SEX-SPECIFIC REPORTING
OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
A WORKSHOP SUMMARY
Theresa M. Wizemann, Ph.D.
Rapporteur
Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice
INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE
OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C.
www.nap.edu
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.
This study was supported by Contract N01-OD-4-2139, TO 246 between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Institutes of Health. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.
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Suggested citation: IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2012. Sex-specific reporting of scientific research: A workshop summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
“Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Willing is not enough; we must do.”
—Goethe
INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE
OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
Advising the Nation. Improving Health.
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.
PLANNING COMMITTEE ON SEX-SPECIFIC REPORTING OF
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH: A WORKSHOP1
NANCY E. ADLER (Chair), Professor of Medical Psychology, Vice Chair of the Department of Psychiatry, Director of the Center for Health and Community, University of California, San Francisco
MARIETTA ANTHONY, Director of Women’s Health, Critical Path Institute
FLOYD BLOOM, Executive Director of Scientific Communications, Professor Emeritus, Scripps Research Institute
JEROME P. KASSIRER, Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine
JON LEVINE, Director of the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, Professor of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin–Madison
HAROLD C. SOX, Editor Emeritus, Annals of Internal Medicine
Study Staff
MICHELLE C. CATLIN, Study Director
TREVONNE WALFORD, Research Assistant
ROSE MARIE MARTINEZ, Director, Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice
HOPE HARE, Administrative Assistant
NORMAN GROSSBLATT, Senior Editor
____________________________
1Institute of Medicine planning committees are solely responsible for organizing the workshops, identifying topics, and choosing speakers. Responsibility for the published workshop summaries rests with the workshop rapporteur and the institution.
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Reviewers
This workshop summary has been reviewed in draft form by persons chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published workshop summary as sound as possible and to ensure that the summary meets institutional standards of objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We thank the following for their review of the summary:
Nancy E. Adler, Ph.D., Lisa and John Pritzker Professor of Psychology, University of California, San Francisco and Chair, Workshop Planning Committee
Jeanne Miranda, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles
Rita F. Redberg, M.D., Director, Women’s Cardiovascular Services, University of California, San Francisco Medical Center
John B. Wong, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Chief, Division of Clinical Decision Making, Informatics, and Telemedicine, Tufts Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the workshop summary before its release. The review of the summary was overseen by Kristine M. Gebbie, Dr.P.H., R.N., Adjunct Professor,
Flinders University School of Nursing and Midwifery, Adelaide, South Australia. Appointed by the Institute of Medicine, she was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of the workshop summary was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of the workshop summary rests entirely with the institution.
Contents
INCLUSION OF WOMEN IN CLINICAL TRIALS FUNDED BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
WHY SEX-SPECIFIC REPORTING IS IMPORTANT
Raising Awareness of Sex Differences
Barriers to Studying Sex Differences
THE RESEARCHER PERSPECTIVE: COLLECTING, ANALYZING, AND REPORTING SEX-SPECIFIC DATA
Collecting the Data: Sex in Biomedical Research
Analyzing the Data: Methods of Subgroup Analysis
THE EDITOR PERSPECTIVE: IMPLEMENTING JOURNAL EDITORIAL POLICIES
Sex and Gender Medicine vs Women’s Health
