WHAM is dedicated to funding women’s health research to transform women’s lives.
Learn MoreTogether we can drive change.
WHAM works with advocates, economists, scientists, business leaders, public health experts and policy makers to: Increase funding for women’s health research, empower women researchers to study and share sex and gender research, and build a data-driven case for accelerating women’s health research.
OUR INITIAL AREAS OF STUDY
We believe that when research reflects the differences between men and women down to the cellular level, we will improve the health and wealth of everyone. WHAM works across diseases that impact women differently and differentially. We started with a focus on brain health, heart health, immune and autoimmune health and cancer.
Autoimmune Disease
78% of Americans with autoimmune disease are women — it is estimated that 50 million people are afflicted.
Brain Health
A woman’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease is almost 2x that of a man, and not just because women live longer.
Cancer
Lung cancer is the #1 cause of cancer death in women. Non-smoking women more than 2x as likely as non-smoking men to get it.
Heart Health
Cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer of women in the US, yet only 1/3 of the participants in clinical trials are female.
THE 3NOT30 GOALS
WHAM’s 3Not30 Initiative is a multi-year effort to increase awareness about women’s health research and drive change with the goal of accelerating investment in sex-based research and innovations in the next three years.
We know today that almost every disease affects women differently than it does men, because we know that every cell in the body has a sex. Yet we still don’t prioritize and invest in research that focuses on women or even includes women in sufficient numbers.
THE WHAM
INVESTIGATOR'S FUND
Aiming to reduce sex disparities in health with first Edge Awards.
WHAM is driving the advancement of future leaders in health research through its Edge Awards. Three outstanding recipients have been recognized for their groundbreaking work, each leading vital research in...
Assessing sex and gender inclusion in COVID-19 Research.
WHAM is driving the advancement of future leaders in health research through its Edge Awards. Three outstanding recipients have been recognized for their groundbreaking work, each leading vital research in...
Developing heart assessments that better-identify risk in women.
WHAM awarded Dr. Michelle O’Donoghue from the Mary Horrigan Connors Center for Women’s Health and Gender Biology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, a...
THE WHAM COLLABORATIVE
The WHAM Collaborative is a group of leading scientists focused on women’s health research who help inform everything WHAM does.
THE WHAM REPORT
The WHAM Report is a series of studies that examine the impact of accelerating sex and gender–based health research on women, their families, and the economy. WHAM commissioned the RAND Corporation to study these impacts for: rheumatoid arthritis (autoimmune), coronary artery disease (heart), Alzheimer’s disease (brain) and lung cancer (cancer).
The WHAM Report shows that funding women’s health research has huge economic impacts. Investing $350 million generates $14 billion to our economy.
HOW TO HELP
Through donations, partnerships and direct actions, you can help make a difference in the lives of millions of women and their families.
TAKE ACTION
Make a donation, join the community, or help us spread the word about WHAM and our work—every little bit helps, and we are deeply appreciative of your support.
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Donate to Women's Health Research
Women are 51% of the population but receive only a fraction of biomedical research funding. Sex differences are still often ignored, even in diseases that hit women hardest. Advancing sex-based research closes that gap, sparks innovation, and delivers more precise care for everyone. Support the future of health—for women, and for all.
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Donate to Autoimmune Disease Research
Four out of five Americans with autoimmune disease are women—40 million lives impacted—yet the science hasn’t kept up. In 2019, only 7 % of the NIH’s rheumatoid arthritis budget focused on women. Dedicated funding can pinpoint why women are so vulnerable and drive better diagnostics, therapies, and quality of life. Fuel research that will change lives.
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Donate to Brain Health Research
Women make up two-thirds of Alzheimer’s cases and are twice as likely to suffer depression—yet we still don’t know why. Targeted, sex-specific studies can reveal the biological and clinical differences that unlock earlier diagnosis, smarter treatments, and healthier minds. Your gift drives that discovery.
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Donate to Cancer Research
Most cancer studies still default to male models, overlooking critical sex differences in how cancers start, spread, and respond to therapy. Lung cancer now kills more women than breast, ovarian, and cervical cancers combined, and rates are soaring among young, non-smoking women. Boosting sex-based cancer research will reveal why—and lead to breakthroughs in screening, care, and survival. Help us accelerate that work.
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Donate to Heart Health Research
Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, but it remains underfunded, under-researched, and underdiagnosed. Nearly half of women over 20 have cardiovascular disease, pregnancy heart risks are widespread, and women are 50% more likely to die after a heart attack. Focused research can rewrite those odds—changing how heart disease is detected, treated, and prevented in women. Invest in saving women’s hearts.
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