President Biden on Monday announced executive action to expand federal research into women's health, including midlife conditions such as menopause, arthritis and heart disease, as well as issues that particularly affect women in the military.
In what the White House described as the president's “most comprehensive” action on women's health research, Biden on Monday told federal agencies to ensure federal funding for research into health conditions and diseases that disproportionately affect women. He plans to sign an executive order directing the use of the funds. woman. The move comes after Biden said late last year that first lady Jill Biden would lead efforts to address the underrepresentation of women in health research.
“For too long, women's health research has been underfunded and understudied,” says Carolyn M. Mazure, Ph.D., a psychologist and professor at Yale School of Medicine. “We still know very little about how to effectively prevent, diagnose, and treat a variety of health conditions in women.”
Dr. Mazure said these conditions could include heart disease, Alzheimer's disease and uterine fibroids. Dr. Biden is traveling the country to learn about such disparities and the “cutting-edge research that investing in women's health makes possible,” Dr. Mazure said.
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 and the Alabama Supreme Court ruled last month that frozen embryos are considered children, threatening in vitro fertilization, the Biden campaign said Republicans would It has been increasingly criticized for damaging the country. Biden said in his State of the Union address earlier this month that these decisions would encourage women to vote in the November election, while also saying the White House would commit to investing in women's health over the coming year.
“Women make up more than half of the population, but research on women's health has always been underfunded,'' Biden said, pledging $12 billion to create a new fund for women's health research at national institutes. He asked Congress to pass a plan to do so. of health. Meanwhile, an executive order signed Monday directs the NIH to spend $200 million on women's health research. Dr. Biden visited Cambridge, Massachusetts last month to announce the first phase of the Women's Health Initiative: $100 million to support women's health researchers and startups.
Biden's executive order would require government agencies to annually report on investments in women's health research and explore ways to use artificial intelligence to advance research. NIH will increase investment in small businesses focused on women's health by 50%. The Department of Defense will also invest $10 million to learn more about cancer and mental health issues that affect women in active military service.
