WHAM Celebrates the 30th Anniversary of the 1993 NIH Revitalization Act to Ensure Women Included in Research and Clinical Trials
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Media and Organization Contact:
Marianne Foss-Skiftesvik
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marianne@whamnow.org
WHAM CELEBRATES THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1993 NIH REVITALIZATION ACT TO ENSURE WOMEN INCLUDED IN RESEARCH AND CLINICAL TRIALS
WHAM LAUNCHES #3NOT30 CAMPAIGN TO CALL FOR ACCELERATING AND INVESTING IN THE HEALTH OF WOMEN IN THE NEXT THREE YEARS
Women’s Health Access Matters (WHAM) Announces a Commemoration in Washington D.C., Featuring Hon. Barbara Mikulski, Hon. Connie Morella, Dr. Vivian Pinn, and Current Legislators Supporting Greater Inclusion of Women in Research and Clinical Trials
Washington DC (June 14, 2023)—Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi kicked off a celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 to acknowledge the contributions of the extraordinary leaders who spearheaded the successful legislation thirty years ago which established the inclusion of women in clinical trials and research. The celebration was hosted by WHAM (Women’s Health Access Matters) and featured a private luncheon and Roundtable Dialogue in Washington D.C.
The Hon. Barbara Mikulski, Hon. Connie Morella, and Dr. Vivian Pinn, as well as leaders of today, Dr. Janine Clayton and current members of Congress, who support accelerating women’s health research and investment, participated in a panel discussion which featured highlights of the past contributions of these incredible leaders. This was followed by a roundtable discussion with twenty of WHAM’s partners and thought leaders to develop and steer an action plan for the future, implementing change in #3Not30 years.
Speaker Pelosi noted that women’s health has been understudied and underrepresented, and the efforts of Mikulski, Morella and Pinn set us on the right path, but there is still much work to be done.
“While the Revitalization Act was a step forward for sex-based equity in health research, there has not been enough progress since this momentous event,” said WHAM Founder and CEO Carolee Lee. “For decades, women’s health has suffered as a result of under-investment in research. Women have also been forced to leave the workforce early to manage their own health or serve as caregivers for their loved ones. This is an economic issue that impacts everyone, and we can’t afford to ignore it. We cannot wait another thirty years.”
Video tributes were played from Sen. Patty Murray; Sen. Amy Klobuchar; Rep. Barbara Lee; Sen. Lisa Murkowski; Sen. Dick Durbin; Sen. Tammy Duckworth; Rep. Judy Chu; Rep. Katherine Clark; and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, who all applauded the work of Sen. Barbara Mikulski; Rep. Connie Morella and Dr. Vivian Pinn and emphatically declared their support for WHAM and accelerating research and equality.
WHAM commissioned the RAND Corporation to conduct a series of studies that examine the impact of accelerating sex and gender-based health research on women, their families, and the economy. The WHAM Report found that only 4.5 percent of coronary artery research, 7 percent of autoimmune rheumatoid arthritis research, 12 percent of Alzheimer’s research, and 15 percent of lung cancer research are allocated to projects focused specifically on women. Adding just $350 million in funding across these four disease areas, brain, heart, cancer, and autoimmune, that differentially and disproportionately impact women, would generate nearly $14 billion in economic returns that benefit everyone.
WHAM’s #3Not30 campaign is a year-long effort to increase awareness about women’s health research and drive change with the goal of accelerating investment in sex-based research in the next three years. The campaign is the first of a series of activities WHAM is spearheading in recognition of the 30th Anniversary of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Revitalization Act of 1993, a law which established guidelines that women and minorities should be included in all clinical trials and research which are funded by the NIH. WHAM has hosted virtual and in-person dialogues throughout the year to explore what’s changed since this landmark legislation, what hasn’t, and how to ensure women’s health research receives the funding and support it deserves.
The Roundtable Dialogue in Washington D.C. was co-moderated by Dr. Maria Freire, former President and Executive Director of FNIH, and Ash Shehata, National Sector Leader – Healthcare & Life Science at KPMG. They were joined by business leaders, investors, advocates, economists and academics to discuss how WHAM’s economic data can be used across sectors to accelerate research and investment in the health of women in #3Not30. The goal is to develop an action plan for the next three years, not thirty, which will accelerate women’s health research and investment. The twenty leaders represent different sectors of the ecosystem and contributed their vision of how their company, institution, or platform can create impactful and sustainable change. The Roundtable featured:
- Michael Annichine, CEO, Magee-Womens Research Institute;
- Tom Cassels, President and CEO, Rock Health;
- Dr. Janine Clayton, Director, NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health;
- Esther Dyson, Executive Founder, Wellville;
- Jessica Federer, Managing Partner, Supernode Ventures;
- Laurie Fenton Ambrose, Cofounder, President and CEO, GO2 for Lung Cancer;
- Dr. Lori Frank, Senior Vice President for Research, New York Academy of Medicine;
- Dr. Elizabeth Garner, Chief Scientific Officer, Ferring Pharmaceuticals; President, American Medical Women’s Association;
- Dr. Julie Gerberding, President and CEO, FNIH;
- Stacy Haller, President and CEO, BrightFocus Foundation;
- Marsha Henderson, former Associate Commissioner for Women’s Health, FDA;
- Dr. Hadine Joffe, Executive Director, The Connors Center for Women’s Health and Gender Biology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School;
- Sasha Kelemen, Head of Women and Family Health Investment Banking, SVB Securities;
- Sheila Mikhail, Cofounder and Advisor, Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, Inc. (AskBio);
- Melissa Gong Mitchell, Executive Director, Global Coalition on Aging;
- Dr. Erica Ollmann Saphire, President, CEO and Professor, La Jolla Institute for Immunology;
- Dr. Stacey Rosen, Senior Vice President of Women’s Health, Katz Institute for Women’s Health, Northwell Health;
- Dr. Ellen Sigal, Chairperson and Founder, Friends of Cancer Research;
- Ramita Tandon, Chief Clinical Trials Officer, Walgreens
“For thirty years, investment in women’s health research has lagged, which has resulted in poor health and economic outcomes for women, families, and the nation,” said Lee. “This is the reality despite the fact that women are 52 percent of the population, make up 50 percent of the workforce, control 60 percent of personal wealth, are responsible for 85 percent of consumer spending, and make 80 percent of health care decisions. Let’s seize this moment and use it as an opportunity to equitably fund the study of diseases that so clearly disproportionately and differently impact women. If we can achieve this as a country, we all stand to gain.”
To stay informed about future WHAM #3Not30 activities, please sign up for WHAM’s newsletter here. And follow WHAM throughout the year on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter to stay updated the #3Not30 campaign and the latest in women’s health research.
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About WHAM (Women’s Health Access Matters)
Women’s health is an economic issue we can’t afford to ignore. WHAM works to increase awareness of and funding for women’s health research and investment by accelerating scientific discovery in women’s health in four primary disease verticals – autoimmune disease, brain health, cancer, and heart health. The WHAM Report quantifies the economic opportunity for investing in women’s health, looking across diseases that impact women differently and differentially, including coronary artery disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer’s disease. Learn more at www.thewhamreport.organd www.whamnow.org.
