Dec. 11 (UPI) -- The outgoing president and first lady on Wednesday hosted the first-ever conference on Women's Health Research.
The White House Conference on Women's Health Research brought together scores of leaders in the philanthropic and business industries, and researchers, advocates for women's health, business investors and government representatives to look at investing and other innovations in women health care.
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden addressed a crowd in the East Room of the White House. First lady Dr. Jill Biden also attended.
"Today, we are saying to women everywhere, we hear you and we will get you the answers you need," Jill Biden said in her remarks.
A recent report by The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine found that only 9% of the National Institutes of Health's research budget was spent on women's health research from 2013 to 2023 and shrank in the time frame.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration has invested roughly $1 billion to advance women's health.
Earlier this year Biden signed an executive order that directed federal agencies to speed the effort to expand women's health research and improve the collection of data to "prevent, diagnose and treat conditions" that affect women differently than men.
Last year, Biden launched an initiative with the goal "to fundamentally change how our nation approaches and funds women's health research" in closing a decades-long gap in research and funding on women's health in both the private and public sector.
However, Democratic lawmakers and activists have expressed concern over what a second Trump administration will mean not just for women's rights but health research as Republicans will hold control of both the Senate and House chambers in Washington.