Reflecting on 30 Years of The Revitalization Act: A Conversation with SWHR’s Founder

Thirty years ago, women and minority populations were regularly excluded from research. This led to gaps in our understanding about the impact of diseases, conditions, and life stages on women as well as the ability to provide informed, personalized care for these populations. On June 10, 1993, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) passed the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993. The Revitalization Act was a historic moment for women’s health research, mandating that women and minorities be included in all NIH-funded clinical research and that Phase III clinical trials be analyzed for sex differences. The law also established the Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) within the NIH and gave it the authority to monitor the inclusion of women in the NIH’s clinical research. 

The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR), which was founded just three years prior to this landmark legislation being passed, played a fundamental role in the Act’s development and subsequent passage. While SWHR has achieved myriad successes in women’s health, its advocacy for the Revitalization Act epitomizes SWHR’s commitment to changing the culture of medical research and advocating for the inclusion of women in clinical research across all areas of medicine.  

In celebration of 30 years since the initial passage of the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 this June, SWHR is reflecting on the history, progress, and future of women’s health research. While progress has been made, with many women’s health conditions are receiving unprecedented funding and focus today, there remain important gaps in women’s health that we can and must address.  

During a special conversation, SWHR President and CEO Kathryn Schubert, MPP, CAE sits down with SWHR Founder and Board Member Florence Haseltine, PhD, MD to discuss SWHR’s history and what opportunities lie ahead for inclusive, diverse, and equitable women’s health research.