The BMJ Group, in partnership with the Gates Foundation, has released a new 'BMJ Collection on Women’s Health Innovation' to address persistent inequities in women’s health and promote equitable innovation. The global initiative calls attention to the need for equitable investment and research design that reflect women’s needs and realities.
Although women outlive men, they spend about a quarter more time in poor health and remain underrepresented in global research and innovation. Only 1% of healthcare R&D funding targets female-specific conditions beyond oncology, and just 5% of global health R&D focuses on women’s health overall. The Collection highlights how inequities in data, research participation, policy, and leadership continue to limit progress.
Developed with contributions from experts across 14 countries and six continents, the Collection examines how data science, AI, regulatory reform, decolonial thinking, and women’s leadership can help bridge the gap. It draws on the Women’s Health Innovation Opportunity Map framework, which identifies six domains for progress—data, research design, policy, social determinants, leadership, and careers.
The BMJ initiative argues that technology alone cannot overcome systemic inequities. Context, affordability, political environments, and systemic barriers all determine whether innovations reach those most in need. Without these considerations, even proven tools such as the HPV vaccine fail to reach millions of women, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
Through this Collection, BMJ aims to provide a roadmap for embedding equity across research, technology, and policy to ensure future health innovations are inclusive and sustainable.
Click here to read the original press release.
