A Conversation with the Society for Women’s Health Research

Advancing women’s health is essential to closing the medical gender gap, improving women’s well being, and driving innovation for health issues that affect women. The Society for Women's Health Research (SWHR) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing women's health through education, advocacy, and science. It was originally founded to address the historical exclusion of women from medical research and works to promote inclusive research, increase federal funding for women's health, and ensure that women's health is prioritized equally. Its mission is to make women's health mainstream by closing research gaps and improving health outcomes for all women. 

"We strive to ensure that women's experiences are reflected in research, policy, and education” says Monica Lefton, the Senior Director of Communications at SWHR. “We provide women with evidence-based information that empowers them to improve their healthcare outcomes and advocate for themselves." Lefton manages all internal and external communications, including media and event management. This conversation focused primarily on SWHR as an organization, its history and current projects, and future goals. A central theme was the importance of ensuring women are fully represented in medical research. SWHR was founded because women were historically excluded from clinical trials, leading to significant gaps in medical knowledge and patient care. She emphasized that "Including women in research has improved medical understanding of diseases and led to better health outcomes for women". She also stressed that research should be designed around patients' needs by making participation more accessible and ensuring women have a voice throughout the research process. Inclusive research produces evidence that reflects women's unique health needs, resulting in more accurate diagnoses, better treatments, and improved health outcomes. 

Another major focus was the role that education and advocacy plays in improving women's health. "Advocacy is essential to closing the women's health gap because people are more likely to take action when they understand a problem exists." Monica described advocacy as a core part of SWHR's mission, explaining that raising public awareness helps drive essential policy changes and empowers women to make informed healthcare decisions. She highlighted the importance of educating both the public and healthcare professionals to address misconceptions and ensure women's health remains a national priority. Greater awareness helps develop evidence-based policies that benefit women, and helps them receive more appropriate and high-quality care. Also, she highlighted the structural barriers that continue to prevent many women from receiving timely and effective healthcare. Women frequently experience diagnostic delays, feel unheard by healthcare providers, and face challenges balancing caregiving, work, and their own health. She emphasized that healthcare systems should better accommodate patients' lives by listening to their experiences and designing care around their individual needs or frustrations. Reducing these barriers improves healthcare access, strengthens trust between patients and providers, and leads to more equitable health outcomes for women. 

Monica also emphasized the importance of empowering women to actively participate in their own healthcare. "Many women report feeling unheard by healthcare providers, and diagnostic delays continue to be a major challenge." She encouraged women to trust their instincts, seek second opinions when necessary, discuss their health openly with family and healthcare providers, and share their experiences to influence research and public policy. SWHR strongly believes that individual advocacy creates a ripple effect that improves healthcare for many future generations of women. When women are empowered to advocate for themselves, they are more likely to receive care, contribute to better research, and help shape healthcare systems that better address women's needs. 

SWHR's biggest long-term goal, she said, is to make women's health a permanent priority within the healthcare system so that advocacy organizations are no longer needed. In the next few years, SWHR plans to continue advocating for increased federal funding for women's health research, improving overall data collection on women's health, expanding the healthcare workforce, and supporting public education initiatives that raise awareness of the women's health gap. This work is important because further investment in research, education, and advocacy is essential to closing gaps in women's healthcare. Increasing funding, improving medical knowledge, and empowering women leads a more equitable healthcare system with earlier diagnoses and more effective treatments.

In the meantime, Monica pointed out the importance of spreading awareness. “When you share your stories, that can create a ripple effect of encouraging other people to share their stories. Sharing your stories with researchers and clinicians can encourage them to look out for those sort of symptoms in future patients. So it's really a ripple effect of owning and empowering yourself.”

Key Takeaways:

• Research, education, and advocacy work together to close the women's health gap by increasing funding, improving public awareness, and shaping healthcare policy.

• Including women in research and studies leads to better healthcare, as it improves diagnosis, treatment, and understanding of conditions that are unique to women or affect them differently.

• Women should be able to advocate for their own health, seek second opinions when necessary, and openly discuss their symptoms and experiences.