The new initiative will supercharge the women’s health innovation ecosystem – including leading experts in business, health, and philanthropy – and accelerate breakthroughs in women’s health through lifesaving research

Washington, DC (April 29, 2025)–While women make up half the U.S. population and nearly half the workforce, women’s health has faced decades of underinvestment, which is critical for wider economic productivity. Today, the Milken Institute announced the launch of the Women’s Health Network to serve as a global collaborative to collate, elevate, and advance existing and new efforts across the women’s health ecosystem. The Milken Institute has also announced that Dr. Jill Biden, the former First Lady of the United States, has joined its new Women’s Health Network as Chair.

A renowned champion for women’s health, Dr. Biden will play an important role in galvanizing participation, collaboration, and shared action in the Women’s Health Network to improve women’s health and wellbeing. This appointment follows Dr. Biden’s leadership on the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, a first-of-its-kind effort that fundamentally changed how our nation approaches and funds research on women’s health.

“From endometriosis to healthy aging, the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research made important investments in research and development, while making clear it will take collaboration across industries to bring these innovations to scale,” said Dr. Biden. “I am honored to join the Milken Institute as we unite leaders around a shared mission: for women everywhere to benefit from the lifesaving, world-changing research we know is possible.”

The Women’s Health Network will drive innovation by providing resources and promoting collaboration among key stakeholders, including research institutions, start-ups and entrepreneurs, corporations and businesses, investors, payers, policymakers, patient and community organizations, health systems, and philanthropists. It will facilitate engagement and financing across public and private sectors to optimize access to research and development, infrastructure, and products and services for women by elevating existing and new efforts across the women’s health ecosystem.

“The Milken Institute is grateful for Dr. Biden’s leadership during her tenure in the White House and her steadfast commitment to championing investment in women’s health. We are so pleased she will join us as we launch and grow the Women’s Health Network,” said Esther Krofah, Executive Vice President, Milken Institute Health. “Data shows that women’s health faces persistent underinvestment in research and innovation across many disease conditions that affect women uniquely, differently, or disproportionately. However, we know progress is possible and it can be achieved through partnerships in the Network that can transform women’s health and well-being for years to come.”

This year, the Women’s Health Network will establish a digital platform to foster and accelerate data-sharing, resource collection, financial counseling, and institutional knowledge exchange; design the infrastructure for a pooled Investment Fund to support researchers, community organizations, industry partners, and innovators; and develop proof-of-concept activities and projects with deliverables that support the women’s health innovation ecosystem. Dr. Biden and the Institute will also outline plans for additional convenings to facilitate new partnerships toward the advancement of women’s health outcomes.

For more information about the Milken Institute’s Women’s Health Network, please visit milkeninstitute.org/womenshealth. 

About the Milken Institute

The Milken Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank focused on accelerating measurable progress on the path to a meaningful life. With a focus on financial, physical, mental, and environmental health, we bring together the best ideas and innovative resourcing to develop blueprints for tackling some of our most critical global issues through the lens of what’s pressing now and what’s coming next. 

For more information, visit https://milkeninstitute.org/ 

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