The latest issue of Women’s Health in Focus at NIH explores NIH research efforts to understand and address medical problems common among transgender women, individuals whose sex assigned at birth was male but who identify as women.

Both the White House and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services have prioritized protecting the health and safety of transgender individuals. NIH supports research into this population’s health issues, which include high rates of cardiovascular disease, HIV infection, and mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and suicidality. Victimization by violence as well as social determinants of health, such as discrimination and stigma, also threaten the well-being of transgender individuals in the U.S. and worldwide. 

Additional articles in this issue describe ongoing efforts across several major ORWH initiatives, including the follow-up to last year’s “Advancing NIH Research on the Health of Women: A 2021 Conference,” the NIH Policy on Sex as a Biological Variable, sex and gender considerations in research, and issues facing women in biomedical careers.

Access the Women’s Health in Focus at NIH issue here. 

For more information on women’s health research, women in biomedical careers, recent and upcoming ORWH activities, and funding opportunities for research on sex and gender differences and women’s health, subscribe to Women’s Health in Focus at NIH for free.