Melinda French Gates announced a significant new partnership aimed at advancing women’s health during an interview on “Good Morning America” with co-anchor Robin Roberts on Wednesday. The plan, dubbed “Action for Women’s Health,” is expected to target $100 million. This funding will continue researching and developing initiatives to take care of the full spectrum of women’s health, from chronic conditions to diseases often neglected in clinical trials.
French Gates co-founded the Gates Foundation with her ex-husband, Bill Gates, but she began to withdraw from that role last year. Over the last 20 years, she has channeled her interests into making a positive, passionate impact on women’s health. In October, she made waves with her $250 million donation. This amazing gift will provide badly needed resources for organizations addressing the mental and physical health challenges that affect women. She emphasized the urgent need for advancements in healthcare, stating, “We don’t need to live nine years longer than men in a state of not good health, and that’s what is happening today.”
These research initiatives will be propelled by the new “Action for Women’s Health” program. This collaborative, open-innovation initiative is designed to deliver outcomes several times faster than conventional approaches. French Gates lauded Wellcome Leap’s extraordinary capacity. This organization employs a public sector friendly “accelerated model” which is able to deliver results in as few as three years, rather than the decades that often elapse with conventional project delivery.
In her commitment to making a difference, French Gates outlined a sharp priority on neglected areas of women’s health research. She remarked, “We are really going to go after women’s diseases we haven’t looked at, things like cardiovascular disease, menopause, chronic illnesses.” In addition, the program will be releasing awardees this November who will be reaping the rewards of this funding.
French Gates’s commitment to the health of women around the globe has been informed not just by her success, but by what she has seen. She discussed the systemic problems in our healthcare system that lead to women’s health being marginalized. “Women go into the doctor and they can’t find a solution or they aren’t listened to, and if we advance the research and the medicine, we can treat these women’s diseases,” she stated.
While the new initiatives will begin next year, they were precedent-shattering announcements. They are committed to leaving a permanent imprint on the battlefield of women’s health care. Undeterred, French Gates continues her heartfelt commitment to philanthropy. This pledge comes on the heels of her separation after nearly 30 years of marriage to Bill Gates, which became official in 2021. Together they raised their three children but have since gone their own ways philanthropically, forming the foundation of their own respective philanthropic endeavors.
