Jill Biden directs $100 million to ‘life-changing’ women’s health research
The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, within the Department of Health and Human Services, will begin accepting “requests for solutions” to a list of women’s health care related topics, such as endometriosis and MS.
The White House is making good on its promise in November to “spur innovation” in women’s health research. On Wednesday, First Lady Jill Biden announced $100 million in federal funding for research and development focused on achieving “life-changing” scientific breakthroughs as part of the new White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research.
“We’ve heard from so many researchers and doctors and women who are excited about this project. However, we’ve also heard that too many exciting discoveries for women’s health never leave the lab because they’re seen as ‘too risky’ to invest in,” the first lady said when launching the “Sprint for Women’s Health” initiative at a forum on women’s health in Cambridge, Mass. “We are going to invest in your discoveries early, when private companies may not be willing to take the risk. We are going to give women’s health researchers and startups the funding they need to grow and help them bring ideas to market — and to the women who need them most.”
he funding will come from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), which falls under the Department of Health and Human Services umbrella. President Joe Biden created ARPA-H in 2022 as part of his “Unity Agenda for the Nation,” which includes not only women’s health initiatives but also those aimed at ending the opioid epidemic, tackling mental health, improving services for veterans, and ending cancer. The goal is to launch these efforts quickly and grant researchers the freedom to, as Jill Biden said Wednesday, “revolutionize our health.”
According to Axios: “Startup founders, investors, and health advocates gathered with ARPA-H officials after the [first lady’s] announcements to discuss various problems affecting women’s health. The agency’s program managers will develop focus areas for the women’s health research efforts and solicit ideas for potential solutions. … That could range from medical treatments and detection tools to new research models or gene-editing technology.”
“Spring for Women’s Health” supporters cite gender gaps in research resulting in insufficient funding for multiple sclerosis, endometriosis, and other conditions that disproportionately affect women.
Related: Biden announces new initiative to ‘spur innovation’ in women’s health research
“Together, … we will write new stories about women’s health care,” Jill Biden told forum attendees. “We will accelerate your ideas and change these women’s lives. We will build a health care system that puts women and their lived experiences at its center. Where no woman or girl has to hear that ‘it’s all in your head,’ or ‘it’s just stress.’ Where women aren’t just an afterthought, but a first thought. Where women don’t just survive with chronic conditions, but lead long and healthy lives.”