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Catalyzing change in the women’s health innovation ecosystem

At the Gates Foundation, the newly established Women’s Health Innovations team supports the research, development and increased access to innovative products, devices and platforms aimed at improving women’s health. Importantly, women should have a central role in the women’s health innovation ecosystem, leading research, shaping strategies and making funding decisions.

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Fig. 1: Ines Vigan Womas, senior researcher, works in the laboratory at the Institut Pasteur in Dakar, Senegal, on 22 June 2022.

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Correspondence to Mark A. Barone.

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Competing interests

R.J.C. owns stock in companies where she was formerly employed: Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer. M.A.B. declares no competing interests.

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Related links

Global Alliance for Women’s Health: https://initiatives.weforum.org/global-alliance-for-womens-health/home

President Biden signed an executive order to advance research and innovation on women’s health: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2024/03/18/executive-order-on-advancing-womens-health-research-and-innovation/

UK government has announced new funding: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-announces-transformational-support-to-boost-global-health-at-unga

UK released a new 10-year Women’s Health Strategy: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/womens-health-strategy-for-england/womens-health-strategy-for-england

US National Institutes of Health (NIH) have also committed US$200 million: https://orwh.od.nih.gov/in-the-spotlight/all-articles/president-biden-issues-executive-order-on-advancing-womens-health-research-and-innovation#:~:text=Prioritize%20and%20Increase%20Investments%20in,brain%20health%2C%20and%20bone%20health

White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research: https://www.whitehouse.gov/gpc/briefing-room/2023/11/17/launch-of-white-house-initiative-on-womens-health-research/

Women’s Health Opportunity Map: https://orwh.od.nih.gov/sites/orwh/files/docs/womens-health-rnd-opportunity-map_2023_508.pdf

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Cheng, Rf.J., Barone, M.A. Catalyzing change in the women’s health innovation ecosystem. Nat Rev Bioeng 2, 799–800 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44222-024-00222-0

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