Whereas the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of
Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) is a leader in the national commitment to
research, research training, and science-based education programs on women’s
health and sex differences research;
Whereas the ORWH was originally established in 1990 in
response to congressional, scientific, and advocacy concerns regarding the lack
of systemic and consistent inclusion of women in NIH-funded clinical research,
and the lack of scientific data and information regarding the health of
women;
Whereas the ORWH has made significant progress in
developing and implementing policies to ensure the inclusion of women in NIH
clinical research, and thus encouraged the increased reporting in scientific
literature of sex and gender-related factors in health and clinical trial
analysis;
Whereas the ORWH initiated the “Building Interdisciplinary
Research Careers in Women’s Health” program in 1999 and has supported the
career development and advancement of approximately 400 early-stage research
scientists to become independent researchers and obtain academic promotions at
major research institutions throughout the United States;
Whereas the ORWH initiated the Specialized Centers
of Research on Sex and Gender Factors Affecting Women’s Health
program
in 2002 to support interdisciplinary and sex differences research, from basic
to translational to clinical investigations, by accomplished scientists who in
2009 alone published 116 journal articles, 176 abstracts, and 63 other
publications;
Whereas the ORWH collaborates with NIH Institutes and
Centers to support basic, clinical, population, and translational research in
laboratory, clinic, and community settings throughout the United States;
Whereas the ORWH pursues research efforts to benefit all
individuals burdened by diseases and disorders within the ORWH’s mission,
including both men and women, older and younger adults, children, minority
populations who are disproportionately affected by many of these diseases, and
people from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and other understudied or
underrepresented populations;
Whereas ORWH-supported research has dramatically increased
vital understanding of sex differences research, from single cells to multiple
biological systems and mechanisms, thus prompting sex differences research in
endocrinology, immunology, epigenetics, systems biology, neuroscience, as well
as in new technology-enabled fields such as genomics, proteomics, and
metabolomics;
Whereas research conducted and supported by the ORWH has
been instrumental in revolutionizing policies, research, and programs focusing
on the health, prevention, diagnostic, and treatment strategies for girls,
women, and their families, leading to remarkable improvements in health and
quality of life;
Whereas the ORWH additionally sponsors education and
outreach programs, with materials tailored for diverse audiences, to improve
women’s health by disseminating science-based information to women and their
families, those at risk for disease, health care educators, and the general
public;
Whereas the ORWH has initiated or participated in
collaborative and coordinated research efforts and science-based public
education programs in order to maximize the Federal investment in research and
synergize expertise across the NIH or with other Federal agencies, and with
public and private organizations;
Whereas ORWH has just completed a farsighted research
agenda for the next decade, “Moving Into the Future With New Dimensions and
Strategies: A Vision for 2020 for Women’s Health Research” that is based on the
culmination of a 2-year strategic planning process, involving more than 1,500
leading scientists, women’s health advocates, public policy experts, health
care providers, Federal, State, and local elected officials, and the general
public in 5 regional scientific meetings;
Whereas the ORWH research agenda is visionary and
addresses six major goals including increasing study of sex differences in
basic research studies, incorporating findings of sex differences in the design
and application of new technologies, medical devices, and therapeutic drugs,
actualizing personalized prevention, diagnostics, and therapeutics for girls
and women, creating strategic alliances and partnerships in order to maximize
the national and international impact of women’s health research, developing
and implementing new communication and social networking technologies to
increase understanding and appreciation of women’s health research, and
employing innovative strategies to build a well-trained, diverse, and vibrant
women’s health research workforce; and
Whereas ORWH-supported initiatives and programs continue
to make strides addressing the expanded concepts of women’s health across the
entire lifespan of a woman, while continuing to explore understudied areas of
reproductive health and the menopausal transition, developing distinct research
career paths for investigators in women’s health, sex differences, and
interdisciplinary research, increasing the number of investigator-initiated
women’s health research studies in areas such as cardiovascular disease and
stroke, musculoskeletal and immune disorders, and mental health and substance
abuse, thus increasing the scientific knowledge on the health, diseases,
disorders, and conditions that affect diverse populations of women: Now,
therefore, be it
That the House of
Representatives—
(1)recognizes the 20th anniversary of the
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH)
and commends the ORWH for its leadership in research, research training, and
science-based education programs;
(2)recognizes the ORWH-supported extramural
and intramural scientists whose studies have improved women’s health, and whose
research continues to yield promising discoveries;
(3)recognizes the volunteers who participate
in clinical studies and the patient and professional health organizations who
contribute to the shared research goals of preventing, treating, and curing the
diseases and disorders within the ORWH’s mission; and
(4)reaffirms its support for the ORWH and its
continued commitment to research to improve women’s health.