Leading Women's Health Organizations Launch National Strategy to Close the Women's Health Gap, Calling for $20 Billion Congressional Investment
核心洞察
The American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (搜索), Society for Women's Health Research (搜索), and Women First Research Coalition (搜索) unveiled a national framework calling on Congress to invest $20 billion over 10 years to transform women's health research, care, and outcomes.
The strategy outlines five key priorities: research and innovation, regulatory coordination, data infrastructure, workforce development, and public awareness and education.
The framework has been endorsed by more than 40 leading health organizations, including the American Heart Association, Endocrine Society (搜索), and March of Dimes.
Washington, D.C. — The American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (搜索) (ACOG), the Society for Women's Health Research (搜索) (SWHR), and the Women First Research Coalition (搜索) (WFRC) today unveiled the National Strategy to Close the Women's Health Gap, a comprehensive framework calling on Congress to invest $20 billion over 10 years to transform women's health research, care, and outcomes.
The announcement marks a significant coordinated effort by leading women's health organizations to address longstanding disparities in how women's health is studied, funded, and delivered across the United States.
"Closing the women's health gap requires not only funding research, but also investment in the people who conduct that research and those who translate research findings and discoveries into better patient care," said Sandra E. Brooks, MD, MBA, FACOG, Chief Executive Officer of ACOG. "Strengthening the women's health research and clinical workforce is critical to accelerating the innovation needed to improve health outcomes for women."
A Framework Built on Five Key Priorities
The National Strategy recommends sustained federal investment across five interconnected priority areas designed to create a comprehensive approach to closing the women's health gap:
Research and Innovation: The strategy calls for expanding federal investment in women's health research and establishing a national network of Women's Health Centers of Excellence to drive scientific discovery.
Regulatory Coordination and Modernization: The framework proposes better integration of women's health across federal agencies and accelerated translation of research into new therapies and cures.
Data and Evidence Infrastructure: Strengthening women's health data collection, sharing, and analysis forms a critical pillar of the proposed strategy.
Bolstering the Clinical and Research Workforce: The plan recommends expanding training, mentorship, and loan repayment programs to grow the women's health workforce.
Public Awareness and Education: Improving health literacy, promoting preventive care, and increasing participation in women's health research round out the five priorities.
Building on the 1993 NIH Revitalization Act
The strategy acknowledges the foundational importance of the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993, which required the inclusion of women in NIH-funded clinical research. While that landmark law transformed medical research, the organizations emphasize that significant gaps remain in women's health research, clinical care, and implementation.
Women make up more than half of the U.S. population, yet their health needs are too often ignored or minimized in research and clinical practice. The National Strategy calls for a coordinated national effort to ensure that women benefit from scientific discovery, medical innovation, and evidence-based care throughout every stage of life.
"The women's health gap has persisted for far too long," said Kathryn Schubert, MPP, CAE, President and Chief Executive Officer of SWHR. "This strategy offers Congress a roadmap to improve health outcomes, drive innovation, and build a healthier future for women, families, and communities."
Broad Coalition of Endorsing Organizations
The framework has garnered endorsement from more than 40 leading health organizations spanning a wide range of medical specialties and patient advocacy groups. Endorsing organizations include the American Heart Association, Endocrine Society (搜索), American Society for Reproductive Medicine, March of Dimes, Lupus Foundation of America, National Health Council, Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Society of Gynecologic Oncology, Women's Alzheimer's Movement at Cleveland Clinic, and the Autoimmune Association, among many others.
The breadth of endorsements underscores the cross-cutting nature of women's health disparities and the widespread recognition that coordinated federal action is needed. By strengthening research, modernizing policy, investing in the workforce, and improving access to evidence-based care, the coalition argues that Congress can help ensure women receive high-quality care throughout every stage of life.