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About us
Learn more about our mission, team, partners, and funders
Our mission
Our mission is to empower families with early adolescents (ages 10-13) to engage in meaningful and informed conversations about sexual health and relationships by providing a research-backed, interactive digital tool that bridges communication barriers and offers age-appropriate, supportive guidance.
Our vision
Our vision is to establish Let's Talk as the leading and trusted resource for family-centered sexual health education, fostering open communication, improving adolescent sexual health literacy, and promoting healthier family dynamics nationwide.
Our team
Meet some of the experts behind Let's Talk who are dedicated to improving family communication.
Laura Widman, PhD, Founder, Content Lead
Dr. Laura Widman is a licensed clinical psychologist and professor with nearly two decades of experience as an adolescent sexuality researcher, sex educator, author, and digital health intervention developer. Her vision for Let's Talk was to address the lack of family-centered sex education for early adolescents.
Bianca Allison, MD, MPH, Medical Lead
Dr. Bianca Allison is a scientific and technical expert advising Let's Talk. Her research as a teen-focused general pediatrician and health services researcher centers on developing new approaches to deliver developmentally tailored sexual and reproductive healthcare to adolescents.
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Sabrina Percher, Business Lead
Sabrina Percher manages our team and provides business expertise and strategy support. She brings over 20 years of experience in business development and operations to the company. She is passionate about helping families connect.
Arnav Jhala, PhD, Technology Lead
Dr. Arnav Jhala is the Chief Technology Officer on the Let’s Talk team. He brings nearly two decades of experience in artificial intelligence (AI), digital platforms, and interactive systems. He is leading our effort to integrate AI into future iterations of Let's Talk.
Parent and Kid Advisors
As we've developed Let's Talk, we have worked with dozens of parents and kids who have served as expert advisors. They have shaped the look and feel of Let's Talk and tested all program content to make sure it is kid and parent approved!
Content and Technical Advisors
We have an amazing team of advisors working behind the scenes. These include product designers, learning designers, sex educators, researchers, programmers, and more. This team helps us make the content of Let's Talk medically-accurate, age-appropriate, and inclusive.
We are thankful to our partners and funders
North Carolina State University's Office of Research Commercialization has helped incubate Let's Talk and has a licensing partnership with us.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) provided a Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I award that enabled Teen Health Research to construct and test our initial product. (Grant number: R41 HD112212)
The State of North Carolina's One North Carolina SBIR/STTR Phase I Matching Funds Program provided financial support that matched the NIH STTR Phase I award, further enabling the early-stage development of Let's Talk.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) provided funding through its I-Corps program, which offered valuable customer discovery insights and laid the groundwork for the product development of Let's Talk. (Grant number: NSF 2224291)
The LAUNCH innovation accelerator, funded by the Office of Population Affairs and run by RTI International, competitively selected our team to accelerate the development and commercialization readiness of Let's Talk. (Grant number: 1TP2AH000087-01-00)
Lithios is the custom software development company that brought our ideas to life. Lithios crafts intuitive, simple, and functional mobile and web experiences. Let's Talk would not have been possible without their incredible design and programming services.
Interested in a partnership?
Join us on our mission to empower families to engage in meaningful and informed conversations about sexual health.
Why partner with us?
Let's Talk aims to partner with mission-driven organizations by aligning our research-backed, family-centered sexual health education program with their goals of promoting adolescent well being and healthy relationships. We seek collaborations with healthcare providers and community organizations that engage with families to integrate Let's Talk as a resource to support their existing educational efforts and expand their reach.
By partnering with Let's Talk, organizations can offer a convenient, interactive, and evidence-based tool to the families they serve, addressing the significant unmet need for accessible sexual health information and contributing to improved adolescent sexual literacy and health outcomes. Furthermore, we are actively exploring partnerships with non-profit organizations to ensure our program is accessible to families in need, demonstrating our commitment to health equity and making a broader impact on the community.
