Why we’re supporting The Women’s Heart Health Project
6 Min read
At Ancient + Brave, we’re committed to helping close the women’s health data gap. That’s why when we heard about the Women's Heart Health Research Project, a UK campaign dedicated to improving research and outcomes for female heart health, we were more than happy to lend our voice to this brave and inspiring campaign and donate £100k to Heart Research UK.
Join us in beating the bias by completing the future of women’s heart health survey here, or keep scrolling to find out more about the significance of The Women's Heart Health research project as we sit down with Professor Julie Sanders, lead researcher, to discuss the need to reprioritise women’s heart health.
What is The Women’s Heart Health Project?
The Women’s Heart Health Project is a UK-wide female health study dedicated to identifying women’s heart-health priorities.
Led by King’s College London and funded by Heart Research UK, informed by patients, carers and clinicians, the main goal of this female-focused health project is to review the data health gap around women’s heart health so that researchers have a better idea of the areas that need to be prioritised.
We, as a team, feel we must do better and are committed to ‘beating the bias’! Clearly, there is lots to do, and we are putting women first to identify and prioritise the most important unanswered questions about women’s heart health and what we need to answer to improve prevention, diagnosis, treatment and outcomes for women with heart disease.
What inspired The Women’s Heart Health Project?
Heart disease is the main cause of death in women in the UK – killing more than 240 women a week. Overall, heart disease kills more than twice the number of women as breast cancer and more than all other cancers combined.
Women, when compared to men, are less likely to be assessed for heart disease, are underdiagnosed, and are less likely to receive treatment. When women do receive treatment, they often experience poorer outcomes than men, too.
This may not be surprising since most of the evidence we have on how to care for women with heart disease is based on men, as women are less likely to be invited to take part in or participate in heart disease research.
What are the main under-researched areas of women’s heart health?
Women remain underrepresented in studies relating to heart attacks, abnormal heart rhythms, heart failure, stroke and heart surgery.
There are also heart conditions that are more common in women – for example, Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD), Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, and MINOCA (a type of heart attack) that need more research.
Women are also more likely to be affected by problems such as anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, pain and poor quality of life than men, but these are rarely explored.
This is especially true for women's specific issues like periods, pregnancy, miscarriage and menopause and their effect on heart health.
Why have women been historically underrepresented in cardiovascular studies?
There are many reasons, but there are three key ones to highlight.
Firstly, women have only been considered eligible to take part in research since the mid-1990s. Prior to that, women were either banned (USA) or generally excluded (UK) due to concerns relating to women of childbearing age.
Secondly, due to biological differences, it was widely accepted that women were too complex and challenging to include in research, and so either by design or during invitation to participate, women would not be given the opportunity to participate.
Finally, due to societal inequalities in relation to women, particularly in education and employment, there is a lack of women in heart disease research leadership, including leading projects and having membership of funding panels and journal editorial boards.
This is important as there is evidence that shows that women research leaders include more women in their research.
How will the Women’s Heart Health project be run?
This Priority Setting Partnership (PSP), led by Professor Julie Sanders, is a collaboration between King’s College London and the James Lind Alliance (JLA) and is funded by Heart Research UK.
We have an expert steering group of patients, carers and health care professionals and a number of professional and charity partners supporting this work – all can be viewed on our website.
How will you determine the key women’s heart health areas to prioritise?
PSPs enable us to work together to identify and prioritise areas of uncertainty in health and care that could be answered by research.
This is done through two surveys - one of which asks for questions important to patients, carers and healthcare professionals and one to rank a long list of those questions in order of importance - and a workshop where the top-ten unanswered questions are finalised. These become our top-ten priorities for research.
How will The Women’s Health Project influence future funding for female heart health research?
The top 10 research priorities are promoted to funders and policymakers and influence research funding awards. Research that is highlighted in a James Lind Alliance priority attracts funding from many research funders, including Heart Research UK and the National Institute for Health and Social Care Research (NIHR).
Generating the top 10 research priorities for women and cardiovascular disease is really important to promote research and funding to address the unanswered questions affecting women’s heart health.
Why is public involvement in the Women’s Heart Health Project so important?
The role of women in shaping these priorities is crucial and embedded throughout this project. The majority of the project’s steering group are women and Sarah Murray, who leads the patient and public involvement work, is dedicated to ensuring we hear the voices of women from all ages, ethnic backgrounds, social or financial circumstances to shape these priorities.
If there is more public knowledge and understanding of the risks and burden of heart disease in women, more will be done to address this, and women will hopefully be more willing to take part in research.
What long-term impact do you hope this study will have on the next generation of women and their cardiovascular wellbeing?
We want to stop heart disease from being the biggest killer and health burden to women in the UK! Once we have identified the research priorities, we will then set about doing the research to answer those questions, leading to better care and treatment for women with heart disease in the future.
Who can get involved in The Women’s Heart Health Project?
We want, and need, as many women from around the UK as possible to complete our surveys – the first providing us with their thoughts, concerns and questions they want answers to relating to women’s heart health, which will be open from February 2026 to April 2026.
We are also working closely with professional, charity and organisational partners, women’s groups and community groups to ensure as many women as possible have the opportunity to get their voices heard and contribute to this important project.
Of course, we are also seeking responses from men – they may be health care professionals, carers or have experience from the women in their lives, and we want to receive these too as it will be hugely valuable!
How can women get involved in The Women’s Heart Health Project?
Anyone can contribute by completing a short online survey, letting us know their thoughts or questions relating to women and heart disease. The survey can be accessed on our website:
Thank you for taking the time to read this article and find out more about The Women’s Heart Health Project. For more information and to find out more about the project, please visit https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/research-priorities-for-cardiovascular-disease-in- women-a-james-lind-alliance-priority-setting-partnership. Together, we can make a difference.
