Trump Administration Restores Funding for Landmark Women’s Health Study
TL/DR –
The Trump administration has reversed its decision to defund the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), a landmark study of women’s health. The decision came after the National Institutes of Health, which funds the WHI, exceeded its initial targets for contract reductions. The WHI, which has been running since the 1990s, has collected data on more than 160,000 women and produced important discoveries relating to women’s health, including the impact of taking hormones during menopause.
Restoration of Women’s Health Initiative Funding
The Trump administration is reinstating financial support to the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), a landmark study on women’s health. This reversal of a prior defunding decision was confirmed by Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
According to Nixon, the decision was made after the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which funds the Women’s Health Initiative, exceeded its internal targets for contract reductions. The Trump administration demands that all federal health agencies cut their spending on contracts by at least 35%, trigger massive layoffs, and terminate hundreds of research grants.
The stunning turn of events was a relief for scientists in the field, who hailed the WHI as a unique opportunity to further advance understanding of women’s health. The study has the potential to inform on factors associated with cardiovascular diseases, aging, cognition, frailty, resilience, and more.
Long-time WHI researcher Dr. JoAnn Manson called the news “absolutely wonderful”, highlighting that the study had much more to offer in terms of advancing women’s health and the health of all older adults. Marian Neuhouser, who chairs the WHI’s steering committee, echoed that sentiment, saying they would be thrilled if the news were true so that the groundbreaking research on women’s health can continue.
Long-running Study Continues to Monitor 40,000 Women
Originally, the HHS had decided to terminate contracts with all four regional centers located in California, New York, Ohio, and North Carolina in September. These centers still monitor more than 40,000 women who have been participating in the project for decades. The fate of the project’s coordinating center at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center in Seattle remained uncertain after January.
The reinstated funding means the project can continue to collect new data, build on decades of work, and follow long-time volunteers. Experts said the initial defunding decision was puzzling given that the new administration has prioritized fighting chronic diseases. The initiative can provide crucial insights into many chronic diseases, including Alzheimer’s, other forms of dementia, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
Initiated in the 1990s by the NIH, the study was developed due to most medical research being conducted on men. Over the years, scientists at more than 40 research centers countrywide have collected detailed information about over 160,000 women, including data about their diets, exercise, medications, and illnesses. The project has generated several key findings, including the debunking of the myth that hormones starting in menopause protect a woman’s heart.
—
Read More Health & Wellness News ; US News