Donald Trump signs executive order for NIH women’s health division

National Institutes of Health women's health research executive order clinical trials Department of Health and Human Services

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order establishing a new women’s health division within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The initiative aims to expand federal research into the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions that affect women uniquely or disproportionately, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, autoimmune conditions, endometriosis, and menopause.

The order mandates increased inclusion of women and girls in clinical trials and requires research grant recipients to account for sex as a biological variable. The new division will work alongside the existing Office of Research on Women’s Health to improve the application of research findings in clinical care and policy.

A White House task force, led by Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., will oversee the initiative. The task force is scheduled to hold its first meeting during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.