide variety of backgrounds who applied to be a part of this special day.

The retreat was conceived as a full-day event to inspire and support female leadership in healthcare and generate strategic partnerships among leaders in the space. We wanted to learn from other women passionate about making a positive impact in health in a personal and substantive way and to inspire cross-generational “continuing conversation” of accomplished women with divergent perspectives.

The day included a variety of networking and development activities and dove deep into the personal and professional successes and challenges of the incredible roster of attendees. From stories to pro-tips, the day’s activities provided a breadth of insights and perspectives.

This post will be the first in a multi-part series covering take-aways and lessons from the event. Stay tuned for pro-tips and testimonials from several attendees spanning venture capital, entrepreneurship and biomedicine.

Dondeena Bradley, VP of Global Design and Development of Nutrition Ventures at Pepsico, kicked off the days events.

Attendees participated in small group discussions on a variety of topics, ranging from personal genomics to women’s reproductive rights.

Women shared ‘Stories from the Front Line’, chronicling their personal and professional journeys. Amy Lockwood, Deputy Director of the Center for Innovation in Global Health at Stanford University, spoke about her passion for global health issues and her career transition from consultant to global health advocate.

 
Stay tuned for more posts on our XX Retreat! Check out more photos of our event here.