Women’s Health Research Day is celebrated on January 25 each year to mark the anniversary of the implementation of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Policy on Sex as a Biological Variable (SABV) in 2016.
While progress in women’s health research may look different each year, this January, as part of the Society for Women’s Health Research’s 35th anniversary year, provides a special time for us to reflect on the work we do and the ongoing importance of advancing women’s health in all corners of the health care, medical, and research ecosystems.
Looking back and looking forward 35 years, the Society staff shares their reflects for Women’s Health Research Day here:
Madelyn Adams, Public Policy & Advocacy Manger
Women often internalize the burden of putting their health to the sidelines while simultaneously adopting lead caretaker and medical decision-maker roles for their families. I work in women’s health research – specifically with a policy perspective – to advocate for the resources that are necessary for centering women’s health not as something that is an afterthought in clinical practice, research, and policy, but something central to the entire health and medicine enterprise.
I am excited to see what seems to be an increasing consensus and awareness of women’s health. While there is so much room for progress when it comes to women’s health – especially in such a hyper-politicized environment – I am excited to see increasing bipartisan attention and consensus around women’s health issues like menopause.
The term “women’s health” is often conflated with reproductive healthcare and, while that area is certainly important for women’s health and well-being, other condition areas also have disparate or disproportionate impacts on women, and we need to be having conversations around those conditions, too. I hope soon women’s health research is no longer an afterthought – and that it gets all the funding and resources it deserves from federal agencies.
Emma Bixler, Development Manager
When I was a teenager, I started my own complicated health journey with little information about what was happening in my body. I was constantly being told conflicting information, so I learned how to become an advocate for myself and my experience. I work in women’s health research today to help women with their own health experiences, so women can have access to more information, have better health outcomes, and feel empowered to make their best health decisions.
Sarah Chew, MPH, Science Programs Manager
As someone who is driven by my strong sense of mission, I think there is no better topic to work in than women’s health research. Every day working in this field, we have the opportunity to improve women’s lives by bettering their health outcomes, increasing their access to care, and giving them greater agency over their bodies and decisions. Further, we are able to support and herald female researchers, scientists, and health care practitioners, building a stronger health care workforce that includes diverse perspectives and innovative solutions. By working in women’s health, we are helping to build a future where women’s health is mainstream.
Syreen Goulmamine, MPH, Science Programs Manager
Deeply invested in science and public health, I work in women’s health research to address the persistent gaps in care and disparities that disproportionately affect women, particularly women of color. My hope for the next 35 years is to see women’s health research amplify diverse patient voices and develop holistic approaches to care that consider the influence of social determinants of health. Integrating these perspectives will allow us to improve women’s health outcomes across the lifespan and ensure that every woman’s unique health needs are recognized and prioritized.
Fatima Koroma, GW Capstone Student
I hope that the next 35 years of women’s health research will revolutionize the health and well-being of all women globally. I hope that we continue to focus on researching diseases and conditions that disproportionally impact women. I believe that in the next 35 years, women’s health research will significantly contribute to the eradication of health inequity.
Monica Lefton, Communications Director
Women’s health and women’s health research truly impacts us all. Women’s health is not just how women navigate the health care system as patients – it reflects the role of women as caregivers to their families; the leadership women take on as public health advisors in their communities; the part women play as clinicians, nurses, and providers in the health care workforce; the place women hold in the research lab as innovators and clinical trial leads, asking questions that ultimately impact their own care. When we advance women’s health research, we’re advancing health research for us all.
Lindsey Miltenberger, MA, Chief Advocacy Officer
I work in women’s health research because the current state of women’s health care is simply not good enough. It’s unacceptable that conditions uniquely or disproportionately affecting women—such as uterine fibroids and endometriosis—remain underfunded and under-researched. It frustrates me that women are still underrepresented in certain areas of research, leading to gaps not only in our broader understanding of diseases, conditions, and life stages, but also in the treatment of their health needs. I’m concerned that I continue to hear stories of women whose heart disease symptoms were dismissed as stress, highlighting the persistent biases in health care.
We have some of the brightest minds in our federal research enterprise and we have advanced tools at our disposal. We have advocates and stakeholders working tirelessly to change the status quo. We have the power to transform women’s health care and ensure women get the care they deserve. It’s an exciting and inspiring challenge—and one that I’m proud to be part of.
Kathryn Schubert, President and CEO
We don’t know what we don’t know about women’s health, and we know we don’t know enough! The key to keeping us all healthy and well is women’s health research. We could see so many breakthroughs by doing this important research, and it’s a personal mission as much as an organizational one to get this research done.
So much excites me about the current field of women’s health research! The conversation about women’s health research has completely transformed since our founding, and we have so many new voices joining us every day. Imagine a world where we could cure endometriosis, slow progression or prevent Alzheimer’s disease, truly treat menopause symptoms, or address the maternal mortality crisis. It is all within reach through women’s health research.
I hope that in the next 35 years, we can come together and truly make change. I hope that in this lifetime, we close the gender health gap FOR GOOD.