Table of Contents: 2026 JANUARY - FEBRUARY No. 468
Discover Women’s Health Research Gets a Redesign. NLM Tech Bull. 2026 Jan-Feb;(468): e5
In September 2024, the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM) launched Discover Women’s Health Research (DiscoverWHR), a website designed to improve access to NIH-supported research on women’s health. Since the site’s initial launch, several enhancements have been released to help users quickly find the latest evidence and insights in women’s health research.
A refreshed DiscoverWHR homepage, a new Browse page, and a new Category page—all released this month—are the results of a user-centered design process that included in-depth interviews with researchers, librarians, information specialists, and health care providers. Insights from this research directly informed the new information architecture, navigation, and presentation of content, resulting in a more intuitive and task-oriented user experience.
Users can now navigate research areas using the following methods:
Figure 1: The refreshed DiscoverWHR website homepage.
In late 2025, DiscoverWHR expanded to include Common Data Elements (CDEs) from the NIH Common Data Element Repository (CDE-R).
Embedding CDEs within DiscoverWHR strengthens its role not only as a discovery platform but also as a resource for research planning and data harmonization.
Figure 2: Alzheimer’s disease CDEs on the DiscoverWHR website.
DiscoverWHR is shaped by ongoing engagement with subject matter experts who ensure content accuracy, refine research area definitions to highlight women-specific implications, and advise on the prioritization of new topic areas.
The original research areas, Menopause, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Scleroderma, were recently updated to reflect current evidence and research priorities. DiscoverWHR has expanded to include 14 additional research areas: Alzheimer’s Disease, Breast Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Cervical Cancer, Depression, Endometriosis, Exercise, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Human Papillomavirus (HPV), Obesity, Osteoporosis, Ovarian Cancer, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), and Uterine Fibroids.
Future topic expansion will continue to be guided by expert input and user feedback. Suggest a new research area through the DiscoverWHR feedback form.
The collaboration between ORWH and NLM brings together complementary strengths: ORWH’s subject-matter leadership in women’s health research and NLM’s expertise in biomedical information organization, metadata standards, and discovery infrastructure.
“Advancing women’s health research is a core priority for NIH, and DiscoverWHR reflects our commitment to ensuring that this science is available and actionable. By bringing together NIH-supported investments, research results, and clinical study information into one integrated public resource, DiscoverWHR accelerates collaboration and helps drive the next generation of discovery that will improve health outcomes for women across the life course.”
– Janine Austin Clayton, MD, FARVO, NIH Associate Director for Research on Women's Health, Director, NIH Office of Research on Women's Health.
In May 2025, NLM staff presented DiscoverWHR at the 9th Annual Vivian W. Pinn Symposium (VPS). Plans are underway to feature DiscoverWHR again at VPS 2026, with expanded coverage of chronic diseases that significantly affect women.
We invite you to explore DiscoverWHR and share your feedback. Your insights help strengthen this shared resource and ensure that it continues to support evidence-based research and collaborations that improve the health of all women.
