A New Vision for Women’s Health Research: Transformative Change at the National Institutes of Health

Although women make up over half the population, research on women’s health and healthcare remains severely lacking.  Dr. Chloe E. Bird, Director of Tufts Center for Health Equity Research, served as a member of the National Academies of Sciences Committee on the Assessment of Women’s Health Research at NIH.  The committee found that just 8.8% of NIH grant funding went to women’s health research over the last 11 years.  After examining gaps in women’s health research and funding, the committee proposed policy changes regarding research priorities, workforce, systems, and funding to bridge the gaps and build an evidence base on the health of women.