In a strategic move aligning with the White House’s commitment to women’s health research, First Lady Jill Biden visited the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center and Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on December 8. The visit underscored the administration’s initiative to address the historical underfunding of research on women’s health conditions.
Upon her arrival at Cedars-Sinai’s media center at 1:50 p.m., the First Lady was welcomed by 36th District Congressman Ted Lieu and his spouse Betty Lieu, Thomas M. Priselac (President and CEO of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center), Dr. Shlomo Melmed (Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Medical Faculty at Cedars-Sinai), Dr. Noel Bairey Merz (Director of the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center), and Maria Shriver, founder of the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement and former first lady of California.
Addressing the historical research gaps, Dr. Biden emphasized, “Research on women’s health has been underfunded for decades, leaving conditions affecting women, such as migraines and undiagnosed heart attacks, poorly understood. These gaps persist, especially for communities historically excluded from research, including women of color and those with disabilities.”
During the tour, held as part of the White House’s initiative on women’s health research, participants engaged with Cedars-Sinai researchers at the Simulation Center. Discussions focused on advanced imaging techniques employed to discern differences between hearts and brains in men and women. Notably, funding for these studies is derived from the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense.
In the Van Eyk Laboratory, Dr. Biden and other guests were briefed on groundbreaking research exploring female genes, proteins, and vascular cells, shedding light on women’s heart diseases and facilitating the development of tailored diagnostics and therapeutics.
Dr. Biden extended a personal touch during the tour, congratulating Dr. Sarah Parker, an associate professor at Cedars-Sinai, on her pregnancy.
Post-tour, the First Lady addressed the audience in an auditorium, sharing insights into the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, launched in November 2023. She highlighted President Biden’s commitment, stating, “When I talked to Joe about this issue a few months ago, he listened and then he took action. That is what Joe does. He learns about the problem and then he gets to work tackling it.”
Emphasizing policy changes, Dr. Biden noted that President Biden issued a presidential memorandum, urging federal agencies to evaluate their programs’ approach to women’s health. The White House will review recommendations by December 28 for necessary policy changes to advance women’s health research.
Reflecting on the importance of the initiative, California’s former First Lady Maria Shriver remarked, “For too long, women have been underrepresented in health research funding. It has taken this president and this First Lady to address how sick women are in this country and how women can age most successfully into the future.”
