This MIT Media Lab program is made possible, in part, through the support of our member organizations, whose engagement advances bold ideas and meaningful innovation.

At the MIT Media Lab, the WHx combines AI, wearable technology, and biomedical research to make women's health visible in the data. Our teams explore practical, accessible solutions shaped around the realities women face across their lives, including conditions that remain unexplained and care that arrives too late. Here, interdisciplinary invention is a method for closing the distance between what women experience and what medicine can measure, with the goals of better individual outcomes and greater health equity worldwide.

Innovation Fund
The WHx Women's Health Innovation Fund turns that inquiry into capacity. Addressing women's health could add an estimated $1 trillion to global GDP by 2040. The larger return is a world where every woman can lead a healthier, more fulfilling life, and where the communities and economies around her are stronger for it. Join the work by supporting the Fund.

What does WHx stand for?

W is for Women. H is for Health. The x is the unknown: the variable for everything not yet measured, and the signal of exponential possibility. It also describes how the teams work: exploring, experimenting, expanding, and treating past limits as a starting point. Women's health has been the open question. WHx is built to answer it.

Program pillars

The WHx Program is grounded in three key pillars that guide our approach:

1. Research
   Advancing foundational and applied research into women's unique health challenges, spanning biomechanics, neuroscience, and digital health.
2. Education
   Training the next generation of health innovators through a structured fellowship, mentorship, and translational research opportunities.
3. Translation
   Bridging research and real-world applications by transforming findings into impactful, accessible solutions.

Research focus 

WHx research addresses four critical areas in women's health:

• Sex-based differences in disease
  Explores how sex influences disease progression and treatment, focusing on conditions like autoimmune disorders, cardiovascular disease, and cancers that affect women disproportionately.
• Reproductive health and technologies
  Studies women’s reproductive health across life stages, including fertility treatments, menstrual disorders, maternal health, and innovative technologies.
• Mental health in women
  Focuses on women’s higher risks for mental health conditions like depression and anxiety, driven by hormonal and physiological factors, to develop tailored interventions.
• Aging and women’s health
  Targets aging-related challenges in women, such as menopause, osteoporosis, and cognitive decline, aiming to improve prevention and treatment strategies.

Get involved

Support the WHx Fund

The WHx Women’s Health Innovation Fund supports the WHx Program. The Fund provides funding to encourage groundbreaking cross-lab and external collaborations across MIT and beyond, catalyzing interdisciplinary projects that address critical health disparities affecting women globally.

Under the guidance of the Media Lab Director and the lead faculty member for Women’s Health, funding is directed toward:

• New Research Directions: Supporting pioneering studies that expand the boundaries of women’s health research.
• Educational Programs: Enabling the development of courses, workshops, and public outreach efforts to prepare the next generation of health innovators.
• Fellowship Opportunities: Providing essential support for fellowship programs, which offer emerging researchers hands-on experience and mentorship in women’s health.
• Endowed Faculty Chairs: Creating opportunities to establish named, endowed faculty positions dedicated to ongoing innovation and interdisciplinary research in women’s health.

Additionally, the Fund supports public seminars, talks, and exhibitions to share research outcomes widely, fostering greater awareness and public engagement. By empowering researchers, students, and advocates to reimagine what’s possible for women’s health, the Fund seeks to drive systemic change and improve quality of life for women everywhere.

WHx Leadership

WHx leadership is comprised of leading health researchers, executives, and philanthropists, who bring a profound diversity of expertise to advancing women’s health. Together, these leaders exemplify a multifaceted approach, combining cutting-edge technology, policy advocacy, and strategic innovation to create a more inclusive and supportive healthcare ecosystem.

Honorary Chair:

Researchers:

WHx Advisors Circle

The WHx Program and Fund is supported by an advisory council of committed individuals who are passionate about advancing women’s health. They champion fundraising efforts and serves as a thought partner to the Women’s Health Faculty Lead on program priorities and recommendations.

WHx in the News