On my flight to DC yesterday morning for the first-ever White House Conference on Women’s Health Research, I looked down at my shirt: “Tout est possible.” Everything is possible. Hours later, I’d hear President Biden echo a similar sentiment in the East Room of the White House, talking about America and possibilities. Sometimes coincidences feel meaningful, especially on days that highlight both how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go.
“We have been able to walk on the moon for decades. Yet women are still dying from nausea and vomiting of pregnancy,” Dr. Marlena Fejzo told the gathering of nearly 200 leaders in women’s health. She shared how she identified GDF15 as the cause of hyperemesis gravidarum – research she conducted on nights and weekends because severe morning sickness wasn’t considered “serious enough” for dedicated time. The condition affects 70% of pregnancies and costs the US economy $2.2 billion annually in lost productivity.
These numbers reflect a broader pattern in women’s health. “What’s fascinating about women’s health is how under-hyped of a category it is compared to its massive market potential,” Sequoia’s Jess Lee noted during one of the panels. The market data presented backed this up – we’re looking at billions in untapped opportunities across multiple conditions. The kind of numbers that make you wonder how this was overlooked for so long.
Someone once said to me you have to be an eternal optimist, and maybe a bit delusional, if you work in women’s health, because progress is hard-earned and slow. Maybe that’s true. But there’s reason for pragmatic optimism. The Biden administration has already driven almost $1 billion in investments across federal agencies. With the transition to the new administration weeks away, much of this funding is already committed to crucial projects – from at-home HPV testing to research on delaying menopause.
Beyond the White House, the bipartisan support from female senators for legislation on menopause care and mid-life women’s health suggests this momentum could continue regardless of who occupies the Oval Office. Private sector recognition of the market opportunity in conditions like osteoporosis and Alzheimer’s isn’t going away either.
Throughout the conference, the question kept coming up: What happens next? Dr. Biden made her own commitment clear: “My work doesn’t stop in January when Joe and I leave this house. I will keep building alliances, like the ones that brought us here today, and I will keep pushing for funding for innovative research.”
I strongly believe that we now have a real opportunity to fix women’s health research for generations to come. The momentum isn’t just about government initiatives or funding asks (althought that’s important of course). It’s about a diverse ecosystem coming together, finally saying enough is enough.
Tout est possible. When it comes to transforming women’s health research, everything is possible. The path won’t be easy – but neither was walking on the moon. So let’s get to work.
