SWHR and ORWH Celebrate 20 Years Advancing Women's Health Research

Washington, D.C. (September 27, 2010) – The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR), congratulates the Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) at the National Institute of Health on its 20^th anniversary. As the thought leader in women’s health research, SWHR has been pleased to work with ORWH these last 20 years advancing sex-based biology research.

In 1990, SWHR worked with the Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues to establish ORWH to focus attention on the lack of inclusion of women and minorities in clinical trials and attention to conditions that exclusively, disproportionately or differently affected women. It was clear from the 1990 GAO report Problems in Implementing Policy on Women in Study Populations that little or no research was being done on exclusively women's health issues.

SWHR tirelessly advocated Congress on the 1993 NIH Revitalization Act, to mandate the inclusion of women and minorities in clinical research, provide significant appropriations towards research in women's health, and codify the Office of Research on Women’s Health, making it a permanent entity and the focal point for women’s health research at NIH.

In 1995, SWHR submitted a proposal to the IOM to examine the importance of sex and gender differences. The 2001 IOM report Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health: Does Sex Matter? concluded that sex matters in health “from womb to tomb” and the exploration of sex differences holds the promise of greater understanding of human biology and significant improvements in health and health care for both women and men.”

The Women’s Health Office Act (WHOA), SWHR’s signature piece of legislation, was a provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590) signed in March 2010 by President Obama. WHOA makes permanent the offices of women’s health within the Department of Health and Human Services, marking another tremendous achievement for women’s health and women’s health research. ORWH, while already mandated by law in 1993, is now re-elevated to reporting to the Director of NIH, assuring prominence to the agenda set by SWHR so many years ago.

Over the past 20 years, SWHR has successfully sought annual funding increases for ORWH, in particular during the doubling of the NIH budget, and other ORWH successful projects --BIRCWH and SCOR-- that advance women's health research and SWHR's efforts to promote sex differences research.

It is clear, 20 years later, how important it is to understand sex differences and their implication for both men and women in appropriately preventing, diagnosing and treating all conditions.

SWHR and ORWH will continue to work together to bring sex and gender differences research to the forefront of the medical and research community. SWHR wishes ORWH another 20 years of success advancing women’s health research.

###

For more information on the Society for Women’s Health Research please contact Rachel Griffith at 202-496-5001 or Rachel@swhr.org.

The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR), a national non-profit organization based in Washington D.C., is widely recognized as the thought leader in women’s health research, particularly how sex differences impact health. SWHR’s mission is to improve the health of all women through advocacy, education and research. Visit SWHR’s website at swhr.org for more information.