WHAM 2026: The Economic Case for Women’s Health Investment

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What You Should Know:

– The 2026 WHAM Investment Report, released at the 44th Annual JPMorgan Healthcare Conference, establishes women’s health as a high-growth precision medicine category.

– Redefining the market beyond reproductive care, the report provides a roadmap for capital allocation into conditions that affect women exclusively, differently, or disproportionately. It features six in-depth case studies demonstrating real-world commercial success and durable long-term value.

The Economic Catalyst: Quantifying the Return on Investment

Produced in collaboration with the KPMG Foundation and KPMG LLP, the report reframes women’s health from a social advocacy issue to a rigorous economic engine. The data-driven microsimulation models developed by the RAND Corporation for WHAM highlight the profound societal cost of the current “funding gap”.

Redefining the “Bikini Medicine” Paradigm

The report challenges persistent misconceptions that limit capital allocation. For decades, “women’s health” was synonymous with maternal and reproductive care—a paradigm often referred to as “bikini medicine.” WHAM’s 2026 analysis pushes into the “other 95%” where diseases impact women exclusively, differently, or disproportionately.

Autoimmune Diseases: 78-80% of patients are women (nearly 40 million), yet women-focused research in rheumatoid arthritis has received as little as 7% of the NIH budget in recent years.
Brain Health: 66% of Alzheimer’s patients are women, but historically only 12% of the NIH Alzheimer’s budget focused on women.
Heart Health: Women are 50% more likely to die than men in the first year following a heart attack, yet cardiovascular research has historically allocated only 4%–4.5% of its budget to women-focused projects.

“We are at a true inflection point,” said Janet Foutty, Former Chair Deloitte, WHAM Senior Advisor. “The science has matured, the market demand is undeniable, and the economic case is now rigorously quantified. The question for leaders is no longer whether to invest in women’s health—but whether they are prepared to lead as this market rapidly takes shape.”