The $20 Billion Moonshot: Inside the National Strategy to Close the Women's Health Gap

For too long, women’s health research has often been treated as a niche area of medicine rather than a priority. While Congress wrote the National Institutes of Health’s existing policy on including women in clinical research into federal law in 1993, we’re still decades behind in women’s health research compared with what we know about men’s health.

Some of the nation’s largest women’s health organizations are hoping to change that with an ambitious proposal calling for improved diagnostics, treatments, and clinical care for conditions that disproportionately affect women.

On July 15, 2026, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR), and the Women First Research Coalition unveiled the National Strategy to Close the Women’s Health Gap. The framework calls on Congress to invest $20 billion over the next decade in women’s health research, clinical care, workforce development, and public education.

“Because hormones influence nearly every aspect of women's health, advancing research in this area has the potential to improve millions of lives,” — Nanette Santoro, MD, president of the Endocrine Society. “This strategy recognizes that improving women's health requires sustained investment in research, education, and clinical care.” - Dr. Stephanie Culver

Here’s what the proposal includes, plus how it could reshape women’s healthcare over the next decade (and beyond).

Why Women's Health Needs a National Strategy

Women make up more than half of the U.S. population, yet they’re estimated to spend 25% more of their lives in poor health than men. They’re also more likely to face higher out-of-pocket healthcare costs and wait longer for diagnoses.

The coalition argues these disparities are the product of decades of fragmented research, inconsistent funding, and healthcare systems that weren't designed with women's health needs in mind.

“The women's health gap has persisted for far too long. This strategy offers Congress a roadmap to improve health outcomes, drive innovation, and build a healthier future...” — Kathryn Schubert, MPP, CAE, President and CEO of SWHR.

This national strategy calls for action. Specifically, it advocates for emerging discoveries in women’s health research to translate into better diagnostics, treatments, clinical guidelines, and public health policies. 

Rather than addressing women's health one condition at a time, the proposal argues that long-term investment in research, clinician training, and data collection is needed to improve care across every stage of life, from adolescence and pregnancy to menopause and healthy aging.

Where Most of the Investment Would Go

The largest share of the proposal, $14 billion over the next decade, is focused on one goal: improving the science behind women's healthcare and making sure there are enough experts to turn that research into better care.

Half of the funding would support women’s health research across multiple federal agencies while creating a national network of Women’s Health Centers of Excellence. These centers would serve as clinical trial hubs, help move research discoveries into clinical practice, provide regional expertise, and train the next generation of women's health researchers and clinicians.

The other half of the investment focuses on the people doing the work. It would fund training modules for more clinicians and researchers specializing in women's health, support early- and mid-career investigators, and create loan repayment programs to help grow the workforce.

The aim isn’t just to accelerate discoveries in areas that have historically received less attention, from reproductive health to midlife and chronic disease, it is to provide clinicians with improved understanding of women’s health, better tools and the training to put those discoveries into practice.

Gathering Better Data to Better Understand Women’s Health

One of the biggest challenges in women’s health is surprisingly simple: we don't always have the data we need. As the framework puts it, “We cannot improve what we cannot measure.”

To address the lack of current clinical studies and data,  the proposal would invest $4 billion in building a stronger women's health data infrastructure. One of its biggest priorities is creating a public-private partnership that would securely collect and analyze deidentified data on women’s midlife health. By bringing together information from sources like NIH and FDA research, electronic health records, insurance claims, and even wearable devices, researchers hope to build a clearer picture of what women actually experience during midlife.

The proposal also calls for making better use of the data that already exists. Large, long-running studies such as the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), and the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) have generated decades of valuable information, and these datasets should be easier for researchers to access and use. The national strategy and its framework recommends reviewing existing research, identifying gaps in what we know, and creating more standardized ways to collect and share women's health data.

Another $1 billion would focus on modernizing how women's health research moves through the federal system. That includes improving coordination between agencies, strengthening how sex differences are evaluated during drug development and research,  and updating NIH tracking systems so investments in women’s health can be measured more accurately.

Investing in Public Awareness

Research improves health outcomes if people know when to seek care and have access to evidence-based information.

The National Strategy and framework proposes another $1 billion for nationwide education initiatives focused on women’s health literacy, preventive care, and increasing participation in clinical trials. The goal is to help more women recognize symptoms earlier, seek appropriate care, and an improved understanding on how hormonal changes affect their health across their lifespan.

The proposal has already gained support from more than 30 medical societies, research organizations, and patient advocacy groups, including the American Heart Association, Society of Gynecologic Oncology, March of Dimes, Lupus Foundation of America, and the Endocrine Society.

The Bottom Line

The National Strategy to Close the Women's Health Gap is a roadmap for how Congress could invest in women’s health over the next 10 years. 

It is pending on whether Congress will adopt this National Strategy and call for action, however the messaging is powerful in that  improving women’s health requires more than individual breakthroughs. It also requires ongoing investment in research, clinicians, data infrastructure, and public education and advocacy. 

When and if enacted, the national strategy may help accelerate discoveries, support earlier diagnosis, strengthen the women’s healthcare workforce, and help ensure women’s health becomes a priority rather than its neglect.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the National Strategy to Close the Women's Health Gap, and who created it?

The National Strategy to Close the Women's Health Gap is a federal policy framework unveiled on July 15, 2026, by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR), and the Women First Research Coalition. It calls on Congress to invest $20 billion over the next decade to address historical research disparities, improve diagnostic and treatment options, and expand clinical care for conditions that disproportionately affect women.

Why is a national strategy needed for women's healthcare in the United States?

Although Congress mandated the inclusion of women in NIH clinical research in 1993, research in women’s health remains decades behind that of men. Women make up over half of the U.S. population but spend an estimated 25% more of their lives in poor health than men, pay higher out-of-pocket healthcare costs, and wait longer for accurate diagnoses. A national strategy provides a coordinated roadmap to replace fragmented research and inconsistent funding with long-term investments in clinician training, data collection, and clinical care across all life stages.

How would the proposed $20 billion federal investment be allocated?

The largest portion, $14 billion, supports women's health research, creates a national network of Women’s Health Centers of Excellence, and expands workforce development through clinician training and loan repayment programs. Another $4 billion is allocated to building data infrastructure, including a public-private partnership focused on midlife health data and better utilization of existing studies like WHI and SWAN. The remaining $2 billion is divided equally between modernizing federal agency coordination and funding nationwide public education campaigns to increase health literacy and clinical trial participation.