National strategy calls for $20B investment to close women's health gap

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the Society for Women's Health Research (SWHR), and the Women First Research Coalition (WFRC) have unveiled the National Strategy to Close the Women's Health Gap, a framework calling on Congress to commit $20 billion over 10 years to transform women's health research, care, and outcomes.¹

According to the strategy, women make up more than half of the population in the United States, yet their health needs across conditions and life stages have been understudied and underserved for decades.² The agencies recount when Congress took a landmark step in 1993 by requiring the inclusion of women in NIH-funded clinical research through the NIH Revitalization Act, but significant gaps in women's health research, clinical care, and implementation remain.¹ The National Strategy calls for a coordinated national effort to ensure women benefit from scientific discovery, medical innovation, and evidence-based care throughout every stage of life.^1,2

What are the 5 investment priorities of the National Strategy?

The strategy organizes its proposed $20 billion investment across 5 key priorities, each with dedicated funding allocations.²

• Research and innovation ($7 billion) would expand federal investment in women's health research across NIH, VA, DoD, and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, establish a Women's Health Research Interdisciplinary Fund at NIH, and create a national network of Women's Health Centers of Excellence to accelerate the translation of research into clinical care and serve as training sites for researchers and clinicians.
• Regulatory coordination and modernization ($1 billion) would improve cross-agency collaboration, modernize pathways to address sex differences in drug and treatment approvals, update NIH tracking systems to accurately account for women's health research investment, and develop publication standards requiring authors to demonstrate how sex as a biological variable was considered throughout the research process.
• Data and evidence infrastructure ($4 billion) would establish a public-private partnership for women's midlife health data, convene a public workshop to review existing women's health research datasets, and develop common data elements to fill gaps and make datasets widely available to the research community.
• Bolstering the clinical and research workforce ($7 billion) would create and expand career pathways and loan repayment programs for women's health researchers and clinicians, establish a women's health clinical workforce loan repayment program modeled on the National Health Service Corps, and support fellowships and interdisciplinary training at Women's Health Centers of Excellence with particular emphasis on rural and underserved areas.
• Public awareness and education ($1 billion) would fund national campaigns to improve health literacy, promote preventive care, and increase participation in women's health research, reaching women across life stages through digital and traditional media channels developed in consultation with patient advocacy organizations and relevant medical societies.²

“The women's health gap has persisted for far too long,” said Kathryn Schubert, MPP, CAE, President and CEO of SWHR. “This strategy offers Congress a roadmap to improve health outcomes, drive innovation, and build a healthier future for women, families, and communities.”¹

“Closing the women's health gap requires not only funding research, but also investment in the people who conduct that research and those who translate research findings and discoveries into better patient care,” added Sandra E. Brooks, MD, MBA, FACOG, CEO of ACOG. “Strengthening the women's health research and clinical workforce is critical to accelerating the innovation needed to improve health outcomes for women.”¹

The strategy also noted that women have higher annual out-of-pocket health care costs than men and live 25% of their lives in poorer health, underscoring the economic and public health rationale for sustained congressional investment.²

Which organizations have endorsed the National Strategy?

The framework has been endorsed by the following organizations:¹

• Alliance for Aging Research
• Alliance for Women's Health and Prevention
• American Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Foundation
• American Gynecological and Obstetrical Society
• American Heart Association
• American Society for Reproductive Medicine
• American Urogynecologic Society
• Arthritis Foundation
• Autoimmune Association
• Black Women's Health Imperative
• Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation
• Women's Alzheimer's Movement at Cleveland Clinic
• COPD Foundation
• Council of Chairs of Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Endocrine Society
• EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases
• Fibroid Foundation
• Foundation for Women's Health
• HealthyWomen
• Let's Talk Menopause
• Lupus Foundation of America
• March of Dimes
• National Health Council
• National Menopause Foundation
• National MS Society
• National Psoriasis Foundation
• Prevent Blindness
• Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine
• Society for Reproductive Investigation
• Society of Family Planning
• Society of Gynecologic Oncology
• Society of Gynecologic Surgeons
• Menopause Society
• White Dress Project
• UsAgainstAlzheimer's
• Women's Health Advocates
• WomenHeart

References:

1. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. ACOG, SWHR, and WFRC unveil National Strategy to Close the Women's Health Gap. Press release. Published July 15, 2026. Accessed July 15, 2026. https://www.acog.org/news/news-releases/2026/07/leading-womens-health-organizations-launch-national-strategy-close-womens-health-gap
2. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Society for Women's Health Research, Women First Research Coalition. National Strategy to Close the Women's Health Gap: An Investment in America. Accessed July 15, 2026. https://swhr.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/National-Strategy_Full-Document.pdf