The Coalition for Women’s Brain Health (CWBH) is pleased to share the latest installment of our Mind Matters: Women’s Brain Health Unveiled interview series featuring Katie Schubert, President & CEO of the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) and a steering committee member of CWBH. In this candid conversation, Katie reflects on her early experiences in public service, her path into women’s health advocacy, and the critical policy and research gaps that continue to shape women’s brain health today.

Katie speaks openly about how growing up in a small, civically engaged community taught her the power of collaboration—an approach that continues to inform her leadership style. She also highlights why brain health must be considered an integral part of whole-person care and why stigma, underfunding, and misconceptions about cognitive decline remain persistent barriers to progress.

Throughout the discussion, Katie offers a rare, on-the-ground look at what’s happening in Washington—from growing interest in maternal health and healthy aging, to the urgent need for policies that better support women as caregivers and patients. She also emphasizes the momentum building behind women’s health research, including recent increases in federal and philanthropic investment, and underscores how far the field has come since women were first included in clinical trials in 1993.

Despite the challenges ahead, Katie is deeply optimistic. The fact that brain health is now central to national conversations about women’s health gives her hope for a future where research, policy, and care systems better reflect women’s lived experiences and biological needs.

For more on Katie Schubert’s work and the broader efforts to advance women’s health research and policy, visit the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) at https://swhr.org/