Women’s health research is getting a shot in the arm from the Gates Foundation. With the Trump administration previously threatening to cut funding for certain programs, the foundation announced on Monday that it is committing $2.5 billion over the next five years to fund women’s health research and development. Led by billionaire philanthropist and investor Bill Gates, the foundation’s goal with this commitment is to improve global health outcomes for the over 80% of women living in low- and middle- income countries.
Gates, speaking at a press event on Monday to announce the gift, addressed the issue of cutbacks in federal funding of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), “U.S. money has been fundamental, and the fact that it was abruptly cut with no warning and it includes things related to nutrition and delivery in HIV and TB [tuberculosis], has created a year of incredible turmoil,” he said.
The foundation is working with over 300 global partners and grantees to advance the research and development of products to improve maternal health, gynecological and menstrual health among other areas of underfunded care around the world. As of 2018, women’s health accounted for only 4% of overall funding for research and development in healthcare products and services, Forbes reported. The Gates Foundation announced that its commitment seeks to motivate investment from governments, the private sector and philanthropy.
“I think what’s going to be most transformative here for women around the world is going to be AI-enabled tools,” says the Gates Foundation’s head of gender equality, Dr. Anita Zaidi. A pediatrician and scientist with research experience in low- and middle- income countries, Zaidi highlighted AI-enabled ultrasounds as one of the innovations currently in clinical development. “It’s super exciting because we think that because of AI, we can really leapfrog a lot of the neglect that there has been in women’s health R&D.” The product, a portable and affordable AI-powered ultrasound, can be plugged into a mobile phone and identify and communicate potential dangers to mothers and babies by a trained health worker– even without a radiologist or obstetrician on-site. The foundation’s partnerships aim to bring the product to market over the next two to three years.
Another AI-enabled tool being funded by the foundation is a fetal monitoring system, which helps healthcare providers determine when to deliver a baby. “You can tell if a baby is in distress, or if this baby needs to be delivered. That will help around the world because caesarean sections are a big problem right now. So using AI tools, you’ll be able to see if the mother needs to be delivered much more precisely.” Zaidi estimates that the product will be available in two to three years.
The Gates Foundation was launched in 2000 (then called the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), funded at first by Bill and Melinda Gates. In 2006, Warren Buffett began making multi-billion dollar donations of Berkshire Hathaway stock to the foundation on an annual basis. To date the foundation has spent $100 billion on its philanthropic efforts, with the primary focus on global health and development. Gates, 69, who Forbes estimates is worth $116.3 billion, announced in May his plan to donate 99% of his wealth through the foundation over the next 20 years, before it shuts down on December 31, 2045. “Over the next two decades, we will double our giving. The exact amount will depend on the markets and inflation, but I expect the foundation will spend more than $200 billion between now and 2045,” Gates said in an article published on the foundation’s website. The foundation has been increasing the dollar amount of its philanthropic spending in recent years, lifting it from $6 billion in 2022 to a goal of $9 billion in annual outlays by 2026.
The announcement comes at a time of uncertainty for women’s health research. In April, the Trump administration announced its intention to remove federal funding for the Women’s Health Initiative, a landmark women’s health study initiated in 1990. The administration informed the WHI that it planned to terminate WHI Regional Center contracts at the end of its current fiscal year. In a news release, the WHI announced the effects of these cuts, stating, “If CCC funding were to cease in early 2026, it would greatly reduce access to WHI’s unparalleled high-quality women’s health dataset and biorepository, and thus opportunities for new discoveries and future scientific advancements.” A few weeks later, amid a public outcry, the Trump administration reversed its decision to withhold funding. “No foundation or group of foundations in the world can replace the historic leadership that the U.S. government has had on global health, on R&D, and on women’s health,” Zaidi commented when asked about the timing of the announcement.
According to a 2024 World Economic Forum Report, women, who on average live longer than men, spend 25% more of their lives in poor health than men do.
