Dr. Aparna Ramanathan is an Ob/Gyn with a primary research focus in developing and implementing innovative technologies to improve women's health care outcomes at home and abroad.  She is currently an Associate Professor of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery at the University of Washington.  Dr. Ramanathan completed her residency at Parkland Memorial Hospital.  She is dual fellowship trained in Global Health Leadership Fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital and Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.  She has invented several award-winning novel devices and was awarded a grant from Grand Challenges Canada for her work on the problem of inadequate pain control during manual vacuum aspiration seen in communities in Western Kenya.  She has since founded a start-up company, Chloe Innovations LLC, based on the syringe extension device she invented.  She has extensive experience in teaching and mentoring students in innovative design thinking.  She developed and taught a design innovation course for medical students at the University of Texas Southwestern called Innovating Healthcare Solutions and was previously a faculty leader in the Innovation Medicine (IMED) program at UIC.