🔔 A Note on Status
Veniora is a registered nonprofit in Minnesota and currently pursuing 501(c)(3) status. While our funding programs are in development, we are actively laying the groundwork, building partnerships, and fundraising to launch these initiatives.
Why This Research Matters
Despite making up half the population, women remain vastly underrepresented in health research. This gap is even more pronounced for young women, whose hormonal, reproductive, and mental health challenges are often dismissed or poorly understood.
But the issue doesn’t stop there. Across every stage of life, women face unique conditions and diagnostic delays—from menstruation to menopause, from fertility to chronic disease—and research has yet to catch up.
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Veniora was created to shift this reality. We focus especially on adolescent and young adult (AYA) women’s health, while supporting broader efforts to transform how we study and support women across the lifespan.
Our Research Priorities
Veniora supports research that advances the scientific understanding of sex-based biology, clinical outcomes, and health equity in women. While significant progress has been made, women’s health continues to be underrepresented in scientific inquiry, with many conditions lacking adequate research, funding, and clinical attention. Our goal is to help close those gaps by supporting efforts across the entire lifespan—from adolescence to older adulthood.
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âš• Reproductive and Hormonal Health Across the Lifespan âš•
We support research into reproductive and endocrine health, including conditions such as PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids, infertility, and menopause-related disorders. This includes the study of hormonal regulation, menstrual cycle variation, and the long-term effects of contraceptive and hormone-based therapies.
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âš• Mental and Behavioral Health in Women âš•
Women are disproportionately affected by anxiety, depression, trauma-related conditions, eating disorders, and other mental health challenges. We support research that examines the biological, hormonal, and social contributors to mental health outcomes in women, with an emphasis on prevention and early intervention across age groups.
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âš• Innovation in Diagnostics and Imaging âš•
Diagnostic delays are a major issue in women’s health. We support research that advances noninvasive tools—including advanced imaging techniques—for earlier, more accurate detection and monitoring of female-specific and sex-disproportionate conditions.
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âš• Autoimmune and Inflammatory Disease Mechanisms âš•
Women represent the majority of patients in many autoimmune conditions—yet underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. We support studies investigating biological, environmental, and hormonal risk factors and treatment responses in conditions such as lupus, thyroid disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis.
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âš• Sex and Gender Inclusion in Research âš•
We advocate for the full integration of sex as a biological variable and gender-responsive analysis in study design, ensuring that research reflects the real-world differences in disease presentation, treatment response, and health outcomes for women.
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âš• Health Equity and Access âš•
We support research aimed at understanding and improving access to healthcare across a range of settings and life stages. This includes studies that examine barriers to timely care, preventative health services, and accurate diagnosis and treatment for conditions that disproportionately affect women.
We are particularly interested in research that explores how system-level challenges—such as delayed diagnoses, gaps in health education, and limited access to specialized care—impact health outcomes. Our goal is to help advance knowledge that leads to more informed, effective, and inclusive approaches to women’s health.
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How We Support Research
At Veniora, we’re committed to building a future where women’s health is studied with the depth and urgency it deserves. While we are early in our journey, our long-term goal is to support impactful research through a variety of channels:
Competitive Grant Funding
We aim to provide substantial grants to support high-impact research projects that address critical gaps in women’s health. Our future funding programs will focus on innovative studies with the potential to advance diagnostics, treatment, and care delivery across the lifespan.
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Academic and Clinical Partnerships
We seek to collaborate with universities, labs, and health systems to elevate ongoing research and encourage cross-disciplinary approaches to women's health challenges.
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Knowledge Translation and Outreach
We support efforts to make complex research findings more accessible—through digital content, educational tools, and open-access resources that bridge the gap between research and the communities it aims to serve.
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Community and Researcher Networks
We're building a platform to connect researchers, advocates, and professionals across sectors who are committed to advancing women’s health. This includes future mentorship and networking opportunities.