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, according to a White House fact sheet.
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. The division will coordinate research, address gaps in scientific understanding and speed up the translation of discoveries into better outcomes.
The new division will not replace the NIH’s Office of Research on Women’s Health, established in 1990, but will have a broader mandate that includes coordinating agencies to improve care for women and girls. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will lead 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 10:33 a.m. CDT Oct. 19.
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