Schakowsky & Duckworth Reintroduce Resolution Recognizing January 25th as Women's Health Research Day
Today, U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) introduced a resolution to designate January 25th, 2019,as Women’s Health Research Day. Their legislation aims to recognize the need to increase awareness of sex- and gender-based biomedical research, which the National Institutes of Health did not consider prior to 2016, the underrepresentation of women in past biomedical research and the importance of inclusive health research for women.
“For decades, women of all races, ethnicities, ages, and socioeconomic groups have been underrepresented in biomedical research,” Schakowsky said. “Inclusion of diverse women in biomedical research benefits everyone, leading to better drugs and treatments for all. I am proud to recognize that biomedical research is catching up with the diverse character of our nation. Full representation of all women is the only way to guarantee that everyone has access to the best health care the world has to offer.”
“Women of all stripes, socioeconomic statuses and ages have different medical needs than men, but they are often underrepresented in important biomedical and clinical trials. This lack of representation can drastically limit women’s access to life-saving innovations and treatments,” Duckworth said. “If we as a nation want to make sure women have access to the best health care possible, we need to start by ensuring a diversity of women are included when biomedical research trials are conducted.”
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