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TSNRP
7 days ago2 min read

DoD Commits $500 Million for Women's Health Research

Note: Excerpted from press release originally published on Defense.gov

The Department of Defense (DoD) is working to ensure that research conducted across the Department addresses health disparities faced by women, including conditions that affect women uniquely, disproportionately, or differently. As part of the Department's broader efforts to support the health of women Service members, veterans, and beneficiaries (such as spouses and dependents) to enhance the medical readiness of the force—and consistent with the President's Executive Order on Advancing Women's Health Research and Innovation—DoD is publicly announcing a series of new actions and commitments to advance women's health research by:


  • Spending half a billion dollars each year on women's health research, primarily through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP);

  • Adopting a new research policy to ensure that women's health is considered during every step of the research process that will apply to relevant research funded through the CDMRP beginning on October 1, 2024;

  • Standardizing CDMRP and Military Health System Research funding opportunity announcements to encourage applicants to consider research on health areas and conditions that affect women; and

  • Committing DoD's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program to increase its investments in supporting innovators and early-stage small businesses engaged in research and development on women's health.

Investing in women's health research and evidence-based care is critical to meeting the health care needs of the women served by DoD. The DoD provides medical care to more than 230,000 active-duty Service women, nearly 2 million women military retirees, and to the family members of the active force and of retirees. Compared to men, this population experiences more than twice the rate of conditions in hematological, genitourinary, endocrine, nutrition, and immunity-related disorder categories. Additionally, women's rates for illness and injury-specific diagnoses, such as those associated with the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue, are more than 1.5 times those of male rates.


Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs

CDMRP funds a wide variety of specialized health research areas that affect women, such as Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, lupus, orthopedic and musculoskeletal injuries, and various cancers. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 and FY 2023, CDMRP funded 751 grants, produced 625 studies, and supported 706 researchers. For FY 2024, depending on the applications received, DoD anticipates investing more CDMRP funding for women's health research than in previous years. These funds will be used to support research on topics such as rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue, eating disorders, and gynecological cancers.


Thank you to the Military Women's Health Research Interest Group for contributing their time and expertise to pave the way for the DoD's historic investment in military women's health.


Women's health is a high priority for TriService Nursing Research Program grant funding. Find TSNRP Funding Opportunity Awards





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