A DAY FOR WOMEN CONFERENCE
SAVE THE DATE
When: February 27 - 28
Time: 6 PM - 9 PM | 9 AM - 2:30 PM
Where: School of Medicine Greenville
607 Grove Road, Greenville, SC 29605
The Ruth Wilson Nicholson Women’s Health Endowed Keynote Speaker:
Autumn VandeHei is the 2026 Ruth Wilson Nicholson Women's Health Endowed keynote speaker. Autumn is cofounder and President of The Zotheka Foundation, where she leads efforts to provide scholarships and mentorship for students pursuing higher education. With more than two decades of experience in federal government and nonprofit leadership, she has dedicated her career to empowering youth from marginalized communities and advocating for trauma survivors through theology, policy, and pastoral care.
A former Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Deputy Director of Floor Operations in the U.S. House of Representatives, Autumn brings a deep understanding of child welfare, human rights, and systems of care.
In her keynote, she will share her personal journey through chronic illness and explore what patient advocacy truly means as she discusses how to find your voice, navigate care with confidence, and partner with providers to achieve healing and wholeness.
Learn About Ruth Wilson Nicholson
Ruth Wilson Nicholson, RN served in teaching and leadership roles at both Greenville
Hospital System (now Prisma Health) and Greenville Technical College. She co-founded
both the United Way of Greenville County and The Community Foundation of Greenville,
and she served on countless boards and commissions in South Carolina.
Ruth Alexander was born in 1918 in Pineville, N.C. Her mother taught most subjects in school. Her father was a physician who founded the Mecklenburg Medical Society and The Farmer Labor Party. He was nominated but not selected to be vice president with Al Smith in 1928. She graduated from Duke as a registered nurse and married Dr. David Wilson there. They moved to Greenville where she had four children who all went to graduate schools. She taught OB-GYN nurses at GHS nursing school and was an elder at First Presbyterian Church. When Dr. Wilson died suddenly, she remarried Thurston Nicholson a textile executive. She co-founded the Community Chest of Greater Greenville, which later expanded and became the United Way of Greenville County, co-founded The Community Foundation of Greenville, and served on countless boards and commissions in South Carolina. In 1964, she was the first Republican woman to run for the SC House. She was vice-chair of Greenville Tech and established the associate degree in nursing there. She worked at GHS for almost 30 years as director of strategic planning, medical education, and public affairs.
Check out the topics for this year's event:
From playground benchmarks to lifelong mobility—exercise you can adapt, enjoy, and
sustain.
This session will highlight practical approaches to exercise that support joint health
and osteoporosis prevention, explore the value of adapting movement at every stage
of life, and revisit what benchmarks for physical fitness should look like beyond
school age. We’ll also discuss programs like Exercise is Medicine Greenville and others
through the Greenville YMCA, potentially with testimony from a patient success story.
Panelists: Dr. Jennifer Trilk, Dr. Meenu Jindal, Dr. Amy Trammel
Moderator: Adrien Mann, PA-C
Exploring the science of social media, family dynamics, and protecting your mental
wellbeing. Nutrition and how it pertains to mental health
This conversation will dig into why social media captivates us, what science reveals
about the brain’s response to digital content, and how family dynamics are being reshaped
by online culture. We hope to bring together experts from family therapy, public health,
and research to examine the impact and share tools for resilience.
Panelists: Dr. Cassidy Hood, Dr. Kerry Sease, Dr. Kirsten Porter-Stransky
Moderator: Carrie Baldwin, MSN, APRN, FNP-C
Navigating supplements, food as medicine, and how to stay balanced throughout every
stage of life.
With a focus on women over 40 but relevant for all ages, this session will explore
hormone supplements and over-the-counter products—what’s safe, what’s hype, and what’s
changing in the landscape of care. We’ll also dive into the role of whole foods and
culinary medicine and trends from colostrum to microgreens to GLP-1s, with an emphasis
on empowering participants to make informed, evidence-based decisions.
Panelists: Dr. Magen Heide, Dr. Erin Eckard, Dr. McGregor
Moderator: TBD
From prevention to recovery—what everyone should know about protecting the heart
This discussion will touch on practical prevention strategies such as stress testing
for those with family history, coronary calcium screening, and the impact of diet
and caffeine use. We’ll also cover lifestyle-based prevention, the ABCs of heart attack
recognition, and what recovery looks like—for both patients and the friends or family
members supporting them.
Panelists: Dr. Devin Haddad
Moderator: Jaméz M. Fletcher, MSN, APRN, ACNP-BC, CHFN
Check out last year's conference
The Ruth Wilson Nicholson Women’s Health Endowed Keynote Speaker:
Meliah Bowers Jefferson is a non-profit executive, award-winning attorney, and cause
advocate whose story has been featured in Women’s Day, Ebony, and USA Today. After
suffering a widow maker heart attack at the age of 33, she became a national spokesperson
for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign. While faced with multiple
challenges in her life, it was this life-altering event that helped Meliah understand
what it truly means to be resilient. Since then, she has been on a mission to teach
others by example that we can ALL thrive in the face of adversity and that a good
life is a life crafted with intention. She has learned to use her experiences with
tragedy as the very foundation on which she has built a rewarding life – and legacy
– of purpose. Now, Meliah is using the power of her own story as a platform for empowering
people to build the lives they want for themselves regardless of the cards they were
dealt.
She has been a health equity advocate for more than a decade, particularly focusing
on outreach to women and minority communities regarding heart health awareness. She
also routinely advocates for positive community health policies and legislation on
Capitol Hill and at the South Carolina Statehouse. She has spoken at multiple events
on issues related to women’s health and health equity and has appeared in national
and local media to raise public awareness for the importance of heart health, mental
health, and self-care.
Learn About Ruth Wilson Nicholson and Meliah Bowers Jefferson
Ruth Wilson Nicholson, RN served in teaching and leadership roles at both Greenville Hospital System (now Prisma Health) and Greenville Technical College. She co-founded both the United Way of Greenville County and The Community Foundation of Greenville, and she served on countless boards and commissions in South Carolina.
Ruth Alexander was born in 1918 in Pineville, N.C. Her mother taught most subjects in school. Her father was a physician who founded the Mecklenburg Medical Society and The Farmer Labor Party. He was nominated but not selected to be vice president with Al Smith in 1928. She graduated from Duke as a registered nurse and married Dr. David Wilson there. They moved to Greenville where she had four children who all went to graduate schools. She taught OB-GYN nurses at GHS nursing school and was an elder at First Presbyterian Church. When Dr. Wilson died suddenly, she remarried Thurston Nicholson a textile executive. She co-founded the Community Chest of Greater Greenville, which later expanded and became the United Way of Greenville County, co-founded The Community Foundation of Greenville, and served on countless boards and commissions in South Carolina. In 1964, she was the first Republican woman to run for the SC House. She was vice-chair of Greenville Tech and established the associate degree in nursing there. She worked at GHS for almost 30 years as director of strategic planning, medical education, and public affairs.
Meliah is a graduate of the University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business
and earned her law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law. After
graduation, she landed an esteemed clerkship with South Carolina Supreme Court Chief
Justice, Jean H. Toal (retired). She then joined the Wyche, P.A. in Greenville, SC,
focusing on complex civil litigation at the trial and appellate level, until she left
in 2010 to serve as U.S. Circuit Court Judge Michelle Childs’ lead clerk upon her
initial confirmation to the federal bench. Meliah returned to Wyche in 2013, where
she became a partner and served on the firm’s executive leadership team. Today, Meliah
serves as the Executive Director of the Jolley Foundation, a philanthropic organization
working with community stakeholders to address systemic poverty and discrimination
in Greenville, South Carolina and beyond.
She currently serves on the boards of directors for the Greenville Chamber of Commerce
and Greater Good Greenville. She is a Liberty Fellow, a Fellow of the Furman University
Riley Institute Diversity Leaders Initiative, and a graduate of Leadership Greenville,
and has been recognized as one of Greenville Business Magazine’s 50 Most Influential.
Agenda
Check-In
8:30 AM - 9 AM
Front Lobby
Day of the Woman Welcome & Ruth Wilson Nicholson Keynote
9 AM - 9:50 AM
Lecture Hall
Break
10 AM - 10:10 AM
Post-Keynote Panel with Q&A
10:10 AM - 11:05 AM
Breakout Session #1
11:15 AM - Noon
Lunch
Noon - 1 PM
Breakout Session #2
1:15 PM - 2 PM
Closing Remarks & Thank You
2 PM - 2:30 PM
Thank You to Our Panelists
Hema Brazell, MD – Urogynecology
Maya Dassanayake, MD – Cardiology
Magen Heide, MD – Internal Medicine
Cassidy Hood, MD – Internal Medicine
Neha Hudapohl, MD – Psychiatry
Meenu Jindal, MD – Internal Medicine
Karen Lommel, MD – Psychiatry
Alyson McGregor, MD – Emergency Medicine
Beth Motley, MD – Family Medicine
LMed Interest Group Students – Bricen Ghent, Emilie Russell, Sarah Brown
Kerry Sims, MD – OB/Gyn
The Ruth Wilson Nicholson Women’s Health Endowed Keynote Speaker:
Dr. Majorie Jenkins delivers a powerful keynote at USC School of Medicine Greenville's inaugural Day of the Woman event, centered on "Women Winning at Health." Joined by a lineup of dynamic speakers, clinicians, and authors, the conference delved into six key pillars of wellness. Dr. Jenkins highlights the flaws in the current healthcare model, particularly its adverse effects on women and girls. She calls for necessary changes to ensure personalized care for all. Watch her inspiring address and embark on your journey to winning at health!
The conference featured the Ruth Wilson Nicholson Keynote Speech, generously provided
by the Sargent Foundation, breakout sessions covering a variety of topics, lunch,
a resources fair and more.
Learn About Ruth Wilson Nicholson and Dean Marjorie Jenkins, MD, MEdHP, FACP
Ruth Wilson Nicholson, RN served in teaching and leadership roles at both Greenville
Hospital System (now Prisma Health) and Greenville Technical College. She co-founded
both the United Way of Greenville County and The Community Foundation of Greenville,
and she served on countless boards and commissions in South Carolina.
Ruth Alexander was born in 1918 in Pineville, N.C. Her mother taught most subjects in school. Her father was a physician who founded the Mecklenburg Medical Society and The Farmer Labor Party. He was nominated but not selected to be vice president with Al Smith in 1928. She graduated from Duke as a registered nurse and married Dr. David Wilson there. They moved to Greenville where she had four children who all went to graduate schools. She taught OB-GYN nurses at GHS nursing school and was an elder at First Presbyterian Church. When Dr. Wilson died suddenly, she remarried Thurston Nicholson a textile executive. She co-founded the Community Chest of Greater Greenville, which later expanded and became the United Way of Greenville County, co-founded The Community Foundation of Greenville, and served on countless boards and commissions in South Carolina. In 1964, she was the first Republican woman to run for the SC House. She was vice-chair of Greenville Tech and established the associate degree in nursing there. She worked at GHS for almost 30 years as director of strategic planning, medical education, and public affairs.
Dr. Marjorie R. Jenkins serves as the dean of USC School of Medicine Greenville and
as chief academic officer for Prisma Health-Upstate.
Before she was named dean of School of Medicine Greenville (SOMG) in 2019, Dr. Jenkins
was a professor of medicine and associate dean at Texas Tech University Health Sciences
Center and founder and chief scientific officer of the Laura W. Bush Institute for
Women's Health. By invitation of the U.S. FDA, she served from 2015 to 2019 as the
director of medical and scientific initiatives for the Office of Women's Health, where
she provided scientific and health policy expertise.
As a well-recognized national and international expert, Dr. Jenkins launched the first
annual U.S. Sex and Gender Education Summit, which continues annually. She was co-editor
of a signature textbook, How Sex and Gender Impact Clinical Practice: An Evidence-Based
Guide to Patient Care, published in 2020.
She is co-author of Why Women Aren’t Winning at Health, published in May 2023 by WorldChangers
Media. The groundbreaking book is a collaboration between Dean Jenkins, Anca Griffiths,
founder and CEO of OM: a Precision Medicine Company, and Alyson J. McGregor, MD, cofounder
of the Sex and Gender in Emergency Medicine Division at Brown University and Associate
Dean of Faculty Affairs and Development at SOMG. Griffiths, McGregor and Jenkins tackle
the complex issue of the women’s global health marketplace.
Dr. Jenkins is the second dean of USC SOMG, which opened to its inaugural class of
medical students in 2012. At SOMG, Jenkins has been instrumental in ensuring medical
students are fully prepared to enter specialty training and become tomorrow’s leader
physicians. With Dr. Jenkins at the helm, the school has been transforming healthcare
education, one physician at a time, while helping to address an ongoing shortage of
doctors in South Carolina. Dr Jenkins has had years of experience working with institutional
development; philanthropy is also a large part of her role as SOMG Dean.
Dean Jenkins also holds the position of associate provost for the University of South
Carolina. She has won numerous awards, including the Top 100 Women Leaders in Medicine
of 2021 by Women We Admire, and has been interviewed for media outlets such as Cosmopolitan,
Marie Claire, Prevention and Today.com.
Agenda
Check-In
8:30 - 9 AM
Front Lobby
Day of the Woman Welcome & Ruth Wilson Nicholson Keynote
9:15- 10 AM
Lecture Hall
Dean Marjorie Jenkins will be the Ruth Wilson Nicholson Women's Health Endowed keynote speaker. Dr. Jenkins will be speaking on "Disadvantages and Dangers of One-Size-Fits-All Medicine.”
"Ways to Win at Health: Move into the Driver’s Seat"
10 - 11 AM
Lecture Hall
Discussion of the Optimal Patient & Physician relationship with Dr. Alyson McGregor, Dean Marjorie Jenkins, and Anca Griffiths
Breakout Session #1
11:15 AM - Noon
Learning Studios 105 & 106
Choose from one of these panel discussions:
- Busting Myths & Boosting Confidence in Breast Health
Hear from Lisa Stevens, Gina Franco, Dr. Joe Stephenson, and Dr. Amanda Scopteuolo in this topical panel discussion as they discuss the journey of breast cancer. - Menopause Marvels: Navigating Change Before, During and After
Come hear Dr. Jonathan Bailey, OB, Dr. Cassidy Hood, MD, Dr. Phyllis MacGilvray, and Dr. Alyson McGregor in this panel discussing hormone replacement therapy, menopause, and myths around aging.
Lunch & Resource Fair
Noon - 1 PM
Rotunda
Attendees will be provided lunch and the opportunity to connect with local vendors in our beautiful Rotunda space!
Breakout Session #2
1:15 - 2 PM
Choose from one of these panel discussions:
- Busting Myths & Boosting Confidence in Breast Health
Hear from Lisa Stevens, Gina Franco, Dr. Joe Stephenson, and Dr. Amanda Scopteuolo in this topical panel discussion as they discuss the journey of breast cancer. - Menopause Marvels: Navigating Change Before, During and After
Come hear Dr. Jonathan Bailey, OB, Dr. Cassidy Hood, MD, Dr. Phyllis MacGilvray, and Dr. Alyson McGregor in this panel discussing hormone replacement therapy, menopause, and myths around aging.
Closing Remarks & Thank You
2-2:30 PM
Lecture Hall
We will end the day with a special thank you to our community partners & announcement of our door prize winners!
Come learn about these six pillars of optimal health for women:
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Enjoy good food that is good for you.
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Incorporate daily movement.
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Get adequate and restorative sleep.
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Reframe and manage stress levels.
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Tune in to your body’s wisdom.
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Find and work with high-integrity healthcare providers who will help you do all of the above.
Learn More about Our Panelists
Lisa Stevens is a member of our inaugural Day of the Woman planning committee. Lisa has used her city and regional planning perspective throughout her service on various community boards and state commissions along with the founding of Langston Charter Middle School. She served on the Greenville Health System board and was Chairman of the Greenville Health Authority where she helped author the Healthy Greenville Grant. Lisa is an ardent supporter and advocate for the Medical Experience Academy (MedEx) and currently chairs the MedEx Advancement Council along with sitting on the USC School of Medicine Greenville Dean’s Council. She is married to Roger Stevens, has 2 adult children, and loves living in the heart of downtown Greenville.
She is the co-founder and CEO of OM, a precision medicine company.
Gina is a master's-level adult nurse practitioner who has practiced in oncology for over 30 years. She has worked extensively in survivorship, cancer surveillance and medical oncology. She is an adult nurse practitioner, certified by the American Nurses Association. Gina is the director of the Center for Integrative Oncology and Survivorship (CIOS) at the GHS Cancer Institute.
Joe J. Stephenson, MD, is the Medical Director of the Center for Integrative Oncology and Survivorship (CIOS) and the Center for Cancer Prevention and Wellness (CCPW) at Prisma Health Cancer Institute in Greenville, SC. He is also a practicing medical oncologist, board certified in hematology and oncology. Dr Stephenson is also the co-director of the Prisma Health Breast Cancer Program as well as the Breast Cancer Prevention Program at Prisma Health Cancer Institute in the Upstate. He currently is the Chair of the Prisma Health Cancer Care Committee. Dr. Stephenson was honored to serve as an advisor to the President Bush’s Cancer Panel on Translational Oncology. Dr Stephenson is passionate about delivering holistic and individualized care to each patient. He is a champion for breast cancer prevention and an advocate for improving cancer surveillance for cancer survivors and community screening.
Amanda L Scopteuolo, MD, is the Medical Director for Breast Imaging for Prisma Health Upstate and oversees the breast imaging for all Upstate facilities. She is a board certified radiologist who completed a fellowship in Women's Imaging. Dr Scopteuolo became interested in Breast Imaging during her residency, in part from observation of how breast cancer affected a close friend, but mostly because she wanted to continue to see patients and be involved in a multidisciplinary team, something fairly unusual in the specialty of radiology.
Jonathan Q. Bailey, MD has been with Greenville Ob/Gyn since August 2001. He is originally from Danville, Kentucky, and he attended Furman University from 1989 to 1993. He then returned to Kentucky to attend the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. He completed his residency training in Ob/Gyn at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC. He is board certified and a fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He has special interest in minimally invasive surgery, and both low and high-risk obstetric care. As well, Dr. Bailey has been certified as a menopausal medicine provider through the North American Menopause Society.
Cassidy Hood, MD is a board-certified Family Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine Physician at Greenville Family Medicine. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Dr. Hood completed her medical training at Ross University School of Medicine. She happily found Greenville while completing her residency at Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Hospital. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and a Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (FACLM). She is passionate about preventative medicine, women’s health, and lifestyle medicine to help achieve optimal health and well-being for her patients. In addition, she is an academic leader at the University South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville and clinical faculty of the Greer Family Medicine Residency Program and the Greer Psychiatry Residency Program.
Dr. MacGilvray is the Chair of the Department of Family Medicine and is an Associate Professor with The University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville. Dr. MacGilvray enjoys practicing full-scope family medicine including pediatrics, outpatient gynecology, and prenatal care at the Center for Family Medicine-Greenville. She strongly believes in the power of patient-centered primary care.
Alyson J. McGregor, MD, MA, FACEP, is a physician, researcher, writer and advocate.
She is a Professor of Emergency Medicine and serves as Associate Dean for Faculty
Affairs and Development at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville.
Dr. McGregor was the co-founder and director for the Division of Sex and Gender in
Emergency Medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University from 2010–2021,
where her research on the roles sex and gender play in emergent conditions has made
her a spokesperson and advocate for women around the world. Dr. McGregor currently
serves as a member of the Advisory Committee Research on Women’s Health for the Office
of Research on Women’s Health, National Institutes of Health. She is a co-founder
of the national organization Sex and Gender Health Collaborative and serves on the
Advisory Council to the Sex and Gender Health Education Summit series, which is designed
to establish an integrative sex and gender curriculum for current and future health
professionals. The former director for a Sex and Gender two-year fellowship program
and educational electives for residents and medical students at Brown University,
Dr. McGregor has published more than 80 peer-reviewed publications in sex, gender,
diversity, medical education, and women’s health. Dr. McGregor’s TEDx talk, “Why Medicine
Often Has Dangerous Side Effects for Women,” currently has more than 1.7 million views,
and she has recently released her new book, “Sex Matters: How Male-Centric Medicine
Endangers Women’s Health and What We Can Do About It,” Dr. Alyson McGregor is also
a sex and gender advocate and physician featured in the award winning documentary
Ms. Diagnosed.