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Elizabeth Ruzzo, PhD
Founder & CEO at adyn
Elizabeth Ruzzo, PhD, is the founder and CEO of adyn, a Seattle-based startup focused on personalized medicine and birth control optimization.12 She received her PhD in human genetics and genomics from Duke University, where she learned to analyze big data using next-generation sequencing.1 Ruzzo has discovered linkages between over 36 genes and specific human diseases, and during her postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA, she used machine learning to uncover 16 new autism genes.12
Ruzzo founded adyn after experiencing severe side effects from birth control, including depression and suicidal ideation.3 This personal experience, combined with her scientific background, inspired her to create a company that aims to make scientific discovery more inclusive and close gaps in medical research.23 adyn's first product is a test that analyzes genetic and hormone data to identify potential side effects caused by different methods of birth control.2
Some key achievements and characteristics of Elizabeth Ruzzo include:
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Awards: Charles J. Epstein Trainee Awardee for Excellence in Human Genetics Research, Jo Rae Wright Fellowship for Outstanding Women in Science, and Rock Health's 2021 Top 50 in Digital Health.1
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Publications: Over 20 peer-reviewed publications in journals such as AJHG, Cell, Neuron, and Nature.1
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Mission: To make scientific discovery more inclusive and close gaps caused by historic inequity in medical research.23
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Education: Bachelor's degree in cell and molecular biology from the University of Washington, PhD in genetics and genomics from Duke University, and postdoctoral research at UCLA.3
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Entrepreneurship: Ruzzo raised $2.5 million in funding for adyn in April 2021 and participated in Y Combinator.23
Elizabeth Ruzzo is driven by her passion for using precision medicine to improve healthcare outcomes, particularly for women and underrepresented groups in medical research.34
Highlights
I’m so excited to chat with my friend and fellow female founder, Valentina Milanova 🇺🇦 (founder/CEO of Daye), about what it’s like being a founder in women’s health.
Mark your calendar for this Thursday March 28th at 11am PT / 2pm PT, and sign up below!
We’re thrilled to have Kathrin F., founder of Femtech Insider, host this conversation! We’ll cover innovation in women’s health, the importance of making data informed healthcare decisions, and efforts by adyn and Daye to address gender and race gaps in medical research.
Please feel free to share any questions ahead of the webinar—looking forward to seeing you there!
"Innovating in Women's Health: Bridging Gaps and Building Futures"
