A new era for women's health research: President Trump signed an executive order establishing a Women's Health Division at NIH and the first-ever White House Women's Health Task Force. The division will focus on closing research gaps in conditions like CVD, menopause, PMOS, and maternal health. HHS Secretary RFK Jr. and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles will co-chair the task force.
A new era for women's health research
President Trump signed an executive order directing HHS to establish a Women's Health Division at the NIH within 90 days — a move aimed at addressing longstanding research gaps in conditions that uniquely or disproportionately affect women. The order also creates the first-ever White House Women's Health Task Force, co-chaired by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
The new NIH division will coordinate research, promote personalized medicine, and work to translate scientific discoveries into clinical practice. Key focus areas include cardiovascular disease, cancer, menopause, polyendocrine metabolic ovary syndrome (PMOS, formerly PCOS), maternal health, Alzheimer's disease, fibroids, and autoimmune conditions. The division will also enforce NIH requirements to account for sex as a biological variable in research.
Key Takeaways
Why it matters: Women have long been underrepresented in medical research, leading to evidence gaps that affect clinical care. This federal action signals a structural shift in how the U.S. government prioritizes and funds women's health science across the lifespan.
