America: Executive Order Aims to Expand Research on Women’s Health
Later today, Monday, US President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order aimed at expanding research efforts and improving government initiatives related to women’s health, a step that will coincide with the White House’s celebration for International Women’s Day.
According to the American site “The Hill”, the White House stated that the president’s executive order “will ensure the integration of women’s health and prioritize it in the federal research portfolio and budget.”
The White House added that “Biden will announce over 20 actions from federal agencies that will outline ways to prioritize research related to women’s health.”
The executive order will also direct relevant agencies to enhance research standards and data related to women’s health, with the aim of better leveraging federal funding. Agencies are also directed to prioritize funding for women’s health research and to encourage innovation.
Biden will also direct the Office of Management and Budget and the Gender Policy Council to assess gaps in federal funding for women’s health and identify potential changes, according to the site.
It was also noted that the president and First Lady Jill Biden will announce over 20 commitments and actions through the Department of Defense, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the National Science Foundation.
Among these measures will be the launch of an effort to direct $200 million in annual investments by fiscal year 2025 to fund new research in women’s health.
Biden had previously called on Congress to establish a Women’s Health Research Fund within the National Institutes of Health.
The signing of the executive order comes after the First Lady announced in February a federal funding of $100 million for research and development in women’s health through the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health.
