Trump Signs Executive Order to Expand Women’s Health Research, With First Lady Melania Trump’s Support

By
Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (ASPA)
October 19, 2026

United States Department Of Health And Human Services

Overview

The executive order directs HHS to establish a Women’s Health Division within NIH within 90 days and creates a White House Women’s Health Task Force to coordinate federal efforts across the female life course. The division is intended to address research gaps, increase women’s and girls’ participation in clinical trials, and translate findings into prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care.

Background

The order identifies conditions that uniquely or disproportionately affect women as priorities for stronger scientific investigation. Its stated scope spans infancy and adolescence, reproductive years, midlife, menopause, and healthy aging. Planned research areas include cardiovascular and oncologic disorders, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, chronic pain, endometriosis, infertility, maternal health, Alzheimer’s disease, and osteoporosis. The source also describes recent HHS actions involving menopause care and treatment options.

Data Highlights

Item	Details reported
NIH Women’s Health Division	HHS is instructed to establish the division within 90 days, in collaboration with the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health.
White House Women’s Health Task Force	Created by the order; co-chaired by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
Research and clinical priorities	Broader clinical-trial enrollment of women and girls; consideration of sex as a biological variable; interdisciplinary research; and translation of findings into clinical practice.
Menopause-related actions described	HHS reported two medication approvals for menopausal symptoms, including a generic conjugated-estrogens product and a non-hormonal therapy for moderate-to-severe vasomotor symptoms.

Key Findings

The order directs HHS, through NIH, to create a Women’s Health Division within 90 days and work with the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health.
The division is tasked with promoting research into conditions that uniquely or disproportionately affect women, strengthening accountability for federally supported research, and accelerating translation of discoveries into care.
The order establishes a White House Women’s Health Task Force, co-chaired by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, to coordinate federal work across the female life course.
Research priorities listed in the source include cardiovascular and oncologic disorders, autoimmune or inflammatory diseases, chronic pain, endometriosis, fibroids, infertility, maternal health, menopause, Alzheimer’s disease, and osteoporosis.
Planned activities include broader enrollment of women and girls in clinical trials, continued application of NIH policies requiring sex to be considered as a biological variable, use of advanced technologies and personalized medicine, and stronger interdisciplinary research.
HHS also reported menopause-related actions, including collaboration with the American Urological Association on local estrogen use and FDA action to begin removing broad boxed warnings from hormone replacement therapy products.

Clinical Implications

The order describes federal research priorities and organizational changes; the source does not report clinical outcomes from the new division, which is to be established within 90 days. Clinicians should distinguish these planned activities from the separately reported HHS and FDA actions concerning menopause care and medications.

Conclusion

The executive order establishes a proposed NIH division and federal task force focused on women’s health research across the lifespan. Its stated priorities include addressing evidence gaps and moving research findings toward clinical care.