US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday creating a White House task force and a new division inside the National Institutes of Health dedicated to women's health — a move announced at a White House event alongside first lady Melania Trump during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The task force will be led by White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, who recently revealed she is cancer-free after treatment, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. According to a White House fact sheet, the order directs the federal government to take a comprehensive approach to women's health across all stages of life — accelerating research into prevention, diagnosis and treatment, and translating those findings into clinical care and policy (Reuters).

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What the order does

The executive order has two arms. At the White House, it establishes a task force charged with coordinating the federal government's approach to women's health. At the nation's largest biomedical research agency, it directs the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a new women's health division within the National Institutes of Health.

"The executive order I'll sign in just a moment will direct the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a new women's health division within the National Institute of Health," Trump said at the signing event. "That's a big deal. They've been after it for a long time. Who the hell wouldn't have a woman's health division? Melania said they don't have it."

The task force held its first meeting on Monday, Trump said — the same day the order was signed.

Who leads the effort

The choice of leadership carries a personal dimension. Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff who will co-lead the task force, recently announced she is cancer-free after finishing treatment for breast cancer — a fact Trump noted during the event, which was timed to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

She is joined by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has made women's health research one of his stated priorities. The administration has already moved to reshape parts of the NIH this year, including the creation of a dedicated research centre on vaccine injury under Kennedy's direction (Chronicle).

Melania Trump's presence at the signing underlined the first lady's personal involvement: Trump credited her with the insight that the NIH lacked a dedicated women's health division.

What is new — and what already exists

The order does not start from zero. The NIH has maintained an Office of Research on Women's Health since 1990, established by Congress to ensure women are adequately represented in clinical research. The new division will operate in coordination with that office rather than replace it, according to the order.

The White House frames the addition as a shift in emphasis: beyond funding research, the government wants to prioritise moving discoveries out of the laboratory and into clinics for women and girls. Historically, women's health has been underfunded relative to its share of the disease burden — a gap documented across conditions from cardiovascular disease to autoimmune disorders, and one that recent studies suggest is costing lives as cancer rates climb among younger adults (Chronicle).

The 90-day clock

The order gives the administration 90 days to establish the new division within an appropriate NIH institute or centre. That puts the deadline in January 2027. What remains unclear is how the division will be staffed and funded — details the White House fact sheet did not spell out on Monday, and which will matter more than the order itself for whether the initiative changes research priorities or remains largely symbolic.

The task force's first meeting on Monday suggests the administration wants early momentum. For now, the order is a framework: the test will be whether the division wins real budget authority inside an NIH already absorbing major structural changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Trump's executive order create?

It created two things: a White House task force on women's health, and a new women's health division within the National Institutes of Health, established through the Department of Health and Human Services.

Who will lead the task force?

White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will co-lead it. The order was signed at a White House event with first lady Melania Trump present.

Doesn't the NIH already have a women's health office?

Yes. The NIH has had an Office of Research on Women's Health since 1990. The new division will operate alongside it rather than replace it, with the stated goal of pushing research findings faster into clinical care and policy.

When must the new division be established?

The executive order requires it to be set up within an appropriate NIH institute or centre within 90 days of signing — roughly January 2027.

Why was the timing notable?

The signing took place during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and came days after Susie Wiles announced she was cancer-free following breast cancer treatment — a fact President Trump highlighted at the event.