President Donald Trump’s Oct. 19 order gives the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 90 days to establish a women’s health division for federal research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The division must be housed within an NIH institute or center, but the order does not identify which one. It will coordinate with NIH’s Office of Research on Women’s Health, established in 1990. Research areas named in the order include heart disease, cancer, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, chronic pain, endometriosis, infertility, maternal health and menopause. The order points to research and care gaps for conditions that affect women disproportionately or exclusively.
The division is directed to support research methods that clarify sex-specific outcomes and increase women’s and girls’ participation in clinical trials. It must also develop accountability measures to improve grant recipients’ adherence to NIH policy on sex as a biological variable.
The order establishes a White House Women’s Health Task Force to coordinate work across federal agencies. It calls for consultation with state, local and tribal governments, along with community, faith-based, private-sector and philanthropic organizations. The co-chairs may also seek expert input, including from academia. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles will lead the panel, HHS said.
The order revokes the 2023 presidential memorandum that established the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research and Executive Order 14120, issued in 2024. That earlier order asked participating agencies to consider strengthening research and data standards and, where appropriate, to identify and prioritize grantmaking for women’s health.
NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya said in an HHS announcement, “Women deserve strong research that helps them and their doctors answer key health questions they face at every stage of life.” HHS will pay the task force’s administrative costs, while implementation depends on available appropriations. The order sets no specific budget for the division or its research, and NIH’s deadline to establish the unit is 90 days after Oct. 19.
