Advancing Women's Health Research: An Overview of U.S. Government Initiatives in the Past Three Decades

Abstract

In 1985, a U.S. Public Health Service Task Force on Women's Health Issues defined the criteria to differentiate a health condition, problem, or disease as a women's issue. The criteria include diseases or conditions that are unique, more prevalent, or more serious among women or have risk factors or interventions that are different for women. The 1990s ushered in a proliferation of policies and resources directed toward the understanding of sex and gender issues across the spectrum of health, health policy, and research. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH), established in 1990, was the first public health service office dedicated to women's health. In addition to supporting research on women's health issues, the ORWH had a congressional mandate to develop opportunities and support for the advancement of women in biomedical careers and ensure the representation of women in biomedical and behavioral research studies. ORWH, through its Women's Health Agenda for the 21st Century, catapulted collaborative multidisciplinary research efforts across the NIH. A number of innovative career development and mentoring programs have been implemented to increase participation of women in interdisciplinary and clinical investigations. Other federal agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration, Health Resources and Services Administration Office of Women's Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health, and Department of Defense, include gender and/or women‐specific directives that are now codified into statute in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. The NIH is altering its research focus to reduce reliance on male‐only models that have been typical in many research areas for decades. Studies that consider sex and gender differences are expected to bridge the divide between existing animal and human studies.