ICYMI: The White House Hosts First-Ever Women's Health Research Conference

Today, the President and First Lady hosted the first-ever White House Conference on Women's Health Research. The Conference, organized in collaboration with the White House Initiative on Women's Health Research and the Milken Institute, brought together business and philanthropic leaders, academic researchers, women's health advocates, investors, and federal agency representatives to showcase the President and First Lady's historic leadership to advance women's health research and discuss how to continue making progress on improving women's health.

Launched by President Biden and Dr. Biden in November 2023, the White House Initiative on Women's Health Research has worked to fundamentally change how our country approaches and funds research on women's health. Since its launch, the Initiative has galvanized nearly $1 billion in funding to close gaps in research on women's health. These investments will advance research to improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases and conditions that affect women uniquely, disproportionately, and differently—from menopause to brain disorders to cardiovascular disease.

"The work we're doing on women's health research is some of the most important work this Administration has ever done," said President Biden during the Conference.

"We brought all of you into this room to elevate all this information: discoveries that will change how we treat menopause symptoms…research that uses genetics to find the cause of extreme morning sickness…funders and founders who are seeing the market for women's health products triple, advocates who are making sure that women know that solutions are at our fingertips if we just keep fighting for them. Together, we've laid down a new line, a marker of our progress toward closing the gaps in women's health," said the First Lady at the Conference.

Read more below:

Associated Press: Biden says healthy women help US prosperity as he highlights White House initiative on their health

[Darlene Superville, 12/11/24]

President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he is "so proud" that a women's health research initiative he launched last year at his wife's urging has already invested nearly $1 billion because a healthy female population improves U.S. prosperity.

"That's a fact," he said in closing remarks at the first White House Conference on Women's Health Research. "We haven't gotten that through to the other team yet," Biden said, referencing President-elect Donald Trump and his incoming administration.

Trump's three conservative nominees to the Supreme Court from his first term as president voted to overturn a woman's constitutional right to an abortion. Democrats campaigned on reproductive rights and women's health issues in this year's elections.

Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for Trump's transition team, said the president-elect will keep his promise to improve health in the U.S.
"President Trump campaigned on making America healthy again for ALL Americans including men, women, and children, and he will deliver on that promise," Leavitt said in an email.

Women make up half of the U.S. population, about 168 million people, but medical research into their unique health circumstances has largely been underfunded and understudied, officials have said.

Spectrum News: Bidens celebrate progress on efforts to boost women's health research with White House conference
[Maddie Gannon, 12/11/24]

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden on Wednesday celebrated progress on their push to boost research on women's health and vowed to continue the fight as the pair prepares to leave the White House in less than six weeks.

Speaking from the White House East Room on Wednesday morning, the president referred to the effort as "some of the most important work this administration has ever done."

"This initiative lays the groundwork for discovery and research for generations to come. Mark my words," President Biden said. "And the benefits we gain tomorrow will happen because we made the decision to do something about it today."

The first lady called for this to "be the moment that we push harder."

"We — all of us — we have built the momentum," she said. "Now it's up to us to make it unstoppable."

The first couple's remarks put the cap on the White House's first-ever Conference on Women's Health Research, which featured speeches from other officials and leaders on the issue and two panel discussions.

The conference comes as part of the Biden administration's efforts to close gaps between information and knowledge on women's and men's health issues.

A report by the World Economic Forum and the McKinsey Health Institute released in January found women spend 25% more of their lives in poor health despite living longer on average than men.

"The United States has the best health research in the world," the first lady noted on Wednesday. "Yet women's health is under-studied, and research is underfunded."

"For example, we know that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women," Jill Biden added. "But we don't know — we don't know enough about how menopause may affect heart disease. That's going to change now."

The Bidens noted that they have galvanized nearly $1 billion to address the inequities in research since the official launch of the initiative late last year. The first lady – who the president tapped to lead the effort – has traveled the country and also participated in events in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to bring attention to the issue.

"The goal was to fundamentally change and improve how we approach and invest in women's health research," President Biden said.

Earlier this year, the president signed an executive order aimed at leveling the research playing field, in part by boosting funding opportunities, encouraging innovation and strengthening data collection. Since then, more than 100 actions have been taken across federal agencies to prioritize women's health research, according to the White House.

Nexstar: White House hosts first-ever women's health research event
[Jordan Connell, 12/11/24]

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden hosted the first-ever White House Conference on Women's Health Research on Wednesday.

"Today, we are saying to women everywhere, we hear you and we will get you the answers you need," the first lady said during remarks from the East Room.

The conference brought together researchers and advocates as well as policymakers to discuss ways to advance women's health research.

Just over a year ago, the Biden administration announced the initiative to fund and invest in research for things like ovarian cancer, menopause and high blood pressure in pregnant women.

"The United States has the best health research in the world. Yet, women's health is under studied and research is underfunded," Jill Biden said.

Over the past year, the first lady has traveled across the country to meet with researchers, visit universities and connect with leaders across industries to further the initiative.

"Together we've laid down a new line, a marker of our progress toward closing the gaps in women's health," she said.

President Biden said his administration has invested nearly $1 billion in research on women's health, and in March he signed an executive order directing federal agencies to further expand research.

"The work we're doing on women's health research is some of the most important work this administration has ever done," Biden said. "There's literally never been more of a comprehensive effort from the federal government to spur innovation in women's health research in our entire history."

The president and first lady said that although they are leaving the White House next month, they hope to continue their work to improve and advance women's health research.

The Hill: White House to host first-ever Conference on Women's Health Research
[Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech, 12/11/24]

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden will host the first-ever White House Conference on Women's Health Research on Wednesday, according to details shared with The Hill.
The Washington Post first reported the news late Tuesday.

Business and philanthropic leaders, academic researchers, women's health advocates, investors and federal agency representatives will discuss scientific innovations in women's health care and the business of investing in women's health, according to a White House official.

The Biden administration launched an initiative last year aimed at closing the decades-long gap in women's health research. Biden issued an executive order early this year directing agencies to accelerate or expand research on women's health and strengthen their data collection to "prevent, diagnose, and treat conditions" that affect women uniquely or differently than men.

Health conditions that mainly affect women have long been under-researched, and that research and historically been underfunded compared to studies examining diseases and health conditions primarily impacting men.

Women's health research is underfunded in both the private and public sectors. A recent report from The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine found that about 9 percent of the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) research spending between 2013 and 2023 went to women's health research.

The report also found that NIH grant funding has increased overall since 2013 in funds spent and projects funded. But the agency's funding for women's health research shrank every year between 2013 and 2023.

It's unclear whether expanding women's health research is a priority for the incoming Trump administration. Some Democratic lawmakers fear President-elect Trump will roll back progress made in women's health research under the Biden administration.

Women's health research advocates are hopeful that continued progress can be made next year, given the bipartisan efforts made in both the House and the Senate to pass bills on women's health.

Scripps: Biden hopes to close the gender gap in health care
[Serena Marshall and Kellan Howell, 12/11/24]

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden brought together researchers, investors and advocates Wednesday for the White House's first ever research conference on women's health.

"The National Institutes of Health is using their funding to break down the silos," President Biden said during the event. "For example, we know that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women. But we don't know enough about how menopause may affect heart disease, and that's going to change."

The Biden Administration launched an initiative last year to focus on Women's Health Research. And according to the White House, in the last year they "galvanized nearly $1 billion in funding to close gaps in research on women's health. These investments will advance research to improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases and conditions."

In the spring, President Biden also signed an executive order that directed federal agencies to expand and accelerate research into not just women-specific health issues, but how to prevent, diagnose and treat conditions uniquely for women.

"The goal was to fundamentally change and improve how we approach and invest in women's health research," he said. "To pioneer the next generation of scientific research and discoveries that are going to improve care women receive all across the country. Because the fact is the health of our moms and grandmothers, sisters and daughters, friends and colleagues, affects not just women's well-being but the prosperity of the entire nation."

UPI: White House hosts first-ever women's health research conference
[Chris Benson, 12/11/24]

The outgoing president and first lady on Wednesday hosted the first-ever conference on Women's Health Research.

The White House Conference on Women's Health Research brought together scores of leaders in the philanthropic and business industries, and researchers, advocates for women's health, business investors and government representatives to look at investing and other innovations in women health care.

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden addressed a crowd in the East Room of the White House. First lady Dr. Jill Biden also attended.

"Today, we are saying to women everywhere, we hear you and we will get you the answers you need," Jill Biden said in her remarks.

Watch more below:

MSNBC: WH Holds first-ever conference on women's health

NBC News: Bidens push for funding on 'innovative research' on women's health