U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in Washington on October 19 directing the creation of a women’s health division at the National Institutes of Health and a White House task force. The initiative, promoted by first lady Melania Trump, seeks to turn research into better prevention, diagnosis and treatment, according to the White House and Reuters.
The order requires the division to be established within an appropriate NIH institute or center within 90 days. It will coordinate with the existing Office of Research on Women’s Health. Reuters notes that the office dates to 1990, making the new division an addition to an established research structure.
The White House identifies gaps in understanding conditions including heart disease, cancer, endometriosis, osteoporosis and menopause. The order calls for greater inclusion of women and girls in clinical trials and accountability for grant recipients on considering sex as a biological variable. Its scope extends from childhood through pregnancy and older age.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles will lead the task force, Reuters reported. Melania Trump said medical advances should be affordable and accessible regardless of income. The Endocrine Society welcomed the initiative, with president Nanette Santoro pointing to longstanding neglect and insufficient funding of women’s health.
The order also revokes a March 2024 executive order and a November 2023 memorandum issued under Joe Biden on women’s health research. Reuters placed the announcement against the backdrop of the Trump administration’s efforts to cut NIH funding and reduce the federal health workforce. The new initiative therefore arrives alongside broader changes to research support.
Implementation remains subject to available appropriations, the order states. Establishing the division within the 90-day deadline is a concrete next step; the document’s goals for better care are not evidence of improved patient outcomes yet. The task force is charged with helping translate scientific findings into clinical practice and public health programs.
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