Reading Room: News and Journal Articles About Studying Sex / Gender
2016
- The science of sex and gender in human health: online courses to create a foundation for sex and gender accountability in biomedical research and treatment
In this article, ORWH staff and Dr. Janine Clayton discuss ORWH’s online courses on sex and gender. “The Science of Sex and Gender in Human Health” online courses are freely available sources of information that provide healthcare providers and researchers with the resources to successfully account for sex and gender in their medical practice and research programs. (October 2016)
- Reporting Sex, Gender, or Both in Clinical Research?
In this JAMA Viewpoint, Dr. Janine Clayton explains the differences between sex and gender and how clinical research needs to account for these variables since hormones, genes, and gender-related environmental exposures all affect human health. (November 2016)
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An Issue Whose Time Has Come: Sex/Gender Influences on Nervous System Function
In this themed issue of the Journal of Neuroscience Research, neuroscientists examine sex as a biological variable, sex differences, and research outcomes.
- Considering sex as a biological variable in preclinical research
In this FASEB Journal article, Dr. Janine Clayton provides a guide for preclinical investigators as they consider methods and techniques for inclusion of both sexes in preclinical research. (September 2016; subscription required)
- Sex and Gender Equity in Research: rationale for the SAGER guidelines and recommended use
This article provides guidelines to authors and editors to ensure that sex and gender are adequately integrated into published manuscripts. The guidelines were developed following a 2-day workshop with 13 experts and a survey of 716 journal editors. (May 2016)
- Sex Differences in Animal Models: Focus on Addiction
This review article, co-authored by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Director George Koob, discusses ways to think about and study sex differences in preclinical animal models. The review emphasizes not only significant differences in the phenotypes of females and males in the domain of addiction but also the limited data available regarding researchers' understanding of those differences. (April 2016)
- Basic science: Bedrock of progress
Dr. Clayton, along with Dr. Collins and other NIH senior leaders, co-authored a letter in Science confirming NIH's continued support of basic research. The letter explains that the pursuit of fundamental knowledge is essential for the achievement of medical advances and, in turn, a healthier future. (March 2016)
2015
- How to study the impact of sex and gender in medical research: a review of resources.
This paper aims to assist basic researchers, clinical investigators, as well as epidemiologists, population, and social scientists by providing an annotated bibliography of currently available resource tools on how to consider sex and gender as independent variables in research design and methodology. These resources will assist investigators applying for funding from the National Institutes of Health since all grant applicants will be required (as of January 25, 2016) to address the role of sex as a biological variable in vertebrate animal and human studies. (October 2015)
- Why Science Needs Female Mice
The New York Times Editorial Board discusses NIH's new policy requiring NIH-funded scientists to consider the biological variable sex in preclinical research studies. (July 2015)
- The Upsetting Reason Why We Don't Know Nearly Enough About How Meds Affect Women
Dr. Janine Clayton was included among other experts in this in-depth Refinery29 article looking at issues of inclusion in health research and the need to consider the biological variable sex from the very start: in preclinical research. "We want to be sure that considering sex as a biological variable is not an afterthought," she said. (July 2015)
- Sex Differences And Pain (Subscription required)
Over the past 15 years, neuroscientists have pieced together one particular biological circuit that they think is involved in some chronic pain conditions. But work on this mechanism left out some important subjects: females. In Chemical & Engineering News, Dr. Janine Clayton comments on this new study that highlights the risk of ignoring sex in biomedical research. "The study is another in a growing number of examples showing how sex influences biology from cells to selves," said Dr. Clayton. "Studies like this show that it's vital to study both sexes." (July 2015)
- Hey, Medicine: Stop Ignoring the Existence of Women
Dr. Janine Clayton talks to OZY about the importance of considering both sexes in preclinical research and what it means for understanding female biology and women's health. (May 2015)
2014
- Focus on Sex
The Scientist highlights new research findings and guidelines that brought increased attention to the biological differences between males and females in 2014. (December 2014)
- Dr. Janine Clayton was interviewed for Discover magazine's Top 100 Stories of 2014. In Top-to-Bottom Sex Bias in Labs Skews Results , she comments on the blind spot that has resulted from studying only one sex, and the need to study both sexes to strengthen science. (December 2014)
- Recommendations concerning the new U.S. National Institutes of Health initiative to balance the sex of cells and animals in preclinical research
This article reports the deliberations of a September 2014 workshop at Georgetown University in which scientists with varying perspectives discussed NIH's policy to ensure that NIH-funded researchers consider sex in preclinical studies. (November 2014)
- NIH initiative to balance sex of animals in preclinical studies: generative questions to guide policy, implementation, and metrics
This review article, authored by the present, past, and future presidents of the Organization for the Study of Sex Differences, poses a series of questions to promote discussion and generate ideas about research, educational, and evaluation strategies to improve the sex balance in research. (November 2014)
- Equal Treatment: A fundamental flaw in medical research is finally being addressed. Why it matters for you. (PDF - 83.6 KB)
Dr. Janine Clayton talks to SELF magazine about why NIH is calling on scientists to take sex into account in their plans for preclinical research. "Right now, we're treating a unisex person," she says. (October 2014)
- On September 23, 2014, ORWH and the NIH Common Fund announced $10.1 million in supplemental funding to bolster the research of 82 grantees to explore the effects of sex in preclinical and clinical studies. (September 2014)
- In this issue of AAOS Now , Dr. Joan McGowan, director of the Division of Musculoskeletal Diseases at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), explores the rationale behind the NIH changes to consider both sexes in preclinical research. Also included is her podcast interview about musculoskeletal sex differences. (September 2014)
- In a Nature Comment "Policy: NIH to balance sex in cell and animal studies" published on May 14, 2014, Dr. Francis Collins and Dr. Janine Clayton outlined NIH steps to address sex differences in preclinical research. This news was covered widely in the media. (May 2014)
- Labs Are Told to Start Including a Neglected Variable: Females , New York Times
- Medical research still short on inclusion of women , USA Today
- NIH calls on scientists to test new drugs on animals of both sexes , PBS NewsHour
- Needed: More Females in Animal and Cell Studies , Sciencemagazine
- U.S. health agency to erase sex bias in biomedical studies , The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune (Reuters)
- Gender Imbalance in the Lab , New York Times Editorial
- 60 Minutes helps pave way for change at NIH, FDA , 60 Minutes
- NIH: Scientists Must Include Female Animals in Testing , NPR Here & Now
- NIH to Require Gender Balance in Subjects of Animal Studies , Chronicle of Higher Education
- Mostly Male, Nature podcast , Nature
- Ending Sex Bias in Medical Research Starts With Lab Mice , Bloomberg
- New federal rules will force scientists to use more female lab animals , The Verge
- Sex Cells! Addressing Sex Differences in Pre-Clinical Research , Wing of Zock
- Medicine Needs More Research on Female Animals, NIH Says , NPR "Shots" Blog
- U.S. To Require Gender Equality For Medical Lab Rats , Popular Science
- NIH to require sex-reporting in preclinical studies , Nature News
- NIH's New Policy: Sex Differences in Research , BioTechniques
- US government to require affirmative action for female lab mice , Vox
- NIH Says Sex Bias in Studies Makes Research Less Effective for Women , Al Jazeera and Reuters
- NIH Calls for Gender Equality in Lab Research , Health Day
- A Fix For Gender-Bias In Animal Research Could Help Humans , NPR
- Does a Change in Health Research Funding Policy Related to the Integration of Sex and Gender Have an Impact?
This report analyzes the impact of a requirement, introduced in December 2010, that all Canadian Institutes of Health Research applicants indicate whether their research designs accounted for sex or gender. The report may inform policy interventions by health research funders. (June 2014)
- Female mice liberated for inclusion in neuroscience and biomedical research
This meta-analysis of 293 articles on behavioral, morphological, physiological, and molecular traits demonstrates that variability is not significantly greater in females than males for a range of endpoints, and it shows that variability is substantially greater in males than females for many traits. (March 2014)
- First steps for integrating sex and gender considerations into basic experimental biomedical research
This paper describes some of the specific challenges to the incorporation of sex and gender considerations in research involving cell cultures and laboratory animals, and it suggests a number of strategies that allow basic experimental researchers to feasibly and meaningfully take sex and gender into account in their work. (January 2014)
