[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]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 221 / Friday, November 17, 2023 / 
Presidential Documents  

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                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