Sex and Gender in Research

The dimensions of sex and gender are frequently overlooked in preclinical and clinical research, leading to gaps in knowledge with public health implications, especially for women.

Integrating sex and gender analysis into research design and analysis strengthens not only individual projects, but also the translational pipeline and ultimately the value of science to the public. It is also increasingly required by funding agencies and publishers.

Some advantages:

• Understanding the role of sex and gender in disease epidemiology can improve diagnosis and treatment
• Transparent recording and reporting of sex and gender data increases experimental reproducibility and robustness of results
• Analyzing disaggregated sex and gender data can reveal opportunities for innovation

To integrate this dimension into your research, see Action Potential #3 for guidelines, selected online training resources, and examples in research.