WHAM is an NGO, that invests in women’s health research to transform women’s lives. The organization works across diseases that impact women differently and differentially – brain health, heart health, immune and autoimmune health and cancer. WHAM has now released a new report that shows the impact of accelerating sex and gender–based health research on women, their families, and the economy: “The Case to Fund Women’s Health Research: An Economic and Societal Impact Analysis”.
Because women have been underrepresented in health research, what we know about women’s health is limited. Even today, the value of research investment on women’s health is not widely accepted. The impact of this oversight is far-reaching. Also unknown is the potential impact of accelerating and increasing funding for women’s health research. What difference would doing so make in the health and well-being of everyone? Understanding this impact would provide vital information to funders, researchers, and policymakers to help them plan investments that can yield the greatest public health benefits. As part of an initiative of the WHAM nonprofit foundation, RAND Corporation researchers examined the impact of increasing funding for women’s health, beginning with a focus on three disease areas: brain health, immune and autoimmune disease, and cardiovascular disease.