President Trump signed an executive order Monday creating a National Institutes of Health division focused on women’s health and turning research into cures.
First lady Melania Trump pushed for the move, which also established a women’s health task force led by White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“This is a transformative moment for women in America. Beginning today, we will change the reality of women’s health,” Mrs. Trump said. “Previous generations fought for women’s rights. Our generation will fight to discover the cures that will ensure a woman can lead her life in health and to the fullest.”
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Women are impacted by breast, cervical and uterine cancers, and are disproportionately affected by Alzheimer’s disease, migraines and autoimmune conditions such as lupus, thyroid disease and multiple sclerosis.
“Despite considerable advances in biomedical science, many diseases and conditions that disproportionately or uniquely affect women have not received the level of research, clinical attention, and treatment that other diseases and conditions have received,” Mr. Trump’s executive order says.
Mrs. Trump’s initiative is focused on “five pillars of innovation” that direct the government to:
• Direct funds to research into cures for diseases that disproportionately impact women.
• Use artificial intelligence to improve insight into female biology and speed up medical discoveries.
• Accelerate the process of getting promising drugs and treatments from laboratories to female patients, while adhering to safety standards.
• Ensure that medical breakthroughs are accessible and affordable to women, regardless of their finances.
• Replace “generations of silence” with open conversation, education, and compassion surrounding women’s health.
There is an Office of Research on Women’s Health within the NIH Office of the Director that mostly coordinates funds instead of running its own labs. There is no division or institute specifically tasked with women’s health issues.
The president said the creation of a women’s health division at NIH is a “big deal” and seems “so basic.”
“It hasn’t been done, but it’s been done under Trump,” Mr. Trump said.
The order calls on NIH to establish a Women’s Health Division within “an appropriate institute or center” within 90 days.
Mr. Trump highlighted Ms. Wiles, who survived breast cancer.
“She’s a tremendous fighter,” Mr. Trump said of his chief of staff. “Much like our first lady, she cares deeply about improving the health of American women.”
Mrs. Trump said she hopes the initiative not only prolongs women’s lives, but allows them to live to the fullest.
“We are women. We are resilient, capable and deserving of lives defined not by the burdens we carry, but by the possibilities before us,” she said. “Our health should never limit the fullness of our lives.”
Beyond NIH, the order requires the White House task force to develop a comprehensive federal approach to women’s health needs — from infancy to midlife and menopause to advanced age — and “ensure timely and stage-specific prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care,” the order says.
About a dozen Cabinet officials from a wide swath of agencies will join Ms. Wiles and Mr. Kennedy on the task force roster.
“For generations, women have faced unanswered questions about conditions that uniquely or disproportionately affect them,” Mr. Kennedy said. “This new NIH division will confront those questions with gold-standard science, accelerate research into prevention and treatment, and turn medical discoveries into better care for women and girls across America.”
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