On April 21, 2025, investigators from the Women’s Health Initiative (“WHI”) were notified that HHS would terminate the WHI Regional Center contracts and corresponding funding at the end of September 2025 as part of the efforts by the NIH to reduce spending and contract expenditures. The WHI is a landmark study that began in 1992 and is focused on identifying strategies for preventing heart disease, breast and colorectal cancer, and osteoporosis in older women. It is the largest women’s health prevention study ever conducted.
However, following significant public criticism, it is likely that financial support for the WHI study will be reinstated. As of April 28, 2025, WHI is awaiting formal notice from the NIH that its Regional Center contracts will not be terminated. According to a social media post from Secretary Kennedy: “We are not terminating this study. . . . We all recognize that this project is mission critical for women’s health.”