Quote · On Purpose with Jay Shetty
Dr. Jill Biden: The Hardest Moments No One Saw (The Untold Story of the White House Years)
Where this was said
I Had No Choice
At 41:58 · chapter starts 38:44
The conversation shifts to women's health, and Jill Biden delivers one of the episode's most striking factual revelations: before 1993, every piece of medical research — including on lab mice — was conducted exclusively on males. [1] — Dr. Jill Biden "Before 1993, all medical research was conducted on male subjects — even the laboratory mice. That means every diagnosis and prescription av…" 37:35 That means women received diagnoses and prescriptions calibrated to a fundamentally different body. When Jill brought this to Joe, he responded by launching a White House initiative that invested $1 billion in a single year into women's health research, catalyzing wider scientific and venture investment. Jill herself is not speaking from a distance: she had skin cancer removed from her eyelid and her chest while living in the White House, an experience she found deeply traumatic. The segment closes with a discussion of young women returning to tanning beds despite the risks — a trend she urges pushback against.
Jay Shetty cited research showing that only approximately 1% of medical investment went into women's health research, which Jill Biden confirmed was accurate.
President Biden's White House initiative on women's health put $1 billion into women's health research in a single year, which Jill Biden called the catalyst for a wider investment movement.
Jill Biden had skin cancer removed from her eyelid and chest while living in the White House, and she now advocates for sun protection and preventative care for young women.
Jill Biden watched the 2024 presidential debate from the green room and feared Joe Biden was having a stroke when he froze on stage; afterward he told her, 'I really effed up, didn't I?'
Watching from the green room during the 2024 presidential debate, Jill Biden saw Joe freeze on screen and immediately feared he was having a stroke. She paced, panicked, and then went straight to the stage when it ended. Walking off, he told her he had really messed up. She confirmed he had.
