The WHAM Report shows that funding women’s health research has huge economic impacts. Investing $350 million generates $14 billion to our economy.
It’s not just good science, it’s actually a better investment.
The WHAM Report
WHAM is investing in women’s health research to transform women’s lives. WHAM works across diseases that impact women differently and differentially – brain health, heart health, immune and autoimmune health and cancer. The WHAM Report shows the impact of accelerating sex and gender–based health research on women, their families, and the economy.
The impacts of our limited knowledge about women’s health relative to men’s because of insufficient research addressing women is far-reaching. WHAM commissioned the RAND Corporation to study these impacts for: Alzheimer’s disease (brain); rheumatoid arthritis (autoimmune), and cardiovascular disease (heart). The WHAM Report: The Case to Fund Women’s Health Research highlights findings across all three diseases in one brief report.
The results are in. Across the board, funding women’s health research creates huge economic benefits.
What does this mean?
The WHAM Report findings mean that we have a lot to gain from taking immediate action to increase funding for women’s health.
What is WHAM doing?
The WHAM Report is a powerful tool for change.
WHAM works with advocates, economists, scientists, business leaders, public health experts and policy makers to:
Increase funding for women's health research
Empower women researchers to study and share sex and gender research, and
Build a data-driven case for accelerating women’s health research
How can you help?
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What People are Saying
Marsha Henderson, former Associate Commissioner for Women's Health, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Dr. Erica Ollmann Saphire, President and CEO, La Jolla Institute for Immunology
Congresswoman Haley Stevens
Dr. Maria Freire, Former President & Executive Director of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
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Our Partners and Collaborators
We are so thankful for the dedicated, invested partnership of the research team at the RAND Corporation who conducted the analysis and brought their findings to life. The research methodology and the microsimulation models have been vetted by a diverse panel of experts convened by RAND.
WHAM’s leadership of this research project was encouraged through the generous support and collaboration from the following partners and collaborators:
The American Heart Association
The Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives dedicated to ensuring equitable health for all – in the U.S. and around the world. The Go Red for Women® movement is the trusted, passionate, relevant force for change to end heart disease and stroke in women all over the world. GRFW and WHAM will collaborate to directly address the lack of societal-level evidence on the economic cost, benefits and social impact due to the underrepresentation of women in cardiovascular research.
BrightFocus Foundation
BrightFocus funds exceptional scientific research worldwide to defeat Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma and provides expert information on these heartbreaking diseases. The Alzheimer's Disease Research (ADR) program began in 1985 and since its inception has awarded nearly $140 million to support promising research in fields ranging from molecular biology to genetics to epidemiology. ADR is currently supporting 133 outstanding biomedical research projects after awarding 53 new grants.
Brigham Health
The Connors Center for Women’s Health and Gender Biology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School is a leading local and national force in advancing the health of women, with a rich history and strong foundation of women’s health and sex-differences discovery, clinical care, and advocacy for equity in the health of women and is the Premier Partner and the Lead Scientific Research Partner of the WHAM Collaborative for Women’s Health Research. The Connors Center shares the bold vision of improving the health of women and a commitment to joining forces to advance scientific discovery for the benefit of all women.
La Jolla Institute for Immunology
La Jolla Institute (LJI) is one of the top five research institutes in the world focused on the study of the immune system. LJI is home to three research centers that harness the efforts of collaborative groups of researchers on defined areas of inquiry, to accelerate progress toward the development of new treatments and vaccines to prevent and cure autoimmune conditions, cancer and infectious disease. Together, LJI and WHAM! will create a framework for researchers to re-analyze existing data with sex as a biological variable, to work together to spark new projects, to hire new faculty to build key research areas, to communicate via the WHAM Report, and to establish an ignition point for new leadership in the scientific field.
GO2 For Lung Cancer
The GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer transforms survivorship as the world’s leading organization dedicated to saving, extending, and improving the lives of those vulnerable, at risk, and diagnosed with lung cancer.
Founded by patients and survivors, they are transforming what it means to live with lung cancer and increase the survival rate of the world’s number one cancer killer.
The GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer merges more than 30 years of combined expertise to:
- Deliver life-changing information and support services to the 10 million individuals at risk and living with lung cancer
- Advance world class academic, community and patient-centered research that spans the continuum of care
- Empower millions to take direct advocacy action to achieve historic increases in federal research funding, new treatment approvals and better access to high-quality care.
- Expand access to excellence in screening, care and treatment to ensure that our community benefits from life-saving services closer to home.
In the News
WHAM Launches #3not30 Campaign to Call for Doubling the Funding for Women’s Health Research in the Next Three Years
The WHAM Report: Investing Just $40 Million New Dollars in Lung Cancer Research Related to Women Has Dramatic Impact on U.S. Economy – Even Assuming the Most Minor Health Improvements
National Health Organization Advancing Women’s Health Research Honors Three Scientists Aiming to Reduce Sex Disparities in Health with First “Edge Awards”
What’s next?
WHAM is dedicated to funding women’s health research to transform women’s lives. This is the first analysis of its kind — beyond quantifying costs and benefits, the WHAM Report is an accountability index for change. In the future, we plan to include lung cancer, study different socioeconomic groups and examine global impacts, to name just a few. We encourage other leaders, including advocates, economists, scientists, business leaders, public health experts, and policymakers, to draw from and act on the results of this report.