After four impactful years in the White House, First Lady Jill Biden is stepping into a powerful new role—joining the Milken Institute to lead its groundbreaking initiative focused on advancing women’s health.
“From endometriosis to healthy aging, the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research made important investments in research and development, while making clear it will take collaboration across industries to bring these innovations to scale,” Biden said in a statement released by the Milken Institute.
Now, as part of the renowned California-based think tank, she’s turning her focus to uniting global leaders behind a bold mission: “for women everywhere to benefit from the lifesaving, world-changing research we know is possible.”
After four influential years as First Lady, Jill Biden is stepping into a groundbreaking new role—chairing the Women’s Health Network at the Milken Institute, a respected nonpartisan think tank based in Santa Monica. Known for its mission to improve financial, physical, mental, and environmental well-being, the Institute tackles some of the world’s most pressing challenges through innovative solutions and cross-sector collaboration.
In her new position, Biden will spearhead efforts to advance women’s health research and policy. “From endometriosis to healthy aging, the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research made important investments in research and development, while making clear it will take collaboration across industries to bring these innovations to scale,” she said in a statement. “I am honored to join the Milken Institute as we unite leaders around a shared mission: for women everywhere to benefit from the lifesaving, world-changing research we know is possible.”
A lifelong educator with a doctorate in education, Biden has long been a passionate advocate for health causes. Her past initiatives include the Biden Cancer Moonshot, which accelerated cancer research, and Joining Forces, a program supporting military families. Most recently, she played a key role in launching the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research.
Biden joined a roster of influential speakers Monday at the Milken Institute’s 28th annual Global Conference in Beverly Hills. Sharing the stage with global figures such as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, former Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and former CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, her message underscored the urgent need for equity and innovation in women’s health.
In 2023, then-President Joe Biden signed a historic memorandum launching the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research—an effort spearheaded by First Lady Jill Biden to close long-standing gaps in medical research that often ignored women’s unique health needs.
For decades, the Biden administration noted, most medical studies, treatments, and textbooks were based primarily on men’s bodies—leaving women’s experiences underrepresented or misunderstood. The initiative set out to change that.
“We got to work right away,” Jill Biden said Monday at the Milken Institute’s Global Conference, according to Fox News. “Joe said, ‘Let’s really infuse the federal government with money.’ In just one year, we invested $1 billion to advance women’s research.”
She highlighted how the administration partnered with key agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to ensure sex-based data was disaggregated and that studies accounted for biological differences between men and women. The Department of Defense also committed significant funding to women’s health studies.
“We also de-risked the investment,” Biden explained. “There were so many areas private equity wasn’t willing to touch because the return wasn’t certain. So we stepped in—to push the science forward and find answers faster.”