This past week, I attended ​the bipartisan Women’s Health Political Action Committee (WHPAC) event on September 12th in San Francisco to support this critical movement. The evening started with cocktails and appetizers, leading to an impressive lineup of guest speakers who shared their passion for women’s health.

WHPAC speakers

  • ​Dr. Bayo Curry-Winchell is Founder and Chief Medical Officer – Beyond Clinical Walls & Urgent Care Medical Director – Saint Mary’s Health Network
  • ​Joanna Strober is the CEO & Founder of Midi Health 
  • ​Elizabeth (Busy) Burr was Interim CEO of Rite Aid and is a Board Member of SVBFG, Mr. Cooper, and Satellite Healthcare/WellBound

Why Support Women’s Health PAC? 

For years, women have largely been excluded from scientific research, studies, and considerations, which has led to our current position. In one interview I conducted on Menopause alone, CEO Donna Klasson of a leading women’s health organization said, “Part of it is not knowing that options are limited because women have generally been understudied, under-researched, and not enough money has been dedicated to studying menopause.” That’s why more needs to be done to promote education and understanding of women’s health.

The movement hopes to make women’s health a national priority. By supporting WHPAC, you champion efforts to increase funding for women’s health research, improve access to healthcare for women of color and those in rural areas, and address barriers in maternal and menopausal care for women. There needs to be more to promote education and understanding of women’s health. 

The ultimate goal of WHPAC is to drive positive change, equalize gender disparities in medical research and healthcare solutions, and promote education and understanding of women’s health issues throughout the lifespan from head to toe. Co-founders include ​Liz Powell, Jodi Neuhauser, and Candace McDonald, and co-leads of the San Francisco PAC are Allison Lewin, Diana Lyman, and Neda Razani.

4 Things I Learned at San Francisco’s Women’s Health PAC 

1. Certain cancers are on the rise in women, in particular

Burr shared a personal story of her wife’s struggle with ovarian cancer. It took her life in 2 years and was virtually undetectable due to its origin of starting in the fallopian tubes.  Another alarming rate of diagnosis for women is lung cancer. According to the American Lung Association, “Lung cancer diagnoses have risen a startling 84% among women over the past 42 years while dropping 36% among men over the same period.” Burr’s thought is whether it could be household cleaning products that women are taking more of the labor to do around the house or is it something else? 

Commonwealthfund.org shows that in 2020, at the start of the pandemic, 53 million Americans (more than 20% of the population) acted as caregivers to an adult or child with disabilities. That is not surprising given the circumstances at the time, but more than 60% of these people were women. Around the world, up to 81% of all caregivers for older people are female. This could be just one of the many factors showing increases in health challenges and increases for women.

2. Black women experience a maternal mortality rate of 3X  

Dr. Bayo led a powerful talk about her experience after birth, and her TEDx Talk was rated one of the top-viewed videos in 2023 and has been viewed nearly 42 million times. Watch it here to hear what happened, but essentially, doctors brushed off her pain and symptoms post-birth of her second child when, in fact, she was experiencing internal bleeding. She could have died if her husband hadn’t rushed her to the OR just in time.

Why does she think this could have happened, especially to a doctor with all the resources to help her, and how could this have happened to women’s tennis pro Serena Williams, too? Unconscious bias. We all have it, but when it impacts big issues and becomes a systemic problem to treat patients for preventable symptoms, that’s when more work needs to be done to change certain interwoven perceptions that are not accurate.

3. It will take bipartisan efforts to move the needle for women’s health 

Strober asked participants how the DEA is voting on laws without realizing the impact on women. One meaningful one, for instance, is the rollback of virtual telehealth visits for prescriptions and its effects on women getting certain meds like Gabapentin, Ativan, Lunesta, etc. To read more, see her post on LinkedIn and be sure to sign the petition.

Also, consider joining the Women’s Health PAC founder’s circle. It involves both sides (Democratic and Republican) coming together to make progress on key issues. Do your homework to understand the issues at play and how you can support and help. The event closed, reminding the audience of important upcoming dates—an online event to elect the democratic side in women’s health matters on September 16th. On the 26th, the Republican “Wonder Women PAC” will host an event. This article on what’s at stake in this election also highlights the different policy approaches.

4. New products are coming to support a more proactive, instead of reactive approach to women’s health

Brendan Foley is another awesome person to know who is leading women’s health options, care, and products to help. He attended the event, and Foley started Eve Wellness, a 3D ultrasound—a free screening that can be done within an hour. They’re on a mission to fill the void in breast cancer screenings. 

Michelle Agudelo, the founder of Haus of Flow, changed careers when she experienced first-hand how overwhelmingly overlooked menstrual education has been globally. Today, she teaches girls, women, and companies the benefits of cycle syncing. She provides comprehensive education about the menstrual cycle and how to address underlying symptoms so they can enjoy their periods. Michelle sees the WHPAC as a way to focus attention, bi-partisan support, and capital on something that affects the nearly 60 million women in the United States who are of reproductive age. 

To attend future women’s health events, visit Women’s Health PAC to learn more. Sign up to support, educate yourself further with an election, and help prioritize women’s health. Also, listen to our episode on how to get in front of menopause symptoms with new help for 30’s+, and stay tuned for more. There is so much we can do to improve women’s health in America, and I love being a part of and seeing organizations like this that are just getting started.