NIH to cut funding for landmark women’s health study

NIH to cut funding for landmark women’s health study | Image Credit: © monticellllo - © monticellllo - stock.adobe.com.

The Woman’s Health Initiative (WHI), the first and largest National Institutes of Health (NIH) effort prioritizing women’s health, may soon be ending, according to the NIH.¹

On April 21, 2025, WHI leaders announced the termination of contracts supporting its regional centers in September. Additionally, funding for its clinical coordinating center at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center is uncertain beyond January 2026.

Data collection will be significantly influenced by contract cancellations for the 4 main WHI sites, creating significant limitations in research toward the health of older women. This cut, impacting an annual federal funding of nearly $10 million, has led scientists to worry about billions in future contract research funding cuts by the NIH.

Expert reactions to the cuts

“This trial just taught us an immense amount about prevention of disease in women,” said Sarah Temkin, MD, gynecological oncologist and prior associate director for clinical research in the Office of Research on Women’s Health at NIH. “This is a terrible, terrible thing to have happen.”

Approximately 55 million women in the United States are postmenopausal, highlighting the rapid growth of this population. This shows the significance of reduced research into these individuals. Additionally, Eric Whitsel, MD, MPH, principal investigator of the WHI, noted the loss of the WHI platform as a tool for early career scientists to advance their careers in medicine.

Decades of research and breakthroughs

The WHI was launched in 1991 with a focus on treatments to prevent bone fractures from osteoporosis, breast and colon cancer, and heart disease. This research led to significant findings, including a lack of heart disease prevention from combined estrogen and progestin pills used to manage symptoms of menopause.

Additionally, the WHI research led to the discovery that fractures in postmenopausal women are not prevented by calcium and vitamin D supplements. There are 42,000 women currently enrolled in the study who will be unable to interact with researchers from the 4 sites following the contract cuts.

According to Garnet Anderson, PhD, biostatistician running the WHI coordinating center, these women wish to continue being followed, having been enrolled in the cohort for up to 30 years. Following these patients for this period has allowed the largest data set on women aged over 80 years to be developed.

Warning letter sent to senators

NIH representatives are unsure whether this marks the start of several contract terminations by the Trump Administration, which aims for a 35% cut in the agency’s contracts, worth $2.6 billion. These concerns have led NIH workers to send a letter to Republican senators warning about the damage these cuts may lead to.

The letter, posted on Bluesky, states that the NIH was given 1 week to review 1600 contracts earlier in April.² Activities supported by these contracts include microscope and lab equipment maintenance, nursing for clinical trials, and biospecimen storage.

“These hastily executed NIH contract cuts will damage both ongoing medical research and clinical trials for diseases like cancer and dementia,” the NIH workers wrote.

At least 11 Republican senators are addressed in the letter. It urges them to create pressure for halting the cuts and provide 12 months or longer for the NIH to pare back contracts with help from patients, scientists, and doctors.

References

1. NIH guts its first and largest study centered on women. Science. April 22, 2025. Accessed April 23, 2025. https://www.science.org/content/article/nih-cancels-its-first-and-largest-study-centered-women.
2. Jeremy Berg. I received this letter. April 22, 2025. Accessed April 23, 2025. https://bsky.app/profile/jeremymberg.bsky.social/post/3lng2phnrfk2b.