Despite decades of progress, persistent gaps in research design, data and care delivery continue to disadvantage women. While women live longer than men on average, they spend 25% more of their lives in poor health, experiencing higher rates of chronic illness and disability.
For example, heart disease is the leading cause of death for women worldwide and the top cause of premature death among Canadian women. Despite these high stakes, medical research has historically overlooked how heart disease differs between sexes. These differences occur in ‘presentation’ – how symptoms appear to the patient – and in pathophysiology, which is the study of how a disease actually functions and changes in the body’s internal systems. This oversight has a direct, negative impact on health outcomes, even though much of this disease burden is preventable. Similarly, many conditions that disproportionately or uniquely affect women remain under-researched, under-diagnosed and therefore poorly understood.
This is not simply a women’s issue. These are issues of population health, health system sustainability and equity. Addressing women’s health more deliberately and rigorously will improve outcomes not only for women, but also for families, communities, health systems and society.
We are at a moment where that trajectory can change.
Women’s Health Is Broader Than We Think
For far too long, women’s health has been narrowly framed around reproductive and maternal health. While these areas are critically important, they represent only part of the picture. Women’s health considerations must span the entire course of life, from adolescence through reproductive years to perimenopause, menopause, post-menopause and healthy aging.
Many conditions disproportionately affect women, including autoimmune diseases, osteoporosis, migraine and Alzheimer’s disease. Others, such as cardiovascular disease, remain the leading causes of death in women but have long been under-recognized and under-studied in female populations. Women also experience higher risk of adverse drug reactions, in part because drug trials often have more male than female participants. This has resulted in dosage standards that are calibrated to men, not women.
Importantly, women’s health is shaped not only by biology, but by social, economic and structural factors. Caregiving responsibilities, access to care, socioeconomic status, race and geography all intersect to influence health outcomes. A meaningful women’s health agenda must therefore be both biologically informed and socially grounded.
Why Genomics Can Help Change the Equation
If the past was defined by exclusion, the future can be defined by precision and inclusion.
Genomics and multi-omics technologies allow us to understand biological variation at unprecedented resolution. Using genomics, we can explore how genetic architecture, transcription patterns and metabolism interact with hormonal transitions, aging, environmental exposures and social determinants of health – providing both a holistic view and a life-stage approach.
Globally, genomics has already reshaped rare disease diagnosis through whole genome and whole exome sequencing. Genomics has also changed how public health and population screening are approached, as demonstrated during COVID19 pandemic. Precision oncology initiatives are uncovering sex-specific tumour biology and treatment responses. Pharmacogenomics is improving medication safety by accounting for biological variation that influences drug metabolism.
Genomics innovation is transforming healthcare, and women’s health must be part of that transformation, not as an afterthought but a priority.
The Power of Strategic Funding – A Shared Opportunity
The persistent gaps and their urgency are clear, but the opportunity is equally compelling. A recently released McKinsey report estimates that closing the women’s health gap in Canada by 2040 would provide an economic impact of $37 billion. These results can be achieved by improving productivity, reducing the health system burden and accelerating innovation.
Political momentum is also building, with the introduction of Bill S-243, the National Framework for Women’s Health in Canada Act, to the Canadian Senate in December 2025. The last such national framework dates back to 1999.
To drive systemic change, research, funding, healthcare delivery and policy must align; without coordination, progress will remain fragmented. Funding must be carefully designed to prioritize and incentivize research that generates sex and gender informed evidence. Health systems must be prepared to implement new knowledge and interventions. Policy frameworks must enable coordination and accountability. This is where strategic, purposeful funding becomes essential.
Genome BC’s Upcoming Women’s Health Initiative
Next month, Genome BC will launch a $1.8M funding opportunity focused on advancing women’s health and wellbeing through genomics across the life course.
While full program details will be shared at the official launch, our intent is clear: to close critical gaps in women’s health through deliberate investment and thoughtful design. The program is structured to support work that is not only scientifically rigorous but also positioned to translate into meaningful health impact. We have heard clearly from our community that purposeful investments – even at modest levels – can catalyze teams, validate promising approaches, and unlock follow-on partnerships. This initiative is designed to do exactly that.
This is also an invitation – to researchers, clinicians, social scientists, innovators, policymakers, and people with lived experience – to align research, funding, advocacy, systems and policy toward a shared goal. Women’s health can no longer be a niche or a peripheral consideration; it is central to scientific excellence, health equity and economic prosperity.
Genomics gives us the means. Through coordinated action, we can truly move the needle and deliver long-awaited, transformative change.
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Sign up to be notified when applications open:
https://mailchi.mp/genomebc.ca/sip-womens-health
