WHAM was created in response to the considerable funding gap, historical exclusion, and underrepresentation of women in health research.
Women have been an understudied species since 1993. Many inequities and biases still exist. While some progress has been made since 1993, when the National Institutes of Health mandated that women and minorities be included in any government-funded health research, there’s still a long way to go. And it wasn’t until 2016 that female mice were mandated by NIH to be included in clinical research.
How is it possible that 52% of the population has been left so far behind in medical research?
In 2018, WHAM was founded by Carolee Lee, who convened a group of businesswomen motivated to create an innovative dialogue and establish data that could impact this situation. And how could we continue to make decisions based on information that excludes half of our workforce, 2/3 of our wealth holders, nearly all of our spenders, and those who make majority of healthcare decisions?
It became apparent to us that we lacked evidence; we lacked data about the economic costs, benefits, and social impacts of attention to sex and gender in health research. And in our experience, change starts with data. In order to create change, we commissioned the RAND Corporation in January 2020 to begin a rigorous, focused study to quantify the costs and socio-economic benefits of increased research funding focused on women.
WHAM, Women’s Health Access Matters, was registered as a 501c3 in January 2021 to catalyze accelerated research and investment in women’s health research.
WHAM is committed to making an impact in diseases and conditions that exclusively, differently, or disproportionately affect women across our four primary disease verticals:
Autoimmune Disease
Brain Health
Cancer
Heart Health
WHAM is bringing new awareness, voices, resources, and partners to drive change by working with leading, economists, scientists, research institutions, business leaders, and public health experts.
The lives of women and men will vastly improve through research that is equally inclusive of women and men in trials – and female and male animals in preliminary research. By conducting research in parity and reporting gender outcomes separately, health breakthroughs will be accelerated, and health outcomes around the world improved.
As women benefit from this research and reduce their burden of disease, they will improve their own wellbeing, which is directly connected to the wellbeing of our economy.
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“Only one percent of the approximated $200 billion spent on healthcare research and development focuses on women’s health.”
The exclusion of women during clinical research impacts the safety and advancement of women’s health.
This has to end.
https://themedicinemaker.com/business-regulation/a-history-of-missed-opportunity
The gap in women’s health research is felt worldwide—it’s not just a U.S. issue. When we leave women out of health research, everyone suffers.
Inclusive medicine and clinical trials benefit us all.
How has the exclusion of women from clinical trials impacted women's health? Author Lara Bonilla explores this reality ingrained in the medical field.🧵
Heart disease kills approximately one woman every minute.
Investing $20 million in women's health research can reduce healthcare costs and improve quality of life – this 9,500% return on investment is a win for everyone.
Learn More → https://thewhamreport.org/report/heart/
#WorldHeartDay2022
Women are 80% of autoimmune patients - nearly 40 million women in the U.S. Yet the average annual NIH rheumatoid arthritis budget equates to $0.07 per woman versus $1 per man.
By investing in women's health research we ensure women are not an afterthought.
#WomensHealthResearch
Enrolling in research studies often requires screening tests, like ADOS for those on the autism spectrum.
But when those tests are designed for men, women can be left out of studies before they even begin. Further widening the women’s health research gap.
https://news.mit.edu/2022/studies-autism-women-bias-0908
How is it possible that 52% of the population has been left so far behind in medical research?
Closing the women’s health research gap pays dividends for our families and our economy. #WomensHealth
Women are 66% more likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease than men. Yet, only 33% of animals used during neuroscience research are female.
Inclusive clinical trials are key to improving women’s health.
Learn More→ https://thewhamreport.org/report/brain/
#WorldAlzheimersDay
The lack of diversity in clinical trials is costing us billions of dollars and costing lives.
Creating strong incentives for inclusive trials is a start for closing the research gap that leaves out data on and experiences of women and people of color.
https://healthpolicy.usc.edu/article/lack-of-diversity-in-clinical-trials-costs-billions-of-dollars-incentives-can-spur-innovation/
Women are 50% more likely to die within the year following a heart attack than men.The more we research the differences in women’s heart disease versus men’s, the more we can prevent these deaths.
“It shouldn’t be luck that determines whether women get diagnosed correctly.”
It’s simple: investing in women’s health research is an investment for our entire economy. (1/2)
When women are being understudied, undertreated and underserved, it's time to #RaiseWomensHealth. Carolee Lee, CEO of @WHAMnow explains why women's health research isn't just good science, it's a better investment. #WomensEqualityDay Read: https://bit.ly/3hiduWZ
Catch our conversation with Carolee Lee, Founder of Women's Health Access Matters, now streaming on Ideagen TV.
http://ideagenglobal.com
Women have been overlooked in medical research for decades. At WHAM we invest in research to improve health outcomes for women around the world. Here’s how you can support women’s health research today → https://whamnow.org/donate/
Relying on studies that are based on only male data has had devastating effects on women’s health especially for heart and lung disease.
It’s time for researchers to involve more women in clinical trials to ensure accurate diagnoses the first time.
https://www.northwell.edu/katz-institute-for-womens-health/articles/women-overlooked-in-medical-research
Women are two times more likely than men to develop Alzheimer’s disease. By investing $280 million into Alzheimer’s research focused on women, we will see $930 million in returns to our economy.
Read more → https://thewhamreport.org/report/brain/
Diversifying clinical trials by 1% could lead to gains of $60 billion for heart disease.
Diversity standards, like more gender representation, in clinical trials increase life expectancy and save the economy billions.
https://www.statnews.com/2022/08/03/lack-of-diversity-in-clinical-trials-costs-billions-of-dollars-incentives-can-spur-innovation/
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