[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 221 (Friday, November 17, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 80085-80088]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-25632]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 221 / Friday, November 17, 2023 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 80085]]
Memorandum of November 13, 2023
White House Initiative on Women's Health Research
Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and
Agencies
By the authority vested in me as President by the
Constitution and the laws of the United States of
America, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Policy. Women make up half of the United
States population, but for too long, a lack of timely
research and data on women's health has left health
care providers without important tools to diagnose and
treat millions of women with debilitating conditions,
including cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease,
autoimmune disorders, mental health conditions, and
conditions specific to women such as endometriosis and
fibroids.
Beyond the immediate health consequences,
underinvesting in women's health research can decrease
women's well-being and quality of life, hold women back
in the workplace, and affect their families' economic
security. By contrast, increasing investments in
women's health research can yield broad societal gains,
including lower health care costs and a more productive
and inclusive workforce.
To address pervasive gaps in our knowledge of women's
health, we must accelerate research on the unique
health needs of women across their lifespans. Research
gaps are especially acute for diseases and conditions
that are more prevalent among women and for health
conditions associated with women's midlife and later
years, including perimenopause and menopause. Gaps are
often even more significant for those who have been
historically underrepresented in, or excluded from,
research.
We can--and must--increase our efforts to invest in
research that maximizes our ability to prevent,
diagnose, and treat health conditions in women across
the United States. Meaningful progress requires robust,
dedicated research infrastructure--including a strong,
diverse research workforce--and investment within and
beyond the Federal Government. We all have a part to
play in galvanizing women's health research, developing
innovative and cutting-edge interventions that promote
women's health, and ensuring that women across the
United States have access to high-quality health care.
Accordingly, I hereby direct the following actions:
Sec. 2. Establishment. There is established, within the
Office of the First Lady, a White House Initiative on
Women's Health Research (Initiative).
Sec. 3. Membership. (a) The Initiative shall be led by
a Chair designated by the President who shall hold a
dual role in the Office of the First Lady and on the
staff of the White House Gender Policy Council.
(b) In addition to the Chair, the members of the
Initiative shall consist of the heads of the following
executive departments and agencies (agencies) and
offices, or their designees:
(i) the Office of the Vice President;
(ii) the Department of Defense;
(iii) the Department of Agriculture;
(iv) the Department of Health and Human Services;
(v) the Department of Veterans Affairs;
(vi) the Environmental Protection Agency;
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(vii) the Office of Management and Budget;
(viii) the Domestic Policy Council;
(ix) the Office of Science and Technology Policy;
(x) the National Science Foundation;
(xi) the National Institutes of Health;
(xii) the Food and Drug Administration;
(xiii) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
(xiv) the Indian Health Service;
(xv) the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services;
(xvi) the Health Resources and Services Administration;
(xvii) the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration;
(xviii) the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality;
(xix) the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health;
(xx) the National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women's
Health; and
(xxi) the heads of such other agencies and offices as the Chair may, from
time to time, designate.
(c) The Department of Health and Human Services
shall provide funding and administrative support as may
be necessary for the performance and functions of the
Initiative, to the extent permitted by law and within
existing appropriations.
(d) At the direction of the Chair, the Initiative
may establish subgroups consisting exclusively of
Initiative members or their designees, as appropriate,
including to coordinate across agency offices dedicated
to women's health.
Sec. 4. Mission and Functions. (a) The mission of the
Initiative is to advance women's health research in the
United States. The functions of the Initiative are
advisory only and shall include, consistent with
applicable law, the following actions with the goal of
advancing women's health research:
(i) assessing the Federal research landscape to identify opportunities for
additional investments that could catalyze significant progress in
addressing women's health needs;
(ii) setting Initiative-wide priorities to help guide strategic Federal
research investments;
(iii) improving coordination among agencies and offices pursuing women's
health research, including by better integrating research efforts and
facilitating interdisciplinary research;
(iv) developing policy recommendations to better ensure that the health
needs of women are considered, assessed, and reported for Federal research
and data collection efforts, where feasible and in accordance with current
research and data collection and analysis guidelines;
(v) forming targeted recommendations to address health disparities and
inequities affecting women, including those related to race, ethnicity,
age, socioeconomic status, disability, and exposure to environmental
factors and contaminants that can directly affect health;
(vi) developing recommendations to support the translation of research
advancements into practical benefits for patients and providers;
(vii) identifying opportunities to develop public-private partnerships and
to increase coordination of Federal efforts with the private and
philanthropic sectors in order to drive innovation;
(viii) engaging the scientific and research communities, including by
helping promote the publication and dissemination of actionable research
and data on women's health and by making Federal datasets available to
support research;
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(ix) assessing opportunities to recruit, train, and support women pursuing
health and biomedical research careers to help strengthen and diversify the
research workforce; and
(x) identifying ways to increase public awareness of the need for greater
investment in and attention to women's health research, as well as women's
health outcomes.
(b) Consistent with the objectives of this
memorandum and applicable law, the Initiative may
gather relevant information from external stakeholders,
including Federal, State, local, Tribal, and
territorial government officials; researchers and
academics; women's health organizations; philanthropic
leaders; industry stakeholders; and other entities and
persons that may assist the Initiative in accomplishing
the objectives of this memorandum.
Sec. 5. Recommendations to the President. (a) Within 45
days of the date of this memorandum, the members of the
Initiative or their designees shall provide
recommendations to the President, through the Chair, on
concrete actions that agencies and offices can take to
advance women's health research.
(b) The heads of agencies and offices participating
in the Initiative shall assist and provide information
to the Chair, consistent with applicable law, as may be
necessary to carry out the functions of the Initiative.
Each participating agency and office shall bear its own
expense for participating in the Initiative.
(c) The heads of agencies and offices participating
in the Initiative, or their designees, shall inform the
President, through the Chair, on progress implementing
this memorandum at least twice each year.
Sec. 6. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this
memorandum shall be construed to impair or otherwise
affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or
the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This memorandum shall be implemented consistent
with applicable law and subject to the availability of
appropriations.
(c) This memorandum is not intended to, and does
not, create any right or benefit, substantive or
procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any
party against the United States, its departments,
agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or
agents, or any other person.
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(d) The Secretary of Health and Human Services is
authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in
the Federal Register.
(Presidential Sig.)
THE WHITE HOUSE,
Washington, November 13, 2023
[FR Doc. 2023-25632
Filed 11-16-23; 8:45 am]
Billing code 4150-42-P