First Lady Jill Biden Salutes ‘The Power of Research’ at DC Symposium

WASHINGTON — Even years after the fact, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden recalled the moment with a sense of astonished disbelief.

Biden was second lady, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, at the time, and Maria Shriver was the first lady of California. 

Both were attending a meeting on Alzheimer’s and women’s health issues, and it was then that the two women had a chance for a real heart to heart.

“You laid out a problem that was so simple, but so often ignored,” Biden said to Shriver Wednesday as she addressed “The Power of Research: The Need for Gender Equity” symposium in Washington.

“That women’s health is understudied and research is underfunded,” she said.

Shriver, founder of Women’s Health Research and strategic advisor for Women’s Health and Alzheimer’s at the Cleveland Clinic, was the host of the event, which was presented by the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement at the clinic, and the Society for Women’s Health Research here.

The result of this basic flaw in how things are done, is that “too many of our medications, treatments and medical school textbooks are based on men,” Biden said.

“This has created gaps in our understanding of conditions that mostly affect women, only affect women, or affect women and men differently, leaving women seeking health care in a medical world largely designed for men,” she continued.

Reflecting on the conversation she had with Shriver nearly 15 years ago, the first lady said, “It was one of those moments that happen in life, where you learn something and you can never see the world the same way again.

“Suddenly, the problem almost felt obvious — because we all know it,” Biden continued.

“If you ask any woman in America about her health care, she probably has a story to tell. You know her,” she said, adding, “She’s the woman who gets debilitating migraines, but doesn’t know why, and can’t find treatment options that work for her.

“She’s the woman going through menopause, who visits her doctor and leaves with more questions than answers, even though half the country will go through menopause at some point in their lives,” Biden continued. 

“She’s the woman whose heart attack isn’t recognized because her symptoms don’t look like a man’s, even as heart disease is the leading cause of death among women,” she added.

But Biden didn’t turn up at the symposium just to talk about the situation, she wanted to remind attendees what her husband, President Joe Biden, has done to try and rectify the situation.

“Joe has pushed forward all those pieces that may not have seemed possible before,” she said.

“The first, [the] White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, requesting $12 billion from Congress in his State of the Union; signing an executive order to make sure that when the government funds research, that work includes women from the beginning; and ensuring that when we make discoveries, those ideas get to the women and families waiting for answers,” she said.

She also noted — this is an election year after all — that as part of ARPA-H, the agency the president created to pursue health research breakthroughs “at light speed,” he’s launched a “sprint” for women’s health.

“That means this year the agency will invest millions to push forward innovations that could be life-changing for women,” Biden said.

The first lady, of course, has played an important role in all of these accomplishments. 

She not only stood side by side with her husband in November 2023 when he launched the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, she took the helm of the first-of-its-kind effort to galvanize government agencies as well as the private and philanthropic sectors to spur innovation and unleash transformative investments in women’s health research.

Since then, to advance the goals of the initiative, she has repeatedly traveled across the country to highlight the administration’s actions and push for further breakthroughs in women’s health research and innovation. 

But Biden took no bows for herself.

“All of you have been a part of work like this on Alzheimer’s and other diseases,” she said, turning the focus of attention to those gathered to hear her speak. 

“You’ve poured in resources,” she said. “You’ve pushed science forward. You’ve changed how we talk about this disease. You’ve seen the power of conversations like the one Maria and I had — how they ripple outwards, reshaping our world.

“There is so much more for us to discover — lives that could be transformed, or even saved,” she continued. “Families that could find the answers they need. Patients who no longer have to struggle with pain or confusion — who could get a second chance at life, not only women, but men too. Because these discoveries could give us insight into all of us. 

“That’s the power of research: to investigate and innovate, to help and heal, to build a better health care system — one that places women and their lived experiences at its center,” Biden said.

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue