Advancing sex and gender competency in medicine: sex & gender women's health collaborative

Abstract

Research conducted to date has deepened our understanding of sex and gender differences in the etiology, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes for many conditions that affect both women and men. The Sex and Gender Women’s Health Collaborative (SGWHC) is supported by the coordinated efforts of our founding partners: the American Medical Women’s Association, the American College of Women’s Health Physicians and Society for Women’s Health Research to address the gaps in medical education with regard to sex and gender competency in the care of women. The SGWHC initiated and continues to build a novel digital resource library of sex and gender specific materials to be adopted and adapted into medical education and clinical practice, residing @ http://www.sgwhc.org. This article presents a case for the inclusion of sex and gender focused content into medical curricula and describes a means for students, faculty, and practitioners to access a centralized, interactive repository for these resources.

Preventing and Experiencing Ischemic Heart Disease as a Woman: State of the Science

“…2 Sex differences result from true biological differences in the structure and function of the cardiovascular systems of men and women. In contrast, gender differences ensue from a person’s self-representation resulting in psychosocial roles and behaviors imposed by society; gender implies social roles, behaviors, and cultural norms.…”

Design and Implementation of the Sex and Gender Specific Health Multimedia Case-Based Learning Modules

“…The task force conducted a needs assessment involving the medical education literature, medical school faculty, and medical students to gauge the gaps between curriculum goals and student outcomes. A review of the medical education literature showed that medical professionals' lack of understanding and consideration regarding sex and gender differences in etiology, pathology, presentation, and treatment response has become a major concern in health science education and practice (Baggio, Corsini, Floreani, Giannini, & Zagonel, 2013;McGregor, Templeton, Kleinman, & Jenkins, 2013). Experts in clinical medicine underscore the importance of health professionals understanding differences in sex (biological) and gender (socio-cultural) in the clinical care process to improve healthcare outcomes for patients.…”

Advancing Sex- and Gender-Informed Approaches to Health in an Academic Medical Center

“…Although the field of women's health has historically addressed both sex and gender in its clinical and research efforts, considering the roles of sex and gender more broadly (rather than focusing on female sex or gender alone) allows more meaningful exploration of the physiologic and behavioral mechanisms involved in sex and gender differences (Miller, 2014). By illustrating the implications of these differences for health and disease, such an approach can advance science and improve the health of all individuals (McGregor, Kleinman, & Jenkins, 2013). However, both women's health and broader sex-and gender-informed initiatives require approaches integrated sufficiently to engage with and support translation of evidence to other disciplines, yet distinct enough to allow development of deep research and clinical expertise, obtain targeted funding, and advocate for changes in policy and practice.…”