Trump orders NIH women’s health division within 90 days

President Donald Trump’s October 19 executive order directs the National Institutes of Health to establish a Women’s Health Division within 90 days and establishes a White House task force to coordinate federal work on women’s health. The order assigns the division research and evidence-translation duties and gives the task force government-wide coordination responsibilities.

The Department of Health and Human Services secretary is to establish the division through the NIH director. It must be placed within an appropriate NIH institute or center and coordinate with the agency’s existing Office of Research on Women’s Health. The order does not identify the host institute or center or provide a staffing plan.

NIH division is assigned research and translation work i

The division is directed to coordinate research on women’s health across all stages of life. Its responsibilities include studying conditions that have been understudied, supporting replication studies and interdisciplinary research, and improving methods for understanding sex-specific health outcomes.

The order also calls for promoting research technology and improving data and research methods. It directs the division to increase the inclusion of women and girls in clinical trials and to develop accountability for grant recipients to enhance adherence to NIH’s policy on sex as a biological variable.

Another responsibility is helping translate research findings into clinical practice and public health. These are assignments in the order, not evidence that particular studies, treatments or health outcomes have already changed. The order does not establish a direct patient-service entitlement or guarantee an immediate change in care.

Task force will coordinate federal policy i

The White House Women’s Health Task Force is co-chaired by the HHS secretary and the White House chief of staff. Its membership includes designated officials from federal departments and agencies, including Agriculture, Labor, Education, Veterans Affairs, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NIH, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Other administration members may participate.

The task force is assigned to coordinate government-wide work on research and prevention, the use of evidence in clinical practice and policy, and coordinated care. It is also directed to consult with states, tribal nations, local jurisdictions and other stakeholders. The co-chairs may convene public meetings and seek input from experts.

HHS is directed to fund the task force’s administrative costs. The order makes implementation subject to applicable law and the availability of appropriations. It does not specify a budget for the NIH division, so the order sets out its responsibilities without stating a dollar amount for its work.

The order revokes Executive Order 14120, dated March 18, 2024, and a November 13, 2023, presidential memorandum concerning a White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research. It does not state that all programs, grants or appropriations associated with those earlier actions are being ended or transferred.

The immediate requirements are administrative: HHS and NIH are directed to establish the division within 90 days of October 19, while task force members are assigned coordination and policy work. The order sets no further deadline for the task force’s ongoing work.