President Donald Trump signed an executive order Oct. 19 establishing a White House Women’s Health Task Force and directing HHS to create a Women’s Health Division at the National Institutes of Health within 90 days, according to a White House fact sheet and an HHS news release.
The order was led by first lady Melania Trump, who pushed for it and organized working sessions with physicians, HHS officials and other experts to help shape it, USA Today reported.
“This new division will help close lingering evidence gaps, expand and maximize the impact of our research investments, and bring discoveries closer to patients,” NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, MD, said in the release.
The new division will not replace the NIH’s Office of Research on Women’s Health, established in 1990, but will work with it and have a broader mandate that includes coordinating agencies to improve care for women and girls. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles will co-chair the task force.
“Improving the health of all Americans is a top priority for President Trump and the First Lady, and this task force will work to close critical research gaps and strengthen care for women across all stages of life, targeting some of the most widespread health conditions affecting them,” White House spokesperson Allison Schuster said in a statement shared with Becker’s.
The fact sheet cites research needs in areas including cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, autoimmune conditions, osteoporosis, mental health, chronic pain, endometriosis, fibroids, infertility, maternal health and menopause. The White House has not said how much funding will go toward research or treatment. The NIH typically spends about $5 billion a year on women’s health, or about 10% of its annual budget, USA Today reported, citing NIH data.
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 11:25 a.m. CDT Oct. 19.
