Our mission is to harness science and patient insights to address urogenital pain, restoring dignity and enhancing well-being.
We believe no one should suffer in silence.
To improve the quality of life for individuals living with chronic intimate pain by breaking gender barriers, removing shame, and uncovering the true origins of pain and how to treat it. We believe in integration over isolation.
A world where no one suffers in silence or feels dismissed—where discomfort is openly discussed, accurately understood, and compassionately treated, and where science, care, and community restore confidence and dignity.
Patients first, always. We bridge research and lived experience, raise the standard of care, and advocate loudly to end the stigma around sensitive health.
We listen deeply, believe fully, and prioritize comfort and care in everything we do.
We bridge the disconnect between clinical research and real patient experiences to bring timely, effective solutions.
We push for a new era of care—rooted in empathy, evidence, and respect for those experiencing intimate pain.
We educate physicians, empower patients, and challenge stigma around sensitive health issues, especially for women and underserved communities.
Dr. Zolnoun founded ZenNovid with a profound vision: to alleviate pelvic pain and confront the societal stigma tied to sexual wellness. Her work is shaped by scientific rigor, the challenges she witnessed in patient care, and an unwavering determination to do better for those too often dismissed.
Building on that legacy, the ZenNovid Foundation emerged as a beacon of hope—pairing cutting-edge science with deep patient collaboration to restore dignity and quality of life.
In 2011, Dr. Zolnoun received the Women’s Health Research Medtronic Prize, recognizing her research on sex differences and her influential role as a mentor.
Guided by science and shaped by real patient voices, we work to uncover compassionate solutions that honor the whole person. Through research, advocacy, and innovation, we are restoring comfort, reclaiming confidence, and reminding every individual that they are not alone.
A foundation born from science, shaped by patients, and driven by the belief that intimate pain deserves to be understood—not dismissed.
Dr. Zolnoun founded ZenNovid with a profound vision: to alleviate pelvic pain and combat the societal stigmas tied to sexual wellness. This endeavor was deeply influenced by her scientific acumen, the challenges she faced in patient care, and an unwavering determination.
Her early translational research centered on the science of the skin barrier and urogenital comfort: understanding how protection, moisture, and friction shape intimate health. That clinical insight now anchors the foundation’s research, education, and patient advocacy.
In 2011, Dr. Zolnoun’s dedication to women’s health was recognized with the Women’s Health Research Medtronic Prize, celebrating her research on sex differences and her influential role as a mentor.
Building on this legacy, the ZenNovid Foundation emerged with a commitment to self-care and holistic well-being. The foundation employs cutting-edge science to offer tangible solutions to urogenital pain. Rooted in compassion and driven by robust patient collaboration, its mission is to restore dignity and enhance quality of life. Every donation directly propels the foundation’s research and educational endeavors—championing a future where pain is a relic of the past.
To improve the quality of life for individuals experiencing chronic intimate pain—breaking gender barriers, removing shame, and building a path toward understanding the true origin of pain and how to treat it. We believe in integration over isolation and the power of compassion-driven research.
A world where no one suffers in silence or feels dismissed. Where discomfort “down there” is not taboo, but openly discussed, accurately understood, and compassionately treated—where science, care, and community restore comfort, confidence, and dignity.
Patients first. We listen deeply, believe fully, and prioritize comfort and care in everything we do.
We listen deeply, believe fully, and prioritize comfort and care in everything we do.
We bridge the disconnect between clinical research and real patient experiences to bring timely, effective solutions.
We push for a new era of care—rooted in empathy, evidence, and respect for those experiencing intimate pain.
We educate physicians, empower patients, and challenge stigma around sensitive health issues, especially for women and underserved communities.
The people guiding the foundation’s mission: clinicians, advocates, and operators committed to restoring dignity in urogenital health.
Founder & Executive Director
Dr. Denniz Zolnoun is a board-certified OB/GYN, physician-scientist, and nationally recognized researcher whose work has advanced the understanding of vulvar, pelvic, and urogenital pain. As Founder and Executive Director, she guides the Foundation’s scientific, clinical, and patient-centered vision.
Chief Operating Officer
Tiffany Brackens is an operations and business management professional with experience building systems, coordinating teams, and supporting organizational growth. As Chief Operating Officer, she oversees the Foundation’s day-to-day operations, strategic initiatives, partnerships, and administrative infrastructure to help advance its mission sustainably.
Board Member · Business Development
Kristin Giuliani is an experienced CEO and business development leader with expertise in health and wellness, consumer products, market planning, sales, and retail. Through her leadership at Debut Development, LLC, she brings a growth-focused perspective to the Foundation’s partnerships, strategy, and long-term sustainability.
Board Member · Technology & Community Leadership
Tim Coleman is a senior technology executive and community leader with extensive experience in innovation, organizational strategy, and mentorship. He brings a forward-looking perspective to the Foundation while supporting its commitment to service, dignity, and stronger outcomes for future generations.
Board Member · Finance & Business Strategy
John Berkey is the founder of J Berkey & Co., LLC, a tax and financial services firm built around trust, transparency, and accessible expertise. He brings experience in financial strategy, business operations, and client service to help strengthen the Foundation’s fiscal stewardship and long-term planning.
Advisors and collaborators supporting the foundation in research, education, and community outreach will be featured here.
Rigorous, patient-centered research into the origins and treatment of urogenital and pelvic pain, led by clinicians who listen first.
Understanding how chronic intimate pain develops, why it is so often overlooked, and how sex differences shape both the experience of pain and the path to relief.
Advancing the clinical understanding of vulvodynia and related urogenital pain conditions, from anatomy and physiology to practical, compassionate treatment.
Bridging the gap between clinical research and lived patient experience so that findings can inform more responsive, respectful care.
Dr. Denniz Zolnoun’s scientific work spans more than two decades of clinical and translational research in vulvar pain, pelvic pain, sensory neurophysiology, and overlapping chronic pain conditions.
This body of work reflects the founder’s academic and clinical scholarship. It should not be interpreted as research conducted by the ZenNovid Foundation unless specifically identified as such.
A selection of peer-reviewed work spanning consensus leadership, clinical phenotyping, sensory science, and overlapping pain conditions.
Developed with leaders from three major professional societies, this consensus work helped standardize how persistent vulvar pain and vulvodynia are defined and classified across clinical care and research.
Bornstein J, Goldstein AT, Stockdale CK, Bergeron S, Pukall C, Zolnoun D, Coady D. Journal of Sexual Medicine. 2016;13(4):607–612.
Collaboration among ISSVD, ISSWSH, and IPPS.
This study compared mucosal sensitivity with deeper pelvic floor muscle sensitivity in people with provoked vestibulodynia, helping researchers examine whether different pain locations may represent distinct clinical dimensions.
Witzeman K, Nguyen R, Eanes A, As-Sanie S, Zolnoun D. Journal of Pain Research. 2015;8:549–555.
The Evidence-Based Vulvodynia Assessment Project established a multicenter registry model designed to improve standardized data collection, document patient experiences, and support stronger research into vulvodynia.
Lamvu G, Nguyen R, Burrows L, Rapkin A, Witzeman K, Marvel RP, Hutchins D, Witkin SS, Veasley C, Fillingim R, Zolnoun D. Journal of Reproductive Medicine. 2015;60:223–235.
This study evaluated whether a new method for assessing pressure pain sensitivity in the pelvis could produce reliable and reproducible measurements, supporting more consistent research and clinical evaluation.
Zolnoun D, Bair E, Essick G, Gracely R, Goyal V, Maixner W. The Journal of Pain. 2012;13(9):910–920.
This research examined differences in sensory processing among subgroups of women with vulvodynia and contributed to a broader understanding of how localized pain may involve central nervous system pathways.
Zhang Z, Zolnoun D, Francisco E, Holden J, Dennis R, Tommerdahl M. The Clinical Journal of Pain. 2011;27(9):755–763.
This study explored the relationship between vulvar pain and pain affecting the jaw and face, contributing to research on how chronic pain conditions may overlap across different regions of the body.
Zolnoun D, Rohl J, Moore CG, Perinetti-Liebert C, Lamvu G, Maixner W. The Clinical Journal of Pain. 2008;24(3):187–191.
A biomechanical study examining how force is transmitted through the index finger during physical examination, supporting efforts to make palpation and sensory assessment more measurable.
The Journal of Science and Medicine. 2021;3(2).
A collaborative genetic study examining the relationship between mitochondrial energy metabolism and susceptibility to fibromyalgia.
Pain. 2020;161(12):2860–2867.
Research examining whether microRNA patterns may help distinguish biological differences among chronic pain subtypes.
Translational Research. 2015;166(6):706–720.
An early clinical study evaluating overnight application of 5% lidocaine ointment as a treatment approach for localized vulvar pain.
Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2003;102(1):84–87.
Federal and institutional research support allowed Dr. Zolnoun and her collaborators to investigate the biological, sensory, and clinical dimensions of vulvar and persistent pelvic pain.
A multiyear NIH-supported program focused on improving the clinical and scientific classification of vulvar vestibulitis syndrome through patient-oriented research.
NIH/NICHD/ORWH · Grant 1 K23 HD 053631
A collaborative research initiative investigating biological and clinical pathways shared across persistent pain conditions, including vulvar pain.
Principal Investigator, Vulvar Vestibulitis Syndrome subproject
A multiparametric research project examining the sensory, muscular, mucosal, and broader clinical characteristics associated with vulvodynia.
NIH/NICHD · Grant R01HD072983
Presented by the Society for Women’s Health Research in recognition of Dr. Zolnoun’s scientific contributions to women’s health.
Recipient of first- and third-place awards at the International Pelvic Pain Society meeting.
Presented by the University of North Carolina Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in appreciation of dedication to medical student education.
Current research is examining how the presentation of vestibulodynia may differ when additional chronic primary pain conditions are present. Publication details will be added after the manuscript’s final journal status is confirmed.
The foundation hosts practicum students and research assistants beginning Fall 2026. Positions may include a stipend.
Analyze manuscripts, support literature reviews, and help move active research toward publication. Suited to graduate students in the health sciences.
Create evidence-based health education content for social media and community outreach. Suited to health behavior and health education students.
Support population studies and data analysis with our clinical and academic partners. Suited to epidemiology and biostatistics students.
Our Launch Partner Program is a meaningful collaboration between healthcare providers and the Foundation—expanding awareness, improving access, and generating sustainable funding for the communities we serve.
Through this partnership, we provide your practice with educational materials, patient handouts, informational flyers, and select mission-supporting products that align with our goals and values.
To ensure partners benefit too, products are initially supplied without upfront purchase requirements. Once products have sold, we invoice your office only for the agreed wholesale cost—so your practice retains the retail margin while contributing to a charitable mission.
Educational patient handouts and informational materials
Promotional flyers and awareness resources
Access to mission-supporting products for patient purchase
The opportunity to generate additional revenue through retail sales
Recognition as a community partner supporting our nonprofit mission
Direct support of research and education with every product sold
Tell us about your practice and patient community using the short form below.
We’ll reach out to align on goals, products, and what your patients need most.
Products are supplied to your office up front—no purchase required to start.
Sell to patients, keep the retail margin, and we invoice only the wholesale cost of items sold.
Tell us a little about your practice and we’ll be in touch. Questions? Email partnerships@zennovidfoundation.org.
If you live with chronic intimate or pelvic pain, you deserve care that listens deeply, takes your pain seriously, and treats you with dignity.
Specialized consultation for vulvodynia and related pain conditions, grounded in decades of clinical research and patient care.
Evaluation of persistent urogenital pain and discomfort, including symptoms that have been dismissed or unexplained elsewhere.
If you have been told it is all in your head, we start from a different place: your pain is real, and it has an origin worth finding.
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There are many ways to advance the mission—every one of them brings comfort, dignity, and relief closer for someone who needs it.
Your gift directly funds research and patient education. Give securely through our Voices for Vaginal Wellness fund.
Real patient voices shape everything we do. If you’re comfortable sharing your experience, it helps others feel less alone.
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The ZenNovid Foundation
PO Box 369, Carrboro, NC 27510-0369
(910) 593-2244
partnerships@zennovidfoundation.org
www.zennovidfoundation.org
Your donation directly fuels the Foundation’s research and educational work—championing a future where pain is understood, treated, and never dismissed.
Donate to Voices for Vaginal Wellness