National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine Recommendations for Transformative Change in Women's Health Research at the National Institutes of Health.

Abstract

Background: Due to significant gaps in knowledge around women's health, Congress commissioned the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) to conduct a consensus study on funding allocation, workforce needs, and priority research areas for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Objectives: This manuscript summarizes the key points of the new NASEM report on women's health research for NIH, presents the relevance and importance for nursing research, and briefly discusses the need for increased representation of nurse scientists on NASEM panels.

Methods: Beginning in the Fall of 2023, a multidisciplinary panel of 17 experts was convened by NASEM to address gaps in women's health research at NIH. The committee was tasked to identify research priorities for NIH-funded research with a focus on conditions that are female specific, more common in women, or affect women differently. In addition, the committee was asked to make recommendations on NIH training and education to strengthen the women's health research workforce, changes to NIH structural, systems, and review processes, and allocation of funding to more equitably reflect the burden of disease among women.

Results: The committee found that from 2013-2023, only 8.8% of NIH research dollars focused on women's health research, and that basic knowledge about women's physiological, hormonal fluctuations, and chromosomal differences is lacking. Data are also needed to better understand diseases that are female-specific, more common in women, or affect women differently. The committee made eight recommendations for transformative change at NIH related to women's health research.

Discussion: Overall, the report describes the need for transformative change at NIH to advance the science on women's health research and improve outcomes. This includes a comprehensive approach and recommendations that would double the NIH's investment in women's health research, enhance accountability, and provide rigorous oversight, prioritization, and integration of women's health research across NIH.