On March 8, 2026, endometriosis patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and advocates will gather at 3 Times Square in New York City for the Endometriosis Foundation of America's 17th Annual Patient Day. EndoFound’s signature event brings together members of the endometriosis community for a day focused on education, connection, and the latest developments in understanding and treating the disease. For many, the conference represents not just a gathering, but a beacon of hope.
This year’s conference theme, “Mapping Pain: From Pelvis to Brain,” reflects a dual revolution in how we understand and address endometriosis. Scientifically, the conference will explore endometriosis as a complex neuroinflammatory disease that extends far beyond the pelvis, involving the nervous system in profound ways. Topics will span from cutting-edge research on the nervous system’s role in endometriosis to practical strategies for pain management, fertility preservation, nutrition, and mental health support. But equally important, this year’s Patient Day will feature prominent authors and thought leaders who are placing endometriosis firmly on the sociopolitical map—challenging centuries of medical dismissal, demanding research funding, and reframing women’s pain as a critical public health and social justice issue. Attendees will leave with not only clinical knowledge but also the critical frameworks and advocacy tools needed to challenge the status quo.
The conference will bridge Saturday’s Medical Conference—where over 35 leading experts discuss advanced neuroscience and surgical techniques—with Sunday’s Patient Day programming, creating a unique opportunity for patients to access cutting-edge research and translate it into practical knowledge for managing their health.
This year’s lineup includes influential voices who are reshaping the cultural and political conversation around women’s health. With speakers like New York Times best-selling author Cat Bohannon, medical humanities scholar Dr. Maria Rovito, and Connecticut State Representative Jillian Gilchrest, the conference will examine how endometriosis sits at the intersection of medicine, history, policy, and gender inequality. These speakers will help attendees understand not just the what and how of endometriosis, but the why—why this disease has been ignored for so long, why women’s pain is systematically dismissed, and why changing that reality requires not just better medicine, but systemic social change.
Patient Day Through the Years
EndoFound's Patient Day began as an in-person event at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, providing a dedicated space for patients to learn from experts and connect with others facing similar challenges.
In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the world into isolation, EndoFound pivoted seamlessly to a virtual format, ensuring that patients didn't lose this vital source of information and community during an already challenging time. The 2021 International Patient Conference marked a historic milestone—EndoFound partnered with the International Society for Gynecologic Endoscopy (ISGE) to create the first worldwide endometriosis patient day, a virtual event spanning multiple time zones and reaching patients across the globe.
By 2023, Patient Day returned to in-person programming with the "Together for Tomorrow" theme, welcoming attendees back to the Einhorn Auditorium at Lenox Hill Hospital. The event has continued to grow, with recent conferences featuring over 49 speakers and attracting more than 200 in-person attendees alongside hundreds more joining virtually from 28 states and five countries.
This year marks a new chapter as Patient Day moves to the prestigious Times Square venue, reflecting the conference's expanded reach and the growing recognition of endometriosis as a critical women's health issue.
The Voices of Patient Day 2026
Patient Day 2026 brings together an extraordinary roster of speakers who represent the full spectrum of endometriosis care, research, and lived experience. Each brings unique expertise and perspectives that will inform, inspire, and empower attendees.
Medical and Research Leaders:
Dr. Tamer Seckin, founder of the Endometriosis Foundation of America, will once again lead the conference with his pioneering vision for endometriosis care and advocacy. A world-renowned endometriosis specialist and excision surgeon, Dr. Seckin has dedicated his career to advancing early detection, surgical excellence, and patient education.
Dr. Semir Beyaz, Assistant Professor and Director of the Seckin Endometriosis Research Center at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, represents the cutting edge of endometriosis research. His laboratory's work is uncovering the molecular mechanisms underlying the disease, paving the way for new therapeutic approaches.
Dr. Katherine Burns, Associate Professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, will present her groundbreaking research on novel diagnostic approaches using menstrual blood—a potentially revolutionary method for earlier, less invasive detection of endometriosis.
Dr. Tomer Singer, System Chief of Northwell Health Fertility, will contribute his expertise on the latest fertility treatments and technologies available to endometriosis patients.
Dr. Janelle Luk, Medical Director of Generation Next Fertility, will address fertility preservation and family planning for those with endometriosis.
Dr. Serin Seckin, an endometriosis and reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist at Seckin Endometriosis Center, will share insights on the intersection of endometriosis and fertility, addressing one of the most pressing concerns for many patients.
Dr. Paulina Carrillo, a minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon and endometriosis specialist, will share her surgical expertise and insights on advanced treatment options.
Mental Health and Holistic Care Experts:
Nóra Árvai, a clinical health psychologist, science communicator, and researcher, will address the critical psychological dimensions of living with chronic pain and a misunderstood disease.
Dr. H. Deniz Kocas, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Pace University, will explore the intersection of mental health, chronic illness, and quality of life.
Halley Ceglia Terrell, LCSW, a licensed clinical social worker, patient, and advocate, brings both professional expertise and personal experience to discussions of mental health support.
Bee Bosnak, yoga and meditation teacher and founder of The Virtual Studio, will guide attendees in mind-body practices that can help manage pain and stress.
Integrative and Alternative Medicine Practitioners:
Winnie Chan, LAc, MPA, a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner and acupuncturist at Winnie Chan Acupuncture PLLC, will share insights on Eastern medicine approaches to managing endometriosis symptoms.
Dr. Autumn Weimann, ND, a holistic health practitioner, naturopathic doctor, and endo warrior, will present integrative approaches to healing and wellness.
Savannah Regensburger, MS, MBA, CNS, a clinical nutritionist, researcher, educator, and women's health advocate, will discuss the crucial role of nutrition in managing endometriosis, with particular attention to the gut-health connection that aligns with this year's conference theme.
Special Guests and Authors:
Cat Bohannon, PhD, researcher and New York Times best-selling author of “Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution,” represents a critical voice in reframing women’s health as a sociopolitical issue. Her groundbreaking work exposes how medical research has historically centered male bodies while treating female biology as an afterthought—a bias that has profound implications for conditions like endometriosis.
Dr. Maria Rovito, an endo historian and Professor of Medical Humanities at Albany College, will provide essential historical context on how endometriosis has been understood—and systematically misunderstood—throughout medical history. Her work traces how women’s pain has been dismissed as hysteria, minimized as “normal,” or attributed to psychological weakness for centuries. By illuminating this history, Dr. Rovito helps patients understand that their struggles with medical gaslighting are not personal failures but symptoms of a deeply entrenched sociopolitical problem. Her scholarship places endometriosis within broader conversations about gender, power, and medical authority, showing how changing the future of endometriosis care requires reckoning with its past.
Patient Advocates and Community Leaders:
Jillian Gilchrest, Connecticut State Representative for the 18th District, brings endometriosis into the realm of policy and legislative action. Her presence underscores a crucial reality: improving endometriosis care requires not just better doctors, but better laws. From mandating insurance coverage for treatments to funding state-level research initiatives to requiring comprehensive education for healthcare providers, Representative Gilchrest represents the political muscle needed to transform the endometriosis landscape. Her work demonstrates that patient advocacy must extend beyond the exam room into the halls of power, where decisions about research funding, healthcare access, and medical education are made.
Nicoletta Rasizzi, BSN, RN, a patient advocate and endometriosis management specialist, brings her nursing background and personal experience to help patients navigate the healthcare system.
Latia Lee, a registered nurse, patient, and advocate, will share her journey and insights on self-advocacy in medical settings.
Ciji Castro, EndoFound Ambassador and Executive Chef of Domestic Gourmet, will demonstrate how culinary creativity can support health and healing through anti-inflammatory cooking.
Patient voices will be powerfully represented through featured participants including Melissa Diamond, Quanda Dublin, Prisca Edwards, Jen Sipila, Valerie Menard, and Elizabeth Fasanello Vonelli, M.Ed. Each will share their personal stories of diagnosis, treatment, and resilience, providing the authentic perspectives that make Patient Day so meaningful.
By bringing together clinicians, researchers, authors, historians, policymakers, and patients, Patient Day 2026 models the kind of comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach needed to truly address endometriosis. It demonstrates that solving this crisis requires not just better surgeons, but better laws; not just more research, but research that centers women’s voices and experiences; not just medical innovation, but social transformation. Clinical breakthroughs alone cannot solve a problem that is fundamentally rooted in systemic discrimination.
The Power of Coming Together
For many who live with endometriosis, the journey to diagnosis takes an average of seven to ten years—a decade of pain, dismissed symptoms, and feeling utterly alone. Patient Day breaks that isolation in profound ways.
The conference has also been able to help transform knowledge into action. One patient from Austin, Texas, credits Patient Day with changing the trajectory of her care. After suffering for nearly 15 years with dismissed symptoms, she attended the 2022 virtual conference. "That conference led me to start tracking my symptoms in a journal and find a specialist," she explained. "I went into the specialist's office with 11 pages of notes from the Patient Day and a diary of all my symptoms. After showing him what I had and a quick physical exam, I had my surgery date. I completely credit the Patient Day for providing me with the information I needed to advocate for myself."
By bringing together patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and researchers in the same space, Patient Day fosters the kind of collaborative, interdisciplinary approach that endometriosis care so desperately needs. Doctors learn from patients' lived experiences. Patients gain access to cutting-edge research. Caregivers develop a deeper understanding of the disease's impact. Researchers are reminded of the human faces behind their data. For many attendees, connections made at the conference continue long after the last session, evolving into online support groups, local meetups, and advocacy collaborations. The Patient Day community becomes a resource that patients can return to again and again as they navigate the ongoing challenges of living with endometriosis.
In a world where endometriosis patients are still too often told their pain is "normal," where diagnosis takes a decade, where treatments remain limited, Patient Day stands as a powerful declaration that this disease matters, that patients deserve better, and that change is possible when we come together.
Tickets are $50 for each day, or $50 total for the virtual event. Patients who would also like to attend the Medical Conference on Friday, March 6, can do so for an additional $50. For more information and to register, visit www.endofound.org/patientday.
