The Forum will culminate with a lively panel discussion on Changing Your Life for a Healthier Future: It’s About Time, led by our special guest, Meredith Vieira, co-anchor of NBC’s The Today Show.

Ms. Vieira has been co-anchor of NBC News’ TODAY since September 2006. She also serves as host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, where in 2007, she earned a Daytime Emmy Award, one of numerous Emmy awards for which she has been honored during her television career at NBC, ABC, and CBS. In May 2001, Ms. Vieira received the Woman of the Year award from City of Hope; and in April 2004, she received the Mother of the Year award from The Pajama Game. She shares a December 30 birthday with co-anchor Matt Lauer. A native of Providence, Rhode Island, Ms. Vieira received her B.A. from Tufts University. She and her husband and her three children live in New York.

Ms. Vieira will be joined by five dynamic guests on the panel who will share some of their personal and professional challenges during critical transitions in their own lives. Panelists, in alphabetical order, are:

Stephanie Byerly, M.D., is a Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Management at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. UT Southwestern ranks among the top academic medical centers in the world consisting of two University hospitals, thirty-six clinics, a medical school and research center. Dr. Byerly is the Medical Director of the Pre-Surgical Assessment Clinics for both University hospitals, the Director of Anesthesiology and the Vice Chief of Staff. During her tenure at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dr. Byerly has achieved numerous leadership successes. In addition to her current directorship roles, she recently was appointed to a full Professorship and named Chief of Staff for University Hospital Zale Lipshy beginning December 2011.  Stephanie and her children have been residents in the Dallas area for the past thirteen years. She is the single parent of two teenage girls; her number one priority despite her demanding career. 

Amy Robach serves as the Saturday TODAY anchor and as a national correspondent for NBC Nightly News and TODAY. Ms. Robach joined MSNBC in September 2003 as a daytime anchor and covered major news events including the war in Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, and the 2004 Presidential election. Serving as a reporter in Charleston, South Carolina with WCBD-TV, she reported extensively on the first women to attend and graduate from The Citadel. Ms. Robach graduated from the University of Georgia with honors and received a B.A. in journalism. She is married to Andrew Shue and has two daughters.

Andrew Shue is an actor who starred on Melrose Place and played professional soccer in the 1990s. A graduate of both Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey and Dartmouth College, Mr. Shue is the co-founder of the Do Something foundation. He ran the Manhattan-based Clubmom, the first and only club that rewards and celebrates moms for what they do every day. Now Cafemom, a sister company to Clubmom, has been set up as an online community which enables thousands of moms to come together online to swap stories and advice about common interests. Mr. Shue has two sons and in February 2010, he married NBC Today Show correspondent Amy Robach.

Anne-Marie Slaughter was named the Director of Policy Planning for the U.S. Department of State, and worked closely with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Previously, she served as the Dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and was the Bert G. Kerstetter ’66 University Professor of Politics and International Affairs. Dr. Slaughter is a distinguished writer, commentator, and teacher on a wide range of global issues. Her most recent book is The Idea That Is America: Keeping Faith with Our Values in a Dangerous World. Dr. Slaughter earned her B.A. from Princeton University, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and an M.Phil. and D.Phil. from Oxford University. Growing up in Virginia, she has always been a strong proponent of empowering women. She currently resides in Princeton.

Kate Thomsen, M.D., was an environmentalist, a teacher, and a chemist prior to entering medical school. After her family medicine residency at Hunterdon Medical Center, she created the first Women’s Health Fellowship in family medicine in the country. Dr. Kate became nationally known for her women’s health presentations and policy work while serving as the Medical Director of Planned Parenthood Federation of America in New York. For the past ten years, she has had an innovative private practice in integrative health care for women located in Pennington. Dr. Kate has combined her knowledge of family medicine, gynecology, herbal medicine, and the delivery of compassionate, comprehensive, and prevention-focused heath care services.