Jessica Bell van der Wal is the Co-founder and CEO of Frame, the virtual fertility care platform she built alongside her husband, Corey, after facing their own challenges in starting a family. Their experience navigating a confusing and fragmented system inspired them to create a better, more supportive path for others.

Jessica brings two decades of healthcare experience to her role, having built and led digital health solutions across patients, payers, and employers at both private and public companies. Her background includes leadership roles at Castlight Health, Nike, Deloitte Consulting, and Genentech, where she led teams in marketing, customer success, operations, and strategy.

An advisor to several early-stage healthcare startups and nonprofits, Jessica is passionate about building mission-driven companies that meet people where they are. She holds a BA in Public Health from UNC-Chapel Hill and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

What inspired the founding of Frame, and how did your personal experiences shape its mission?

The inspiration for founding Frame came from both personal experience and our professional backgrounds in healthcare. Despite years working in the industry, Corey and I found ourselves overwhelmed and unsupported during our own fertility journey. We uncovered several underlying risk factors far too late in the process—factors that deeply impacted our ability to conceive. It was a wake-up call. If we, with all our knowledge and resources, felt lost and unsupported, what did that mean for everyone else going through this?

Thankfully, after undergoing fertility treatment, we were able to grow our family. But that experience fundamentally changed us. It fueled a deep desire to turn what we had learned—through both personal struggle and professional insight—into something better for others. That’s why we built Frame: to reimagine fertility care so no one has to feel alone or in the dark while navigating such a critical part of life. This mission drives everything we do.

Frame recently announced a partnership with Labcorp. Can you share the goals of this collaboration and how it aims to improve access to fertility care?

The goal of our collaboration with Labcorp is to improve timely access to fertility care by helping patients get to the right care at the right time. Today, there’s a growing shortage of both fertility specialists and OB/GYNs across the U.S., which creates long wait times, delayed diagnoses, and unnecessary confusion for patients trying to understand their reproductive health. By partnering with Labcorp, we’re able to meet patients earlier in their journey—often when they’re just starting to ask questions or get lab work done—and guide them with clinically grounded next steps.

Through this collaboration, Frame is integrating with Labcorp’s nationwide footprint to identify potential fertility issues sooner and connect individuals with personalized, appropriate care pathways based on their results and risk factors. It’s about making fertility care more proactive, not reactive—so that patients aren’t left waiting months or even years before receiving the support or interventions they need. Together, we’re working to close critical gaps in the fertility care experience and ensure more people have access to timely, informed, and compassionate care.

How does Frame’s virtual care model work in conjunction with Labcorp’s diagnostic services to support patients on their fertility journey?

Frame’s virtual care model is designed to work hand-in-hand with Labcorp’s diagnostic services to provide patients with a more comprehensive, supportive, and clinically guided fertility experience. This partnership offers a bundled approach: patients get a comprehensive fertility panel, semen analysis (if needed), and genetic testing through Labcorp, and then review their lab results with a Frame clinician to determine personalized next steps.

This results review isn’t just about reading numbers; it’s about translating lab data into real-world next steps. Our clinicians help patients understand what their results mean in the context of their goals and medical history. From there, we guide them toward the appropriate care—whether that’s lifestyle changes, additional diagnostics, or a referral to a specialist. We also provide ongoing support and coordination, so patients don’t have to navigate the complex fertility landscape alone. Together with Labcorp, we’re creating a seamless experience that bridges diagnostics and expert-led, empathetic care—ensuring patients receive timely, actionable insights and feel supported every step of the way.

What are the common challenges individuals face in early-stage fertility care, and how does Frame address these issues?

In the early stages of fertility care, many individuals face a lot of uncertainty and frustration. One of the most common challenges is simply not knowing where to start. People often wonder: Do I need help? Should I get tested? Is what I’m experiencing normal? That uncertainty is compounded by fear, stigma, and the emotional weight of the unknown. On top of that, the logistics of getting care—figuring out who to see, scheduling appointments, and making time for multiple visits—can feel overwhelming.

Frame addresses these challenges by offering an easy, accessible entry point: comprehensive lab testing through Labcorp paired with virtual visits from experienced clinicians. We help patients understand their results, answer their questions, and create a personalized care plan—bringing clarity, support, and direction when they need it most.

In what ways does Frame’s approach differ from traditional fertility care models, particularly regarding early intervention and patient support?

Frame’s approach is designed to complement, not replace, traditional fertility care. Traditional models often require in-person visits and tend to focus on treatment after someone has already faced challenges conceiving. Frame fills the critical gap before that point, helping patients identify underlying issues sooner through comprehensive lab testing, virtual clinician visits, and algorithm-driven care pathways. By helping patients get clarity earlier, we can guide them to the right level of care at the right time, including making timely, well-informed referrals to fertility specialists when needed.

How does Frame ensure that both male and female patients receive comprehensive support throughout their fertility journey?

At Frame, we’re intentional about supporting both male and female patients throughout the fertility journey. Fertility is a shared experience, and we’ve built our model to reflect that—whether someone comes to us as an individual or as part of a couple. Our intake process, lab testing, and virtual care model are designed to assess and support all relevant factors across both partners.

If a patient is partnered, we encourage and facilitate testing and care for both individuals, recognizing that male-factor infertility accounts for nearly half of all cases. Our clinicians are trained to address the full spectrum of reproductive health concerns—regardless of gender—and we ensure that both partners receive personalized insights, education, and guidance tailored to their unique needs and goals.

Can you discuss how Frame’s services integrate with existing healthcare providers, such as OB/GYNs and fertility specialists?

Frame integrates seamlessly with existing healthcare providers by acting as an extension of their care. We work closely with OB/GYNs, fertility specialists, and primary care teams to support patients between visits, help manage early-stage evaluations, and ensure timely, appropriate referrals when more advanced care is needed.

By embedding ourselves into the broader care ecosystem, we help providers extend their reach—offering patients virtual access to lab testing, results interpretation, and guided next steps. Patients get clarity and direction sooner, while providers benefit from having better-prepared, better-informed patients entering their care. It’s a collaborative model that reduces bottlenecks and enhances the overall care experience.

Looking ahead, what are your aspirations for Frame, and how do you envision its impact on the future of fertility care?

Looking ahead, I see Frame driving a fundamental shift in how fertility care is delivered—making early fertility risk screening a routine and essential part of preventive healthcare for everyone. Our goal is to catch potential issues before they become barriers, empowering people with knowledge and options long before they face urgent fertility challenges.

By embedding fertility risk assessment into standard care, we can help patients and providers make smarter, earlier decisions that improve outcomes and reduce the emotional and financial burden of delayed diagnosis. Ultimately, I want Frame to be a catalyst for a more proactive, equitable, and patient-centered fertility care system—one where everyone has access to personalized support and clarity from the very start of their fertility and family-building journey.

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