President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating a new federal women’s health research division and a White House task force to address understudied medical conditions, improve diagnosis and accelerate treatment development.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday, Oct. 19, establishing a new women’s health division at the National Institutes of Health and a White House task force aimed at expanding research into diseases and medical conditions that disproportionately affect women.
The initiative, developed with significant involvement from first lady Melania Trump, seeks to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment for health concerns ranging from maternal health and endometriosis to cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease and osteoporosis.
The president and first lady announced the measures during a White House Rose Garden ceremony, where Melania Trump described the initiative as a new approach to addressing longstanding gaps in women’s medical research.
“Beginning today we will change the reality of women’s health,” she said. “Previous generations fought for women’s rights. Our generation will fight to discover the cures that will ensure a woman can live her life in health and to the fullest.”
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The executive order, titled Advancing Women’s Health to Improve Outcomes in All Phases of Life, directs the Department of Health and Human Services to establish the NIH division within 90 days.
The new office will work alongside the existing NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health, coordinating research across federal agencies and encouraging greater attention to conditions that have historically received insufficient scientific study.
Trump said the order would “promote new research and really go after the understudied diseases affecting women,” while supporting technological advances that could improve medical care.
The directive identifies heart disease, stroke, cancer, autoimmune disorders, chronic pain, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, infertility, menopause and neurological conditions among its research priorities.
It also calls for improving clinical studies to account for biological differences between men and women, strengthening the inclusion of women in medical research and accelerating the adoption of scientific discoveries in clinical care.
A central component is the creation of a White House Women’s Health Task Force, which will coordinate federal research, regulatory initiatives and public-private partnerships.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will co-chair the panel, which was scheduled to hold its first meeting Monday.
Wiles recently completed treatment for breast cancer, an experience that has drawn additional attention to the need for advances in women’s health care.
The administration said the task force will address medical needs throughout women’s lives, including childhood, adolescence, pregnancy, midlife, menopause and aging.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the NIH division will also promote personalized medicine, expand interdisciplinary research and strengthen accountability for federally funded studies.
NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya said the initiative is intended to translate research into practical improvements for patients.
“Women deserve strong research that helps them and their doctors answer key health questions they face at every stage of life,” Bhattacharya said.
“This new division will help close lingering evidence gaps, expand and maximize the impact of our research investments, and bring discoveries closer to patients.”
Melania Trump played a central role in developing the initiative after meeting with physicians, government officials and researchers to identify obstacles in women’s health care.
The first lady outlined five priorities, including directing research toward diseases disproportionately affecting women, using artificial intelligence to accelerate discoveries, expanding access to new treatments, improving affordability and encouraging more open discussions about women’s health.
The administration also emphasized opportunities to develop diagnostic technologies capable of identifying certain conditions earlier.
Trump credited his wife with bringing the proposal forward and questioned why the federal government had not already established such a division.
“Who the hell wouldn’t have a women’s health division?” he asked, recalling his surprise when Melania Trump first raised the idea.
The NIH already operates an Office of Research on Women’s Health, established in 1990, but the new division will have a broader mandate extending beyond research coordination into the practical application of scientific findings.
The executive order does not specify new funding amounts or establish dedicated appropriations for the division.
Its implementation will depend on available federal resources and decisions made by participating agencies.
The measure also revokes a March 2024 executive order and a November 2023 presidential memorandum issued during former President Joe Biden’s administration concerning women’s health research.
The Trump administration argues that the new organizational structure will strengthen accountability and improve coordination across federal programs.
However, the announcement comes amid questions about broader federal research funding and previous proposals to reduce NIH expenditures.
Researchers and health advocates have emphasized that organizational changes will need sufficient staffing and financial support to produce measurable improvements.
Women’s health has historically presented challenges for medical research, including underrepresentation in some clinical trials and gaps in understanding conditions that affect women differently from men.
Diseases such as endometriosis can take years to diagnose, while cardiovascular symptoms and treatment responses may differ between male and female patients.
The administration maintains that improved research and diagnostic technologies could help address those disparities.
The initiative expands Melania Trump’s policy portfolio during her husband’s second term.
She has previously concentrated on foster care reform, children’s well-being and improving access to technology and artificial intelligence in education.
During Trump’s first presidency, her Be Best campaign focused on children’s welfare, online safety and substance abuse prevention.
The women’s health announcement also comes two weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, as the administration faces political scrutiny over health care and federal spending.
The White House has presented the executive order as a long-term initiative intended to improve scientific research and medical outcomes regardless of the political calendar.
The administration’s immediate next steps include establishing the NIH division, convening the task force and identifying research priorities that federal agencies can pursue collaboratively.
Although the order creates new administrative structures, its broader impact will depend on how effectively those organizations direct research and translate discoveries into accessible medical care.
For women and their physicians, the stated objective is earlier diagnosis, better treatment options and more comprehensive scientific understanding of health conditions across every stage of life.
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