About National Women's Health Week

Every May, the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office on Women’s Health (OWH) highlights women’s health issues and encourages women of all ages to prioritize their physical, mental, and emotional well-being by leading National Women’s Health Week (NWHW). 

In honor of the 2024 observance, ORWH hosted a series of events and released several new resources that highlight research on women’s health-specific conditions.

ORWH will continue updating this page with new resources stemming from #NWHW24. Be sure to follow us on socials and subscribe to ORWH emails to see how we’re putting science to work for the health of women.

 

 

ORWH Resources

The NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for Research on the Health of Women 2024-2028 is now available. The plan outlines strategic goals to guide and inform NIH-supported research on the various diseases and health conditions that affect women.

The NIH Fact Sheets on Women’s Health Research provide health and disease data on women, with relevant discussions on how sex and gender differences and female-specific considerations may play a role for the health of women.

In 2017, ORWH developed the Underrepresented, Underserved, and Underreported (U3) program to draw attention to the lack of biomedical research on persistent disparities and inequities in women’s healthcare, and to support evidence-based research efforts to address these gaps.

The fifth edition of the Health of Women of U3 Populations Data Book focuses specifically on the health of women of U3 populations, with particular attention to the ways in which socially determined categories and environments, systems, and policies intersect, resulting in different outcomes for individuals and communities. 

NIH’s Report of the Advisory Committee on Research on Women's Health: Office of Research on Women's Health and NIH Support for Research on Women's Health details the NIH-wide programs conducted to fulfill ORWH’s core mission and their accomplishments. The report also highlights research on the health of women and on the influence of sex and gender on health and disease that is supported by NIH institutes, centers, and offices and the NIH Office of the Director. 

 

Federal Events

Since 2017, ORWH has hosted the Annual Vivian W. Pinn Symposium during National Women’s Health Week. The event honors the first full-time director of the office, Vivian W. Pinn, M.D., and serves as a critical forum for experts across sectors to communicate and collaborate for the advancement of women’s health.

This year’s 8th Annual Vivian W. Pinn Symposium is titled “Synergy in Science: Innovations in Autoimmune Disease Research and Care.”

Hosted by ORWH and the Office of Disease Prevention (ODP), the menopause roundtable serves as the launch event for a series of aligned efforts to galvanize research on women’s midlife health as part of the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research.

Hosted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), "Osteoporosis: A Perspective for 2024" will summarize the current approach to assessing bone health, as well as preventing and treating osteoporosis with a focus on postmenopausal women.

Hosted by the HHS’ Office on Women's Health (OWH), "Shining a Light on Maternal Mental Health: Signs, Symptoms, and Support for Postpartum Depression" will focus on frequently asked questions about maternal mental health with experts and women who received help for postpartum depression.