Jill Biden visits Cedars-Sinai as part of women's health initiative

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Dr. Jill Biden's visit to Los Angeles Friday included a stop at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she toured research facilities specializing in women's health.

She met with doctors alongside Maria Shriver and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra as part of The White House's initiative on women's health research, which launched in November.

Both longtime advocates for health equity, Biden and Shriver listed statistics about the disproportionalities women face. Shriver noted women make up two thirds of Alzheimer's patients and two thirds of multiple sclerosis patients.

"We cannot answer questions of how to treat women medically if the research doesn't match up," said Shriver in a series of remarks after the tour.

Biden expanded on how gaps in research often lead to gaps in diagnoses and treatment.

"You know her," said Biden, on the range of people affected. "She's the woman who gets debilitating migraines but doesn't know why and can't find treatment options that work for her. She's the woman whose heart disease isn't recognized because her symptoms don't look like a man's heart attack even as heart disease is the leading cause of death among women. She's the woman going through menopause who visits with her doctor and leaves with more questions than answers."

The White House's initiative has called on federal partners to report how their programs are addressing women's health.

On Dec. 28, the Biden administration will begin to shape policy over the findings.