III 111th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 695 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES December 6, 2010 Ms. Mikulski (for herself, Ms. Snowe, Ms. Stabenow, and Mrs. Boxer) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Recognizing the 20th anniversary of the National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women’s Health and the continuing leadership and achievements of the Office on Women's Health in conducting and supporting biomedical research to improve women's health.

Whereas the National Institutes of Health (referred to in this preamble as the NIH) Office of Research on Women’s Health (referred to in this preamble as the 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 women's health; Whereas the ORWH has made significant progress in developing and implementing policies to ensure the inclusion of women in NIH clinical research and, in this manner, has 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, including basic, translational, and clinical investigations, by accomplished scientists; Whereas in 2009, the scientists participating in the Specialized Centers of Research on Sex and Gender Factors Affecting Women’s Health program 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, clinical, and community settings throughout the United States; Whereas the ORWH pursues research efforts to benefit all individuals burdened by diseases and disorders that are within the scope of the mission of the ORWH, including men, women, older and younger adults, children, minority populations who are disproportionately affected by certain diseases, 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, and has prompted sex differences research in the fields of endocrinology, immunology, epigenetics, systems biology, and 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 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, with other Federal agencies, and with public and private organizations; Whereas the ORWH has a farsighted research agenda for the next decade entitled 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, advocates for women's health, 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 the 6 major goals of— (1)increasing the study of sex differences in basic research studies; (2)incorporating findings of sex differences in the design and application of new technologies, medical devices, and therapeutic drugs; (3)actualizing personalized prevention, diagnostics, and therapeutics for girls and women; (4)creating strategic alliances and partnerships in order to maximize the national and international impact of research on women's health; (5)developing and implementing new communication and social networking technologies to increase understanding and appreciation of research on women's health; and (6)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 in 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, and increasing the scientific knowledge on the health, diseases, disorders, and conditions that affect diverse populations of women: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1)recognizes the 20th anniversary of the National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women's Health (referred to in this resolution as the ORWH); (2)commends the ORWH for its leadership in women's health research, research training, and science-based education programs; (3)recognizes ORWH-supported scientists whose studies have improved women's health and whose research continues to yield promising discoveries; (4)recognizes the volunteers who participate in clinical studies and the patient and professional health organizations that contribute to the shared research goals of preventing, treating, and curing the diseases and disorders within the scope of the mission of the ORWH; and (5)reaffirms the support of the Senate for the ORWH and the continued commitment of the ORWH to carrying out research to improve women's health.