FWH announces $1 million in grants awarded in year one!

In the one year since we launched, we have mobilized $1 million to fund groundbreaking studies at leading academic institutions across the country that will fill critical gaps in women's health research, and we expect that amount to grow five-fold in 2026. We are building a movement among advocates, donors, and researchers and creating a pool of private money for women’s health research that is not subject to unstable politics, and can remain sustainable over the long-term.

We are thrilled to introduce you to our first cohort of grantees, an extraordinary group of women whose work addresses all five of our funding priorities for this year.

Dr. Anuja Java, MD

Washington University School of Medicine

St. Louis, Missouri

Role of Complement Regulators in Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy

Preeclampsia is the leading cause of maternal mortality in this country and yet its cause is unknown. It is a severe pregnancy complication that endangers both mothers and babies by damaging blood vessel linings and impairing their function, and if untreated, can lead to seizures, stroke and the death of the mother and baby. The current treatment for preeclampsia is to deliver the baby, resulting in premature births with significant risks for babies. This research aims to uncover how a specific genetic mutation is related to development of preeclampsia, providing insights into the underlying biology of the disease and paving the way for new treatments to improve maternal and fetal health outcomes across the globe. Identifying a genetic cause for preeclampsia would lead to huge developments in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease that affects 4 million women globally each year.

Dr. Catherine Kim, MD, MPH

University of Michigan Michigan Medicine

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Comprehensive androgen profiles and later-life vascular disease in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) affects 1 out of 10 women. Elevated androgens, or “male hormones,” are a key feature of PCOS, but how these hormones affect women’s risk of cardiovascular disease is not understood. This research will address the long-standing question of how PCOS, and specifically androgen profiles, influence cardiometabolic health. The findings will guide the development of anti-androgen and other hormone-specific therapies, taking into account racial differences in hormones and cardiovascular risk factors. The findings will also aid in early diagnosis of PCOS, a disease that can be diagnosed as early as menarche (when menstruation first occurs), but which usually takes decades to diagnose, causing unnecessary suffering for adolescent girls and young women with lost days at school and work.

Dr. Lyndsey Benson, MD, MS

University of Washington School of Medicine

Seattle, Washington

Early Pregnancy Care in the Emergency Department Pre- vs Post-Dobbs

States with abortion bans are facing disproportionate shortages of obstetricians and higher rates of maternal mortality, and emergency departments, whose care can be highly variable and often inadequate, are increasingly serving as the front-line for patients with early pregnancy complications. No government agency is tracking the public health impact of abortion bans or the preventable deaths of mothers and their unborn children caused by these policies. There is an urgent need to understand the impact of abortion bans on early pregnancy loss, other early pregnancy concerns, and post-abortion complications. This research will assess the impact of abortion restrictions on miscarriage and other early pregnancy complications, and the findings will provide data critical to driving future policy work to mitigate the impact of abortion restrictions on women’s health.

Dr. Michelle Craske, PhD, AO

University of California, Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Digital sensing for treatment personalization for perinatal depression

Most women experiencing perinatal (during pregnancy and up to one year after giving birth) depression symptoms are either undiagnosed or under-treated. Lack of treatment can have significant and far-reaching impacts on mothers, children, and families: mental health conditions now account for 1 in 4 maternal deaths. This research will pair digital sensing technology, like smartphones and other wearable technology that track physical data, with a tested system of clinical care for perinatal depression for a population of low-income women with limited access to health care. Dr. Craske will gather data to predict the treatment most likely to relieve symptoms for perinatal depression with the additional goal of improving the scalability and accessibility of these treatments for low-income women and other women from marginalized groups.

Dr. Noémie Elhadad, PhD

Columbia University

New York, New York

Patient-centered AI for the early detection of endometriosis

Endometriosis is a debilitating condition affecting up to 10% of women of reproductive age. While it can be diagnosed as early as menarche, most diagnoses aren’t made until decades later when women encounter fertility issues, causing unnecessary pain and missed days at school and work for millions of adolescent girls and women. Dr. Elhadad, whose work on AI and women’s health is among the most innovative in the country, will develop an AI tool to detect the presence of endometriosis in women presenting to the Emergency Department with pelvic or abdominal pain. Rather than providing a diagnosis, the tool will trigger a referral to specialty gynecology and offer patients an app to track their symptoms to reduce diagnostic delays and improve patient care.