October 01, 2026
7 min read
Key takeaways:
- A presenter at the Women in Medicine Summit discussed closing the women’s health gap.
- With advocacy and other action for continued investment, she told Healio “the future is bright” here.
CHICAGO — From the persistent underrepresentation of women in clinical research to delays in diagnosis and treatment, gaps in women’s health remain widespread, according to a presenter here.
Kathryn Godburn Schubert, MPP, CAE, president and CEO of the Society for Women’s Health Research, spoke about the research gap in women’s healthcare at the annual Women in Medicine Summit.
As Healio has previously reported, there has been a systemic exclusion of women in clinical trials, which has led to health consequences. In fact, the FDA recently released guidance on the appropriate inclusion of women who are pregnant and breastfeeding in clinical trials.
But women, especially women of color, remain underrepresented in clinical trials today, and inequities persist.
Healio spoke with Schubert to learn more about her presentation, how to close the gap and more.
Healio: What exactly is the women’s health research gap? What are the consequences of the gap? How do we see those consequences today?
Schubert: The women’s health gap stems from the persistent exclusion of women from research, data, healthcare leadership and policy decision-making. Women were systematically excluded from biomedical research until 1993, which has resulted in us living 25% of our lives in poorer health than men; in heart disease still being the No. 1 killer of women and men yet most treatments still being based on male studies; in two-thirds of Alzheimer’s disease patients being women yet us still not knowing why; and in three out of five autoimmune patients being women, again, without answers as to why.
This gap also has resulted in medical gaslighting for millions of women, with delayed and difficult paths to diagnosis remaining far too common in women’s health. It takes an average of 11 years for an endometriosis diagnosis, up to 12 years longer for women to be diagnosed with narcolepsy than men, and up to 3 years to diagnose fibroids, despite this disease impacting up to 80% of women.
Healio: What could close the gap? What are the barriers in place to closing the gap?
Schubert: What we need to close this gap is continued investment. The Society for Women’s Health Research, alongside ACOG and the Women First Research Coalition, along with over 60 national organizations, are calling on Congress to invest $20 billion over 10 years to make a down payment to close the women’s health gap.
This is the most comprehensive approach ever introduced to meaningfully advance the health of women through federal policy. The framework encompasses funding for federal research agencies, support for regulatory modernization, better coordination among agencies including the FDA and CMS, workforce support for research and clinicians … It proposes policy solutions but, importantly, it also tackles the federal infrastructure so that women and their unique healthcare needs are considered. We need more than a one-time investment or program; we need an ongoing investment that addresses all corners of the healthcare ecosystem.
Healio: What are the most relevant pieces of women’s health legislation that women in medicine should know about and why?
Schubert: Standing out the most is the 1993 National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act, which for the first time required the inclusion of women and minority populations in clinical research. Until then, women were actively excluded from clinical trials.
The 2016 Sex as a Biological Variable policy (the SABV policy) at the NIH requiring that researchers consider sex differences represents another important landmark policy for women in medicine. Many people are surprised to learn that until just over a decade ago basic research was not required to consider whether sex differences might affect research findings.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act had several implications for women’s health, including codifying the establishment of certain Offices on Women’s Health within HHS; prohibiting sex-based premium differences in the individual and small group markets; and eliminating lifetime limits on coverage for essential health benefits, such as maternity care.
Beyond that, we are lucky for the progress made each year in healthcare policy: from improving access to care across conditions — movements related to ensuring that patients have access to the medications that are prescribed to them rather than having to try something that might not work for them before they move onto what was initially prescribed — to advancing maternal healthcare and research through the Maternal Health Momnibus package, to covering obesity care for seniors. But we know there is still more to be done to close the women’s health gap in this lifetime. We’re not waiting any longer.
Healio: You state that menopause is a case study in success — can you explain that further? What can we learn from it?
Schubert: Even a few years ago, it felt like no one was talking about menopause. Now it is a household conversation. More women and clinicians raise midlife health as a priority, and it enjoys bipartisan support on Capitol Hill — we even just saw the Senate host its first congressional hearing on menopause and midlife health. I think that we can learn a lot from connecting the dots for women’s health by looking at menopause. Let’s consider what’s happened in menopause over the past few years. We know we need more research on women’s health in midlife, and now we’re seeing that research is getting funded and tracked; [a Research, Condition, and Disease Categorization (RCDC)] code was added for menopause in 2023 and bills around menopause and women’s midlife health research are being introduced in Congress and across the states. We know that the menopause transition is an inflection point for women looking to managing their chronic conditions and long-term health (menopause greatly impacts bone health, heart health and even brain health, beyond the typical symptoms associated with the transition), and we’re seeing more women talk about healthy aging during menopause and more women actually find their voice during menopause. We know we need innovative treatments for women, and in November 2025, we saw the FDA remove the black box warning from hormone therapy for use in women to treatment menopausal symptoms — a huge step forward for patient care. We know that we need really policy to back up all of this, and we’re starting to see employers, states and even the federal government consider and pass policy specifically to support women in menopause.
If we can get menopause care right in all these ways, it will have a ripple effect for decades to come and not only improve women’s health outcomes but also help light a path for solving the larger women’s health gap.
Healio: In terms of advocacy, what can providers do to help close the gap? Do you have any tips for how providers can make their case?
Schubert: The Women in Medicine Summit itself is at an advantage, as those here in the rooms already know about the gap and how they can help. Now we need to spread the word — within our offices and institutions, and with our patients to make sure that research informs the evidence needed to practice sex-specific care.
We need all providers to be allies in women’s health — to educate themselves on the latest in women’s health research in their fields — and when the answers don’t exist, to advocate for finding them; to listen to their patients and practice shared decision-making. Getting involved in medical professional societies and advocacy organizations like the Society for Women’s Health Research is always a great start, too. We also encourage providers to familiarize themselves with their legislators and speak out on policies that will improve health outcomes for their patients, such as encouraging their representatives to close the women’s health gap and offering to serve as a medical resource to them.
Healio: What does the future look like in this area?
Schubert: The future is bright! Imagine a world in which providers have the information they need to answer their patients’ questions. Imagine a world in which patients feel heard and confident leaving their provider’s office. Imagine a world where women are studied just as often as men, and their diseases are understood and treated. Imagine a world in which we don’t have a gap to close in healthcare, for anyone.
Healio: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Schubert: Closing the women’s health gap won’t just improve outcomes for women; it will improve the healthcare system for all of us. When we know more about women’s health, we know more about men’s health, and more about medicine as a whole — bringing us closer to personalized medicine for all. When we have access to more effective diagnostics and treatments, everyone gets answers sooner. When we pass healthier policies, we all benefit.
For more information:
Kathryn Godburn Schubert, MPP, CAE, can be reached on LinkedIn and Instagram. The Society for Women’s Health Research can be reached at info@swhr.org, and on various social media platforms: Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram,LinkedIn and X.
Sources/Disclosures
Source:
Healio Interviews
Reference:
- Schubert K. From advocacy to action: Closing the women’s health gap. Presented at: Women in Medicine Summit; Sept. 24-26, 2026; Chicago.
Disclosures: Schubert reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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