Statement on Women’s Health Week 2022 from Women’s Health Access Matters (WHAM) Founder and CEO Carolee Lee - Wham Now

POSTED ON May 10, 2022 BY WHAM

Statement on Women’s Health Week 2022 from Women’s Health Access Matters (WHAM) Founder and CEO Carolee Lee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Anna Britt, (540) 808-6963, annabritt@rational360.com

STATEMENT ON WOMEN’S HEALTH WEEK 2022 FROM WOMEN’S HEALTH ACCESS MATTERS (WHAM) FOUNDER AND CEO CAROLEE LEE

Women’s Health Access Matters (WHAM) Founder and CEO Carolee Lee issued the following statement to commemorate Women’s Health Week 2022, May 8^th-May 15^th:

This Women’s Health Week, I am asking: How is it possible that the percent of research funding focused specifically on women’s health is in the low single digits when women comprise over half our population?

“Women’s health is tied directly to the health and wealth of our country, our workforce, and our economy. Women are over 50% of the population, nearly half the workforce, and the drivers of our economy controlling 60% of personal wealth and 85% of consumer spending decisions. Yet women are disproportionately impacted by deadly diseases, and research about their health is still just a small share of funding. For example, heart disease is the number one killer of women, and just 4.5% of research focuses specifically on women.

“Without comprehensive knowledge of how to diagnose and treat women’s health, we will continue to suffer economic hits. We urgently need to accelerate funding for women’s health research. The WHAM Report shows that women’s health is not just good science, it’s a better investment. Doubling the current research focused on women in just three disease areas, adding $300 million, will yield over $13 billion in economic returns through greater quality of life, economic gains, and reduced healthcare costs. In order to truly celebrate women’s health, we must first invest in it.”

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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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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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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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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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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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