CRD Associates, Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) advocate for national strategy to improve women’s health across every stage of life
This week, the Women First Research Coalition (WFRC), in partnership with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR), launched the National Strategy to Close the Women’s Health Gap on Capitol Hill.
At CRD Associates, we have had the privilege of representing WFRC since 2020. Watching the coalition grow from an idea shared by a handful of leaders in obstetrics and gynecology into a recognized voice for women’s health research has been incredibly rewarding. The launch reflects six years of collaboration, persistence, and advocacy, and begins an even more ambitious effort to transform women’s health research in the United States.
WFRC was founded following a conversation between Dr. Laurel Rice, then President of the American Gynecological & Obstetrical Society, and Dr. Diana Bianchi, then Director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Dr. Bianchi challenged the obstetrics and gynecology community to speak with one voice in advocating for greater federal investment in women’s health research.
That challenge resulting in the founding of WFRC and helped inspire the partnership behind the strategy.
We were especially honored that Representative Rosa DeLauro, ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, participated in the launch event. A longtime champion of women’s health research in Congress, DeLauro helped lay the foundation for the progress and momentum that made this strategy possible
The National Strategy to Close the Women’s Health Gap provides a framework for making women’s health a national priority. It calls for a bold but achievable $20 billion investment over 10 years organized around five core pillars:
- Increase investment in women’s health research across the lifespan.
- Build the workforce by supporting the next generation of women’s health researchers and clinicians.
- Strengthen data and research infrastructure to accelerate scientific discovery.
- Raise public awareness of diseases and conditions affecting women.
- Modernize federal regulatory pathways to improve coordination and address women’s health coverage gaps.
Rather than focusing on a single disease area or federal program, the strategy calls for coordinated action to improve women’s health across every stage of life.
One theme came through clearly during the launch: this strategy is not an endpoint. It is a starting point. The work now shifts from developing the recommendations to advancing them. That means calling on Congress to translate the strategy into lasting policy and sustained investment in women’s health across the lifespan.
For all of us at CRD Associates, the launch was also a reminder of why coalition advocacy matters. Bringing organizations together around shared priorities is not always easy, but when they speak with one voice, they can shape the conversation in Washington in ways that no single organization could accomplish alone.
We are proud to support WFRC and grateful to our partners at SWHR and ACOG, as well as the 37 organizations that have endorsed the strategy. We look forward to continuing this work and helping turn its recommendations into meaningful policies that improve the health of women for good.
Forbes also covered the launch in the $20 Billion Question: What Counts as Women’s Health?