UK medical research funders must do more to support sex and gender equity

Biomedical, health and care research funders have the power to promote studies and projects that benefit everyone in society. The policies and protocols of funding organisations may seem far removed from clinical practice, but the demands made of researchers—the criteria that, when met, increase their likelihood of securing funding—influence what scientists, clinicians, patients and the public know about diseases, treatments, and outcomes. Research that does not sufficiently acknowledge the diversity of patients, such as their sex and gender, drives greater health inequities.In 2022, the UK government published the Women’s Health Strategy for England. The strategy emphasises a “long-term aim to explore how we can encourage researchers to disaggregate research findings by sex…[to] help us understand sex-based differences in health conditions” and “close the gender health gap.”1 Cisgender women (whose gender identity aligns with their sex assigned at birth) are more likely to receive non-evidence-based care and be denied treatments, for…
Read Original Article: UK medical research funders must do more to support sex and gender equity »