Recent Developments in Women’s Health Research at the US National Institutes of Health

Importance: This article highlights key National Institutes of Health (NIH) programs, policies, and scientific advances that have informed and improved the health of women and describe the promise and potential of harnessing cutting-edge science and integrative approaches to advance women's health research. Policy updates combined with recent scientific and programmatic initiatives are intended to expand understanding of women's health, deliver diagnostics, and develop preventive approaches and novel therapies to meet critical health needs of contemporary women. Observations: To benefit all people through the work funded and conducted by the NIH biomedical research enterprise, NIH has implemented policies that broadly expanded the knowledge of human health and disease from the laboratory to the clinic. Historically, women's health research initially focused on reproductive health and female-specific conditions. It has since expanded to encompass all aspects of the health of women. As new knowledge is generated, novel insights are uncovered about how diseases and conditions affect women uniquely, differently, or disproportionately and how sex and gender, as biological and social factors, respectively, influence health and disease at multiple levels. Although cutting-edge research has generated scientific advances leading to lifesaving vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments for women, many still do not have access to them. Thus, the White House announced an initiative that catalyzes innovative, integrative women's health research and propels translation from basic science to practical benefits, improving outcomes for all women across the lifespan. Conclusions and Relevance: NIH's policies, programs, and research funding fill gaps in knowledge about the health of women. Their synergistic results generate evidence for data-driven decision-making and targeted interventions that will improve the health not just of women, but of all people.