Useful resources

Considerations of sex differences is important from the start of any research - during biomedical research through to the collection of human data. It is also vital in data analysis. If research fails to account for sex (and gender) during data analysis, there is a risk of harm through the assumption that study results apply to everyone. This can also lead to missed opportunities where potential differences may be found and exploited, leading to innovations and improvement in health outcomes.

Many initiatives and Institutes have been formed around the world to address issues around sex/gender and health, with an excellent example being Canada’s Institute of Gender and Health, IGH. IGH's mission is to foster research excellence regarding the influence of sex and gender on health, and to apply these findings to identify and address pressing health challenges facing men, women, girls, boys and gender-diverse individuals.

They have developed a series of online training modules on integrating sex and gender in health research. You can find these here.

Guidelines and policies have been created around the world, and it’s important that we are aware of these and aim to follow the proposed strategies. For example, the Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidelines were developed to provide researchers and authors with a tool to standardise sex and gender reporting in scientific publications, whenever appropriate – you can find this here.