Women make up over half of the U.S. population, yet research on women's health conditions, including those that are female specific such as fibroids, more common among women such as anxiety, or affect women differently such cardiovascular disease, is severely lacking. Medical advances for women have lagged, in part due to a lack of understanding of basic sex-based differences in physiology. To address this, the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Office of Research in Women's Health tasked the National Academies with convening a committee of experts to assess the state of women's health research at NIH, identify critical knowledge gaps, assess the level of funding for women's health research, and more.

The resulting report outlines specific recommendations for NIH women's health research priorities; training and education efforts to build, support, and maintain a robust women's health research workforce; improving internal structures, systems and processes; soliciting, reviewing, and supporting women's health research; and ensuring appropriate levels of funding.

Table of Contents

Front Matter Summary 1 Statement of Task and Approach 2 The Need for Women's Health Research 3 Review of National Institutes of Health Structure, Policies, and Programs 4 Overview of the National Institutes of Health Investment in Women's Health Research 5 The Biological Basis for Women's Health Through the Lens of Chromosomes and Hormones 6 Women, Health, and Society 7 Overview of Selected Women's Health Conditions 8 A Workforce to Advance Women's Health Research 9 Road Map to Prioritizing Women's Health Research Appendix A: Committee Analysis of National Institutes of Health Grant Funding for Women's Health Research: Methodology Appendix B: National Institutes of Health Research Career Development Awards (K Awards) Appendix C: Public Meeting Agendas Appendix D: Committee Member and Staff Biosketches