Your Daily Women's Health Briefing

National Strategy Calls for $20 Billion Investment to Close Health Gap

• A new "National Strategy to Close the Women's Health Gap" has been unveiled by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the Society for Women's Health Research (SWHR), and the Women First Research Coalition (WFRC), calling on Congress to commit $20 billion over 10 years. Endorsed by 37 diverse organizations, including cardiology and neurology groups, the framework emphasizes that women's health extends beyond reproductive care, arguing that misclassifying it as a niche specialty has led to severe underfunding, with only 8.8% of NIH research spending allocated to it. The strategy aims to reclassify and properly fund research, ensuring future medical advancements accurately account for biological sex differences.

  ContemporaryobgynForbes

• A new report in The Lancet Haematology, led by Cleveland Clinic hematologist Dr. Bethany Samuelson Bannow, outlines practical strategies to improve diagnosis, care, and outcomes globally for women and girls with hematological conditions. The Commission on Global Female Health and Haematology highlights that women wait an average of 14 to 16 years for a bleeding disorder diagnosis, compared to about two years for men, underscoring a significant and addressable gap in worldwide women's health. The report calls for immediate action to close these gender gaps, including universal screening for heavy menstrual bleeding and iron deficiency.

  Eurekalert

• New findings from the American Cancer Society suggest a surprising link between civic engagement and breast cancer screening rates among women in the United States. A cross-sectional study, published July 15, 2026, in *CANCER*, found that women who participated in their communities by voting, attending public meetings, or volunteering were more likely to stay on top of routine mammography. Specifically, an estimated 68% of women who voted reported getting a mammogram in the past year, compared to 58% of those who did not vote.

  Pressreleasepoint