Season One, A Study on Trial: The Women’s Health Initiative Revisited, centers on the landmark study from the 1990s: the National Institute of Health (NIH) sponsored Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), the largest and most impactful women’s health research program in U.S. history.

Conceived and launched by acclaimed the first woman head of the NIH, cardiologist Dr. Bernadine Healy, the WHI aimed to improve the quality of life for women ages 50 to 79, a segment of the American population mostly left out of consideration. 

Then came July 9th, 2002. Aspects of the WHI involving Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) were abruptly halted by a press conference. An imbalanced interpretation of the data and overstated risk of breast cancer resulted in millions of women flushing their medication, wrongly denying them critical protection for their heart health, bone health, and cognition.

After decades of fighting alarmist labeling, an expert panel of physicians and researchers finally won their appeal to the FDA to remove black box labels on some HRT in 2025. We speak with many of them, along with others who have shaped this WHI timeline. 

Our goal is to use storytelling to shine a light on the systems that created and maintain the women’s health gap, and explore the massive social and economic potential of closing it. A Study on Trial helps us understand our history backwards so we can build a better future together.