Featured RBC Chicago 2024 Speaker
OPENING SESSION - Thursday, July 25
Dr. Jennifer Ashton
Dr. Jennifer Ashton is a Board-certified Ob-Gyn, women’s health expert, author and two-time Emmy award-winning Chief Medical Correspondent for ABC News and Good Morning America. A practicing physician, Dr. Ashton operates a private medical practice committed to improving the lives of girls and women by increasing health literacy and busting myths that have spread through folklore with little medical or scientific basis. Affectionately referred to as your all-in-one ‘BFF’/Ob-Gyn, Dr. Ashton marries an unparalleled medical background with an accessible attitude, breaking the barrier between doctor and patient.
Prior to being named Chief Medical Correspondent & Health editor, Dr. Ashton served as ABC News Chief Women’s Health Correspondent, was a co-host on the Emmy Award-winning daytime medical show, The Doctors, and the Medical Correspondent for CBS News. She regularly contributed to a number of shows including The Early Show, CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, The Dr. Oz Show and TLC’s A Baby Story. One of the few practicing physicians with a national media platform, Dr. Ashton’s dual roles in clinical medicine and medical media keep her on the cutting edge of medical and health news and advances.
Dr. Ashton is an award-winning author of five books including The Body Scope For Girls, Your Body Beautiful, Eat This Not That When You’re Expecting, and The Self Care Solution: A Year of Becoming Happier, Healthier, and Fitter – One Month At A Time. In 2019, she released Life After Suicide: Finding Courage, Comfort & Community After Unthinkable Loss, a heartbreaking, yet hopeful memoir of surviving the suicide of a loved one. Her most raw and revealing book yet, Dr. Ashton combines her firsthand experience with the latest insights from health professionals in an effort to provide support, information and comfort for those attempting to make sense of their loss and find a way to heal.
A graduate of the prestigious Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Dr. Ashton immediately gravitated towards gynecology, as it encompassed virtually every facet of the medical field. From surgical to psychiatry, Dr. Ashton’s knowledge of women’s health runs the gamut. A big believer in perpetual education, Dr. Ashton received a Master’s Degree in Human Nutrition from Columbia University, making her one of the only M.D.’s with a national media platform who is also formally credentialed in Nutrition. She is also board certified in Obesity Medicine.
Leading by example, Dr. Ashton not only ‘talks the talk,’ but ‘walks the walk.’ When she’s not in the office, she can be found training for triathlons or following her very own Five-Day/Two-Day Eating Plan. She demonstrates first-hand how to embrace and feel empowered at every stage of womanhood.
Ajenda is Dr. Jen Ashton’s media company focused solely on women's health, primarily menopause and weight management-- the issues topping headlines everywhere, but often incredibly misunderstood. Ajenda is inspired by Dr. Ashton’s commitment to addressing and improving women’s health issues, and the incredible need for facts and honesty around menopause and weight management in today’s health conversation. The company will leverage Dr. Ashton’s areas of expertise as a board-certified OB/GYN and Obesity Medicine Specialist with a master’s degree in nutrition, to promote optimal health and empower women with effective and science-backed guidance.
As founder and CEO, Dr. Ashton’s vision for Ajenda includes television production/development for women’s health-centric programming, live online clinics for education and symptom relief information, and meal plans for women trying to manage their weight. Ajenda launched in March with the introduction of a free weekly newsletter, which delivers Dr. Ashton’s expertise in perimenopause, menopause health and weight management straight to inboxes each Wednesday.