Digital Platform Team

Ada is currently studying towards a B.Sc. in Health Sciences at Open University. Ada has seen the vast difference in how healthcare is provided to different genders. Unfortunately, women are often dismissed, devalued, and misdiagnosed. Ada joined TCY to change the gender inequalities in healthcare by helping women become more confident in advocating for their health, so they can live their best, healthiest lives.

In 2026, Ada plans to join TCY full-time to build new digital tools to help women get the information they need, when they need it.

Based in: Oxfordshire, UK

Strategy & Operations Advisor

Adriane is a Strategy & Operations Advisor to Early-Stage Startups. She brings a wealth of experience to the TCY team including leadership operations and marketing roles with a menstrual-health start-up and the American Heart Association. At TCY, Adriane is overseeing strategic initiatives that are feasible, scalable, and sustainable. She is the TCY lead for tracking performance metrics to measure success and implement data-driven improvements that drive health outcomes for our members.

Adriane joined TCY because she believes all women should have access to quality healthcare, and due to a broken system in the US, we have to take matters into our own hands.

Based in: Brooklyn, NY

Digital Platform Team

Agathe is a medical student at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai with a M.S. from Mount Sinai and a B.Sc. from McGill University. Born in France and raised in New York City, she is a passionate advocate for women’s health, patient education, and disability rights. Agathe is dedicated to dismantling the stigma around complex health issues and making healthcare accessible for all. With a unique background that blends sociological awareness, bioinformatics, and clinical insight, she understands that health is multifaceted and believes that women’s health deserves full recognition and respect.

Agathe joined TCY to build a platform that empowers women to understand and take charge of their health. contribute. She is deeply committed to creating a community of support, understanding, and advocacy for all aspects of women’s well-being.

Based in: Manhattan, NY

Tea & Spice Team

Ahana is an MPH student at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, with a B.S. from St. John’s University. NYC has been Ahana’s home since she was five years old, when her family immigrated to the US from Bangladesh. Growing up, Ahana had the unique opportunity to experience life across each of New York City's boroughs, and is so grateful to have been part of such a diverse community. These experiences inspired her commitment to making a difference in people’s lives through health education and advocacy.

Ahana joined TCY because of her commitment to health equity through patient education, preventive care, and intervention strategies. She is honored to be part of a community that advocates for women’s health by creating tools to help women to make informed decisions for themselves.

Based in: Queens, NY

Development Team

Alysha is a public health leader with a B.A. from Yale and a MSc in Population Health from the University College London. She has led women’s health work within Pakistan and other global contexts, which have equipped her with a robust understanding of the unique challenges faced by women in low-resourced settings. Alysha is profoundly committed to addressing the complex influences of culture and religion in clinical care, especially within women’s health.

Alysha joined TCY because she is excited about driving forth meaningful change by leveraging health literacy to bridge gaps in healthcare and address systemic health disparities to improve health and care for women. Outside of her work, Alysha is an avid-matcha lover who enjoys reading (and is always open to new recommendations!) and spending quality time with her family and friends. 

Based in: Oklahoma City, OK

Tea & Spice Team

Gabi is studying towards her Masters degree in Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, on the Global health track, concentrating in Epidemiology and Biostatistics. She previously received her B.S. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry at St. John’s University in Queens. Having worked in a clinical setting during the COVID-19 pandemic and lived in New York all her life, her dedication to championing health equity, holistic education, and women's health grew exponentially as she continued to witness the disparities in our Healthcare system. Her experiences have led to interning at the Department of Health for the Bureau of Equitable Health Systems and researching women's health at Mount Sinai.

Gabi’s continued commitment to advocating for women's health and health education is why she joined TCY. She believes that creating spaces that bridge the intersectionality of the gaps in women’s healthcare is essential to creating a more comprehensive healthcare system and hopes one day to be part of building those spaces through TCY. When she is not in class or at work, she enjoys going on walks, trying new soup recipes, and painting/ drawing. 

Based in: Astoria, NY

Director of Strategy and Operations

Gina is a Jill-of-all-trades, with deep experience building partnerships, managing programs, and fine-tuning communications. She has a B.A. from Stanford, and an M.A. from Yale. Her interest in women’s health comes from her own experience navigating our complex system, and her recognition that she is one of the lucky ones. She wants more women to be able to say that.

Gina joined TCY because the way in which we think about women’s health needs mirrored her own thinking. She saw an opportunity to help us grow and flourish. She doesn’t just believe in what TCY is doing; she has seen the need that is out there. She is dedicated to building out our programs so that we can work towards a world in which every woman has the knowledge, tools, and support she needs, to take charge of her own health.

Based in: Chittenden, VT

Communications Team

Hajar Samih is a public health advocate and aspiring physician, holding a B.A. in the History of Science & Medicine from Yale University, with a concentration in global health. Passionate about the evolution of health equity, Hajar has extensively studied the factors shaping healthcare systems, particularly through her senior thesis on the evolution of Morocco’s maternal health system during the pre-and post-colonial periods. Her research underscores the importance of women-led healthcare initiatives.

At TCY, Hajar is eager to support women globally to take charge of their health. She aims to leverage her background to foster a global community of women advocating for their health, ‘by us and for us.’ Additionally, Hajar is excited to tap into her passion for photography and design to enhance TCY’s outreach and engage with women worldwide.

Based in Manhattan, NY.

Founder

'The idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that is wrong with the world.' - Dr. Paul Farmer
These words have guided Kanwal’s work to improve health and care for women and girls, across the world. With 17+ years of experience working in various healthcare roles and spaces, Kanwal brings dedication, creativity, and humility to keep learning and moving forward.

Kanwal founded TCY Women to build more effective, equitable, and accessible tools, resources, and systems of care to support women’s wellbeing comprehensively, and longitudinally. Kanwal completed her B.S. in biology from the University of Missouri, her M.S. in medical anthropology from Boston University, and is working on her PhD in public health at UTHealth in Texas. Kanwal’s rural midwestern roots cultivated her passion to make health education and care accessible for every woman.

Based in: New York

Development Team

Kathryn is a policy leader passionate about improving equity in the areas of public health and women’s rights. She is currently pursuing her MPH at George Washington University. She completed her B.A. at Butler University with her research thesis focused on “The History of Gender-Biased Clinical Testing and its Effects on Pharmaceutical Drug Efficacy”.

Kathryn is committed to improving women’s health literacy and joined TCY to share and advocating for women’s health research and policies.

Based in: Lafayette, IN

Research Team

Kiki is currently studying biomedical sciences and anthropology at Bradley University. She is particularly interested in the field of forensic anthropology and its intersection with medicine. Kiki’s personal experiences being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and receiving inadequate care and treatment during her diagnostic journey what led her to the work she is currently leading. Her own experiences taught her the value and role of anthropological insights in healthcare.

Kiki joined TCY because she is passionate about advocating for women’s health, ensuring women feel empowered, respected, and well-cared for in medical and clinical settings.

Based in: Peoria, IL

Communications Team

Lucia is a recent graduate of Arizona State University, where she earned a BA with summa cum laude honors. Throughout her academic journey, she has spent much time studying global health, and various avenues of anthropology with a special interest in medical anthropology.

Lucia’s deep interest in the intersection of health and gender cross culturally fuels her passion for being part of TCY Women. Lucia is excited to contribute to our organization’s mission and is dedicated to fostering positive change for women’s health in the years ahead.

Based in: Indianapolis , IN

Research Team

“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” -Audre Lorde.

Margot completed her B.S. from at Yale and will begin medical school at Emory University: School of Medicine in 2025. Margot joined the TCY team in 2020 when she became the illustrator for TCY’s first project: “Taking Care of You: The Empowered Woman’s Guide to Better Health” (Mayo Clinic Press, 2020). Over the past few years, Margot has worked towards increasing representation of all women through her medical illustrations. Margot is excited to continue leading TCY initiatives to help women get connected to the resources they need, and to get the support they deserve!

Based in: Atlanta, GA

Tea & Spice Team

Medhini is currently a second year Master of Public Health student at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Previously she completed her B.S in biochemistry and biophysics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in NY.

Medhini joined TCY to help women feel more in control while going through difficult points with their health. When she’s not working with TCY or attending class, Medhini volunteers with Mount Sinai’s Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention program, plays the oboe, and enjoys going to concerts in New York.

Based in: Manhattan, NY

Tea & Spice Team

Dr. Niharika Sawant (B.D.S) worked as a dentist in India before transitioning to public health. She is currently a second-year MPH student at UTHealth, specializing in Health Promotion & Education.

Niharika is extremely passionate about improving health outcomes, particularly in the areas of chronic disease prevention as it related to women’s health. She joined TCY to apply her knowledge and skills in order to promote preventive care and health equity.

Based in Austin, TX.

Legal Advisor

Shaza Alzaim, J.D. is an attorney specializing in healthcare, technology, and corporate law. She focuses on data privacy, commercial contracting, and regulatory risk management, providing strategic legal counsel to organizations across these sectors. Shaza earned her J.D. with distinction in Health and Biomedical Law from Suffolk University Law School, where she served as Managing Editor of the Journal of Health and Biomedical Law and received the "Student Leader of Social Change" award.

Shaza is committed to using her legal expertise to support organizations that prioritize the well-being of individuals and communities through technology and innovation. She joined TCY to advance health equity by ensuring access to critical healthcare resources, protecting patient rights, and improving healthcare outcomes.

Based in: Boston, MA/ Austin, TX

Advisor

Soraya is a COO/creative entrepreneur turned digital product owner with extensive management and operations experience developed over two decades in the global event industry. She has experience in all phases of product design and growth. She now focuses on the ability of technology to significantly improve women's health and wellbeing as an advisor to startups and founders in the femtech and digital health spaces.

Digital Platform Team

Spencer is a Computer Science professional with IT operations, cybersecurity, and trust & safety engineering expertise. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Western Governors University, an ITIL 4 Foundations Certification, and the Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity Professional Certificate. With a passion for secure, user-focused technology solutions, Spencer has developed strong system administration, network security, and software development skills.

Spencer joined TCY to ensure digital spaces remain secure, accessible, and empowering for all users. He aims to connect individuals with the knowledge, resources, and community support needed to take control of their well-being. Whether securing online platforms or optimizing IT systems, Spencer is committed to leveraging technology for positive social impact.