.
webinar
December 14, 2026 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM EST

Vital Lessons on Perimenopause and Menopause: Finding the Care and Support You Need

Share

Share On Facebook
Share On Twitter
Share On Pinterest
Share On LinkedIn
Share On Microsoft Teams
Email
Vital Lessons on Perimenopause and Menopause: Finding the Care and Support You Need

Date

December 14, 2026 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM EST

Location

Online

Cost

Free

Credit

Attributes

Good for Parents
Subject Health and Wellness — Personal and Community Health • Professional Learning
Grade Level Higher Education, Adult Education, Professional Development

About This Webinar

Since AFT Share My Lesson’s first Vital Lessons town hall on perimenopause and menopause in 2025, the conversation has moved fast. The FDA has updated warning labels on certain menopause hormone therapies, lawmakers are paying greater attention to women’s midlife health, and new care options are helping women find answers and access treatment — yet major gaps remain.

Perimenopause can begin in a woman’s mid-30s and last for years, but too many women are still told they’re “too young,” that their symptoms are just stress, or are misdiagnosed altogether. The effects reach far beyond hot flashes, disrupting sleep, mental and physical health, work and everyday life. Symptoms such as joint pain, brain fog and changes in sexual health can be easy to overlook or misunderstand.

In this film screening and live conversation, we'll separate fact from fiction, explore why menopause remains understudied and misunderstood, and share practical steps women can take to recognize symptoms, find appropriate care and navigate treatment options.

5:00 p.m. ET — Film Screening: Watch the PBS documentary The (M) Factor 2: Before the Pause.

6:00 p.m. ET — Live town hall: Join AFT President Randi Weingarten, Dr. Vin Gupta and Denise Pines, the film's producer and president of the Osteopathic Medical Board of California, along with Jannine Versi, co-founder and CEO of Elektra Health and Dr. Christina Jenkins.

We'll discuss:

  • What perimenopause is, when it begins and how to recognize it, including symptoms that go well beyond hot flashes
  • Why menopause research and clinical care have historically lagged behind women's needs — and what is changing
  • How to find a clinician who listens, understand your treatment options and make informed decisions about your health
  • What recent changes to hormone therapy warnings mean for patients
  • How digital health tools and virtual care can help women track symptoms, access expertise and prepare for clinical conversations
  • How employers, colleagues and unions can better support women navigating menopause
  • Trusted resources and practical steps for yourself, a partner, a colleague or a parent

Come for the film, stay for the conversation, or both. Bring your questions; Randi, Vin and our guests will answer them live.

Real stories, clear information and practical next steps, without embarrassment or guesswork.

This session is part of AFT's Vital Lessons webinar series, bringing timely, trusted and practical health and wellness conversations to members in education, healthcare and public services.

Missed a Vital Lessons webinar? Access all sessions for free: https://webinars.on24.com/aft/VitalLessons

Speakers

Dr. Christina Jenkins, Physician

Dr. Christina Jenkins (“CJ”) is a physician and early-stage health investor whose work spans clinical care, health-system transformation, women’s health, and technology-enabled innovation. She previously served as the founding CEO of OneCity Health, where she led a $1.2 billion initiative to improve population health and advance value-based care for one million New Yorkers, and as a board director and Quality and Performance Committee chair for NYC Health + Hospitals. Dr. Jenkins is also a general partner and co-founder of Convergent Ventures, investing in regulated, AI-enabled health technologies, including several targeting women’s health. She serves on the boards of Help at Home and Medical Solutions Group and on the advisory board of Independence Health Group. She earned her M.D. from Northwestern University, completed her residency at Mount Sinai Medical Center, and is a Kauffman Fellow.

Jannine Versi, CEO and Co-Founder, Elektra Health

Jannine Versi is the CEO and Co-Founder of Elektra Health, a virtual menopause care provider. Jannine has spent over a decade working at the intersection of healthcare and technology.  Previously, Jannine was on the founding team at Cityblock Health, a value-based primary care organization. She held leadership roles at Google and in the Obama Administration. Jannine graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Business School. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and three children.

Profile picture for user Randi Weingarten
President, AFT

RANDI WEINGARTEN is president of the 1.8 million-member AFT, AFL-CIO, which represents teachers; paraprofessionals and school-related personnel; higher education faculty and staff; nurses and other healthcare professionals; local, state and federal government employees; and early childhood educators. The AFT champions fairness; democracy; economic opportunity; and high-quality public education, healthcare and public services for students, their families and communities. The AFT and its members advance these principles through community engagement, organizing, collective bargaining and political activism, and especially through members’ work.

Profile picture for user vinnie.gup
Public Health Physician, Professor, and Health Policy Expert

Dr. Vin Gupta, MD, MPA, is a public health physician, professor, and health policy expert. As a Harvard-trained lung specialist, Vin has spent the past 15 years working worldwide to improve public health for organizations including the US Centers for Disease Control, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the Harvard Global Health Institute, the World Health Organization, and the Pentagon’s Center for Global Health Engagement. Given his diversity of experiences, he is now a trusted advisor and contributor to national and international media outlets on several of the most important health issues today, including serving as a regular health policy analyst for NBC News and contributor to the New York Times and CNN New Day. As you will see below, Vin is committed to voicing evidence-informed perspectives across a range of critical issues like domestic US healthcare reform, the vaping epidemic, the effects of climate change on human health, and gun control. In doing so, he speaks honestly and is driven by evidence, not opinion or dogma.

Profile picture for user dpines
Educational Organization / Business Professional

Denise Pines is a Peabody Award–winning filmmaker, health advocate, and entrepreneur at the forefront of midlife women’s wellness. She’s the founder of WisePause Wellness a pro-aging education and workplace platform and the Menopause Recognition Awards, co-founder of Tea Botanics and the inspiration of the award-winning Hot Flash Tea found in Target stores, and leader of the FemAging Project, driving healthtech innovation for women 40+. In her roles as president of the Osteopathic Medical Board of California and Board executive of the Federation of State Medical Boards, she shapes healthcare policy. She’s produced 14 documentaries that spark cultural change. Her most recent film, “The M Factor: Before the Pause,” brought men into the menopause conversation. As a sought-after speaker, she has led groundbreaking first-of-their-kind conversations on global stages including the Aspen Ideas Festival, the World Economic Forum, SXSW, and CES.

Professional Credit

Share My Lesson webinars are available for one-hour of PD credit. A certificate of completion will be available for download at the end of your session that you can submit for your school's or district's approval.

In addition, Share My Lesson has arrangements in place as follows:

Advertisement