Bill Gates' Foundation Announces $2.5 Billion To Bolster Women's Health Globally
The foundation is working with over 300 global partners and grantees to advance the research and development of products to improve maternal health, gynecological and menstrual health among other areas of underfunded care around the world. As of 2018, women's health accounted for only 4% of overall funding for research and development in healthcare products and services, Forbes reported. The Gates Foundation announced that its commitment seeks to motivate investment from governments, the private sector and philanthropy.
'I think what's going to be most transformative here for women around the world is going to be AI-enabled tools,' says the Gates Foundation's head of gender equality, Dr. Anita Zaidi. A pediatrician and scientist with research experience in low- and middle- income countries, Zaidi highlighted AI-enabled ultrasounds as one of the innovations currently in clinical development. 'It's super exciting because we think that because of AI, we can really leapfrog a lot of the neglect that there has been in women's health R&D.' The product, a portable and affordable AI-powered ultrasound, can be plugged into a mobile phone and identify and communicate potential dangers to mothers and babies by a trained health worker– even without a radiologist or obstetrician on-site. The foundation's partnerships aim to bring the product to market over the next two to three years.
Another AI-enabled tool being funded by the foundation is a fetal monitoring system, which helps healthcare providers determine when to deliver a baby. 'You can tell if a baby is in distress, or if this baby needs to be delivered. That will help around the world because caesarean sections are a big problem right now. So using AI tools, you'll be able to see if the mother needs to be delivered much more precisely.' Zaidi estimates that the product will be available in two to three years.
The Gates Foundation was launched in 2000 (then called the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), funded at first by Bill and Melinda Gates. In 2006, Warren Buffett began making multi-billion dollar donations of Berkshire Hathaway stock to the foundation on an annual basis. To date the foundation has spent $100 billion on its philanthropic efforts, with the primary focus on global health and development. Gates, 69, who Forbes estimates is worth $116.3 billion, announced in May his plan to donate 99% of his wealth through the foundation over the next 20 years, before it shuts down on December 31, 2045. 'Over the next two decades, we will double our giving. The exact amount will depend on the markets and inflation, but I expect the foundation will spend more than $200 billion between now and 2045,' Gates said in an article published on the foundation's website. The foundation has been increasing the dollar amount of its philanthropic spending in recent years, lifting it from $6 billion in 2022 to a goal of $9 billion in annual outlays by 2026.
The announcement comes at a time of uncertainty for women's health research. In April, the Trump administration announced its intention to remove federal funding for the Women's Health Initiative, a landmark women's health study initiated in 1990. The administration informed the WHI that it planned to terminate WHI Regional Center contracts at the end of its current fiscal year. In a news release, the WHI announced the effects of these cuts, stating, 'If CCC funding were to cease in early 2026, it would greatly reduce access to WHI's unparalleled high-quality women's health dataset and biorepository, and thus opportunities for new discoveries and future scientific advancements.' A few weeks later, amid a public outcry, the Trump administration reversed its decision to withhold funding. 'No foundation or group of foundations in the world can replace the historic leadership that the U.S. government has had on global health, on R&D, and on women's health,' Zaidi commented when asked about the timing of the announcement.
According to a 2024 World Economic Forum Report, women, who on average live longer than men, spend 25% more of their lives in poor health than men do.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
UMass Amherst marmoset monkey lab that drew PETA's ire closes
AMHERST — A researcher whose controversial use of marmoset monkeys to unlock the secrets of Alzheimer's, aging and women's health drew the fury of PETA has closed her lab at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In a message posted to her own website, Agnès Lacreuse says caring for primates requires top-quality infrastructure and resources. She is grateful to the National Institutes of Health and others for more than $6 million in federal funding. 'However, current efforts to destroy science and slash research funding undermine my ability to continue support for nonhuman primate research at UMass,' she said. The lab is finishing up a research project concerning the topic of breast cancer. 'Above all, my heart goes out to each one of the beloved monkeys who helped advance scientific knowledge and improve the lives of humans and other animals,' she said. The University of Massachusetts released a written statement: 'The lab, whose work has been dedicated to studies that advance the knowledge of the aging process with a focus on Alzheimer's disease and women's health (including breast cancer treatments), recently completed NIH grant-funded research using non-human primates. The funded experiments ended as planned, within the scheduled end of the grant.' PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, declared victory in a news release. 'We were determined to close this laboratory and end the torture of these tiny monkeys, and we did,' says PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo. 'Lacreuse's reign of terror is over.' PETA described how Lacreuse's laboratory staff drilled holes in marmosets' skulls to implant electrodes, cut into their necks and threaded wires through their bodies. Stories by Jim Kinney Sports betting brought trouble for gamblers, not jobs for Mass., UMass research finds After word of potential Mercy sale, Baystate CEO reassures staff but points to nondisclosure, confidentiality Pridelands on Main St., outdoor beer garden funded through ARPA, drawing crowds Read the original article on MassLive. Solve the daily Crossword
Forbes
4 hours ago
- Forbes
Bill Gates' Foundation Announces $2.5 Billion To Bolster Women's Health Globally
Women's health research is getting a shot in the arm from the Gates Foundation. With the Trump administration previously threatening to cut funding for certain programs, the foundation announced on Monday that it is committing $2.5 billion over the next five years to fund women's health research and development. Led by billionaire philanthropist and investor Bill Gates, the foundation's goal with this commitment is to improve global health outcomes for the over 80% of women living in low- and middle- income countries. The foundation is working with over 300 global partners and grantees to advance the research and development of products to improve maternal health, gynecological and menstrual health among other areas of underfunded care around the world. As of 2018, women's health accounted for only 4% of overall funding for research and development in healthcare products and services, Forbes reported. The Gates Foundation announced that its commitment seeks to motivate investment from governments, the private sector and philanthropy. 'I think what's going to be most transformative here for women around the world is going to be AI-enabled tools,' says the Gates Foundation's head of gender equality, Dr. Anita Zaidi. A pediatrician and scientist with research experience in low- and middle- income countries, Zaidi highlighted AI-enabled ultrasounds as one of the innovations currently in clinical development. 'It's super exciting because we think that because of AI, we can really leapfrog a lot of the neglect that there has been in women's health R&D.' The product, a portable and affordable AI-powered ultrasound, can be plugged into a mobile phone and identify and communicate potential dangers to mothers and babies by a trained health worker– even without a radiologist or obstetrician on-site. The foundation's partnerships aim to bring the product to market over the next two to three years. Another AI-enabled tool being funded by the foundation is a fetal monitoring system, which helps healthcare providers determine when to deliver a baby. 'You can tell if a baby is in distress, or if this baby needs to be delivered. That will help around the world because caesarean sections are a big problem right now. So using AI tools, you'll be able to see if the mother needs to be delivered much more precisely.' Zaidi estimates that the product will be available in two to three years. The Gates Foundation was launched in 2000 (then called the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), funded at first by Bill and Melinda Gates. In 2006, Warren Buffett began making multi-billion dollar donations of Berkshire Hathaway stock to the foundation on an annual basis. To date the foundation has spent $100 billion on its philanthropic efforts, with the primary focus on global health and development. Gates, 69, who Forbes estimates is worth $116.3 billion, announced in May his plan to donate 99% of his wealth through the foundation over the next 20 years, before it shuts down on December 31, 2045. 'Over the next two decades, we will double our giving. The exact amount will depend on the markets and inflation, but I expect the foundation will spend more than $200 billion between now and 2045,' Gates said in an article published on the foundation's website. The foundation has been increasing the dollar amount of its philanthropic spending in recent years, lifting it from $6 billion in 2022 to a goal of $9 billion in annual outlays by 2026. The announcement comes at a time of uncertainty for women's health research. In April, the Trump administration announced its intention to remove federal funding for the Women's Health Initiative, a landmark women's health study initiated in 1990. The administration informed the WHI that it planned to terminate WHI Regional Center contracts at the end of its current fiscal year. In a news release, the WHI announced the effects of these cuts, stating, 'If CCC funding were to cease in early 2026, it would greatly reduce access to WHI's unparalleled high-quality women's health dataset and biorepository, and thus opportunities for new discoveries and future scientific advancements.' A few weeks later, amid a public outcry, the Trump administration reversed its decision to withhold funding. 'No foundation or group of foundations in the world can replace the historic leadership that the U.S. government has had on global health, on R&D, and on women's health,' Zaidi commented when asked about the timing of the announcement. According to a 2024 World Economic Forum Report, women, who on average live longer than men, spend 25% more of their lives in poor health than men do.
Geek Wire
6 hours ago
- Geek Wire
Gates Foundation will use $2.5B and new tech to close gaps in women's health
Gates Foundation headquarters in Seattle. (GeekWire Photo / Taylor Soper) The Gates Foundation today announced a $2.5 billion, five-year initiative focused on women's health that will support innovation in care, bolster data collection and aims to catalyze additional investments. The effort represents the largest ever commitment to women's health research and development, addressing a significant funding gap. A 2021 McKinsey study found that only 1% of healthcare R&D is invested in female-specific conditions beyond oncology, while a 2023 report from international health organizations found that a woman dies every two minutes due to pregnancy or childbirth. The initiative is centered on five areas that the philanthropy believes have been overlooked and are primed for breakthroughs with wide-reaching impacts: Diagnosing and treating issues with menstrual and gynecological health, such as heavy menstrual cycles that cause anemia and addressing the vaginal microbiome Contraceptive innovation Diagnosing and treating sexually transmitted infections Improving maternal health and nutrition, including immunizations and gut health Bolstering safety in pregnancy and childbirth About 60% of the funding will be focused on obstetrics and maternal health. The philanthropy is supporting 40 innovations and 70% of the new investment will go towards R&D and product development, foundation leaders said on a call Monday with global media. 'I've seen firsthand what happens when there's a lack of attention paid to women's health conditions,' said Dr. Ru Cheng, director of women's health innovations at Gates Foundation. 'There's no solutions. There's delays in diagnosis. Or the solutions that exist are very old, and they lack features that make it such that women actually want to use them.' Promising new technologies include an injectable, discreet contraceptive for women that lasts for six months, and the use of artificial intelligence with ultrasounds so any primary health care provider will be able to read them. The organization emphasized that the investments are meant to help women in low-resource communities worldwide, including the U.S. Idaho, for example, has lost 35% of its obstetrician-gynecologist physicians since the state began implementing strict abortion bans in 2022. 'Investing in women's health has a lasting impact across generations. It leads to healthier families, stronger economies, and a more just world,' said Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation, in a statement. 'Yet women's health continues to be ignored, underfunded, and sidelined,' he added. 'Too many women still die from preventable causes or live in poor health. That must change. But we can't do it alone.' The Seattle-based philanthropy is the world's largest private foundation. In May, Gates committed to giving away $200 billion — including nearly all of his wealth — over the next two decades through the foundation. The organization is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and will sunset its operations on Dec. 31, 2045. The global public health sector is facing additional challenges following recent changes to U.S. foreign aid policy. The Trump administration is dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) — a move that could lead to 14 million additional deaths worldwide by the end of this decade, according to new research. Looking at the $2.5 billion initiative, 'we're approaching it as a moment to catalyze the entire community, the global ecosystem around women's health research and development,' Cheng said. 'It's really an invitation, it's a call to action, and it's really to highlight the urgency and the need.'
