Women'S Health Access Matters

WHAM was created in response to the considerable funding gap, historical exclusion, and underrepresentation of women in health research. Women are more than 50% of the population, half the workforce, control 60% of personal wealth, and are responsible for 85% of consumer spending and 80% of healthcare decisions. Yet even while diseases impact them disproportionately and differently, pulling many from the workforce too soon, our investment in women’s health research lags: •More than 500,000 women die from heart disease in the United States each year -- almost twice as many women as breast, lung, ovarian and uterine cancers combined, yet just 4.5% of research funds focus on them. •60% of rheumatoid arthritis patients are women, yet just 7% of research funds focus on them. •66% of Alzheimer’s patients are women, yet just 12% of research funds focus on them. WHAM works to increase awareness of and funding for women’s health issues and to improve the inequities and bias in research by accelerating scientific discovery in women’s health in four primary disease verticals – autoimmune disease, brain health, cancer and cardiovascular disease. •The WHAM Investigator's Fund makes investments in cutting edge sex & gender research in our areas of interest. •The WHAM Collaborative brings together researchers and clinicians from leading institutions focused on women’s health to advance sex and gender research. •The WHAM Report builds the business case for change by quantifying the economic impact of accelerating investment in women’s health research. WHAM commissioned the RAND Corporation to create this report. We believe that when research reflects the differences between men and women down to the cellular level, we will improve the health and wealth of everyone.