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Start date: 2023Discipline: search.filters.discipline.Health Sciences

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 14
  • Item type:Publication,
    Educational strategies for integrating gender perspectives in health professions training: a systematic review to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion Open PDF 
    (Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2026-03-07)
    López, Karina
    ;
    Cabanas, Ana María
    ;
    Pinazo, Fabian
    ;
    Zambrano, Nathalia
    BACKGROUND: Preparing health professionals to deliver equitable, culturally competent care requires integrating gender perspectives throughout medical training. While essential for addressing health disparities affecting women, men, and gender-diverse populations, implementation approaches vary widely across institutions and regions. Evidence on effective strategies remains fragmented. This systematic review synthesizes educational interventions for gender-sensitive training, evaluates outcomes on student competencies, and examines global research patterns to identify equity gaps in the scholarship itself. METHODS: Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we conducted a prospectively registered systematic review (PROSPERO CRD420251132158). We systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus for studies published between 2015 and 2025 that evaluated educational strategies for integrating gender perspectives in health professions training. Two independent reviewers performed screening, data extraction, and quality appraisal using a generic risk-of-bias tool. Thematic synthesis identified core educational strategy domains and their effectiveness. We complemented this with bibliometric mapping (co-citation, co-authorship, co-word analysis) to examine geographic distribution of research, international collaboration patterns, and conceptual evolution in the field. RESULTS: Twenty-four studies met inclusion criteria from 133 records. Six educational strategy domains emerged from thematic synthesis: curricular design, active learning methodologies, faculty development, assessment systems, digital technologies, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Interventions consistently improved clinical knowledge of gender-diverse health needs, recognition and reduction of implicit bias, ethical sensitivity, and gender-affirming communication skills. Bibliometric analysis revealed striking geographic concentration: 72.2% of research originates from European institutions (38% from Germany alone), with minimal international collaboration (12.5) and virtually no Global South representation. This pattern highlights persistent inequities in whose perspectives shape DEI frameworks in medical education. CONCLUSIONS: Integrating gender perspectives into health professions education represents an evidence-based strategy for advancing DEI principles and preparing providers to deliver equitable, culturally competent care. Effective implementation requires dedicated institutional commitment through three key mechanisms: dedicated change agents who champion gender equity, formal structural integration rather than ad-hoc interventions, and systematic faculty development programs. However, the geographic concentration of research in high-income Western contexts raises critical questions about equity in DEI scholarship itself. Achieving gender equity in healthcare globally requires parallel commitments: integrating gender-sensitive curricula in all institutions while ensuring that diverse global voices, especially from the Global South, meaningfully shape DEI discourse and frameworks. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD420251132158.
  • Item type:Publication,
    Experiences of Women Faculty in an Academic Medical Center Open PDF 
    (SAGE Publications, 2025-03-13)
    Esplin, Charlotte R.
    ;
    Calderwood, Lisa
    ;
    Weisenmuller, Chantel M.
    ;
    Luzier, Jessica L.
    BACKGROUND: Women faculty face different obstacles in academic medical careers than their men counterparts. Women faculty report feeling like "outsiders" and experiencing multiple barriers to career advancement compared with men, especially if they hold a nonmedical degree (e.g., PhD). This study examined aspects of workplace culture that differentially impact women at a large regional academic medical center (AMC) in the Appalachian region of the United States-a geographic area that is largely understudied in this body of literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-seven women completed a survey that included the Culture Conducive to Women's Academic Success instrument, the Professional Fulfillment Index, the Work and Family Conflict scale, and items measuring burnout, childcare availability, and demographic factors. RESULTS: Our findings revealed that many women faculty felt that they were being treated differently than men faculty, that work infringed on their home and family life, and that while they were professionally fulfilled at work, childcare problems exacerbated feelings of wanting to leave that AMC. About 60% of our sample indicated some level of burnout. CONCLUSIONS: These findings align with previous findings that women juggle multiple roles that are typically not expected of men, and this juggling may be one reason why women are not staying in academic medicine or being promoted at the same rate as men. We provide incremental validity for the measures used and delineate specific ideas for improvement, such as on-site childcare, standardized leave policies, and formal mentorship and curriculum programs.
  • Item type:Publication,
    “Levelling up” the gender pay gap for Asian women academics in medicine and health sciences Open PDF 
    (Pasifika Medical Association Group, 2025-06-27)
    Ng, Lillian
    ;
    Sadera, Emma
    ;
    Peiris-John, Roshini
    ;
    Misra, Stuti
    ;
    Chu, Joanna Ting-Wai
    The gender pay gap for academic women of Asian ethnicity at Aotearoa New Zealand's largest university is 33.5%. The aim of this viewpoint is to raise consciousness, educate and contribute to dialogue on concerns relating to Asian women advancing in academia, particularly in medicine and health sciences. We invite collective participation in efforts at departmental, faculty and institutional levels to better identify and dismantle discrimination and increase the representation of Asian women in academic medicine. We endorse concepts of accountability, transparency and strengthening institutional frameworks to "level up" intersectional pay gaps by recommending three actions: 1) ensuring accountability by mandatory training, monitoring and reporting on gender pay equity, diversity and conscious inclusion, 2) creating transparency in salary, pay rates, hiring, tenure and promotions, and 3) convening a task force at each faculty with specific mentorship and leadership initiatives for women of colour. We emphasise that "levelling up" requires a collective will to act. We ask our colleagues and the academy to scrutinise attitudes and biases towards ethnic minority women in hiring, tenure and promotion processes. We advocate for enacting policy so those who experience inequity can see change. When rendered, it will be a legacy to the next generation of ethnic minority women entering the academy, and potentially other marginalised groups as well.
  • Item type:Publication,
    Twenty-Five Years of Progress-Lessons Learned From JMIR Publications to Address Gender Parity in Digital Health Authorships: Bibliometric Analysis Open PDF 
    (2024)
    Meyer, A.
    ;
    Streichert, T.
    Background: Digital health research plays a vital role in advancing equitable health care. The diversity of research teams is thereby instrumental in capturing societal challenges, increasing productivity, and reducing bias in algorithms. Despite its importance, the gender distribution within digital health authorship remains largely unexplored. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the gender distribution among first and last authors in digital health research, thereby identifying predicting factors of female authorship. Methods: This bibliometric analysis examined the gender distribution across 59,980 publications from 1999 to 2023, spanning 42 digital health journals indexed in the Web of Science. To identify strategies ensuring equality in research, a detailed comparison of gender representation in JMIR journals was conducted within the field, as well as against a matched sample. Two-tailed Welch 2-sample t tests, Wilcoxon rank sum tests, and chi-square tests were used to assess differences. In addition, odds ratios were calculated to identify predictors of female authorship. Results: The analysis revealed that 37% of first authors and 30% of last authors in digital health were female. JMIR journals demonstrated a higher representation, with 49% of first authors and 38% of last authors being female, yielding odds ratios of 1.96 (95% CI 1.90-2.03; P<.001) and 1.78 (95% CI 1.71-1.84; P<.001), respectively. Since 2008, JMIR journals have consistently featured a greater proportion of female first authors than male counterparts. Other factors that predicted female authorship included having female authors in other relevant positions and gender discordance, given the higher rate of male last authors in the field. Conclusions: There was an evident shift toward gender parity across publications in digital health, particularly from the publisher JMIR Publications. The specialized focus of its sister journals, equitable editorial policies, and transparency in the review process might contribute to these achievements. Further research is imperative to establish causality, enabling the replication of these successful strategies across other scientific fields to bridge the gender gap in digital health effectively. © 2024 JMIR Publications Inc.. All rights reserved.
  • Item type:Publication,
    Barriers to gender equity for female healthcare academicians and researchers in Pakistan: Is it still an issue? Open PDF 
    (2023)
    Malik, M
    ;
    Hussain, A
    ;
    Hashmi, A
    ;
    Saeed, H
    ;
    Azhar, H
    IntroductionGender inequity in healthcare academia is rising. Female healthcare professionals are struggling to balance their work and family leading to reduced productivity and disparity in three main areas of academic evaluation including teaching, service and research. ObjectiveThe objective of the current study was to explore perceptions of healthcare academicians regarding gender equity and its associated barriers in healthcare academia in Pakistan. MethodologyA qualitative study design was used. Study site for this research included medical colleges, pharmacy schools and healthcare educational institutes. Study respondents included healthcare professionals including doctors and pharmacists working as faculty members. Snow ball sampling was used and interviews were conducted till saturation point was achieved. All interviews recorded were transcribed verbatim. Transcribed interviews were then subject to thematic analysis and were analyzed for relevant content. ResultsThematic analysis of the study yielded many themes and sub themes. The main themes include: Gender equity an issue for healthcare academicians; Barriers toward promoting gender equity among healthcare academicians; Perceived teaching effectiveness among female healthcare academicians; Professional relationship of female healthcare academicians; Representation of female healthcare academicians at leadership positions; Research opportunities for female healthcare academicians; impact of academia as profession on married life and Strategies for improving gender equity disparities in academia of healthcare profession. The results showed that almost all the females as well as male healthcare academicians were of the view that female academicians are competent, hardworking and committed with their jobs. Mixed responses were observed regarding teaching effectiveness of female academicians. Half of the females as well male healthcare academicians thought that female were more effective teachers while other half was of the view that teaching effectiveness is based on individual trait irrespective of gender. ConclusionThe results of the present study concluded that majority of the male as well as female healthcare professionals perceived gender equity as an issue in academia in Pakistan, especially in underprivileged areas. Non-conducive work environment, harassment at workplace and cultural issues were the main barriers identified toward gender equity in healthcare academia in Pakistan.
  • Item type:Publication,
  • Item type:Publication,
    Narrowing gender gap in the research on echinococcosis and editorial contribution of women in parasitology journals Open PDF 
    (2024)
    Kaveh, R.
    ;
    Ashrafhesari, N.
    ;
    Mousavi, S.M.
    ;
    Fasihi Harandi, M.
    Gender equity and authorship diversity are believed to be the essential parts of building a dynamic scientific atmosphere. The purpose of the present study was to determine the status of gender equity in research on echinococcosis and the editorial diversity in major parasitology journals over the past four decades. All articles were retrieved from major databases from the years 1980, 2000, 2010, 2015, and 2020. Journals belonging to the four quartiles of parasitology journals listed in the Journal Citation Report were selected, and the gender and region of each editorial member were identified. Among the 3583 first authors of the articles published in all selected years, 2236 (62.4%) were men, whereas 1040 (29%) were women. There was a significant increase in women's contributions as the first author, from 6.8% in 1980 to 35.8% in 2020 (P <.001). A greater gender gap was found for the senior authors, showing 2391 (66.7%) men and 837 (23.4%) women. The gender gap has been narrowed in most of the six regions of the world, particularly for the Western Pacific region, where the gender inequity had almost diminished in 2020; i.e.The man-woman ratios of the first and last authors from this region were 2.25 and 1.75 in 1980, reaching 1.04 and 0.97, in 2020, respectively. Our findings also indicated that articles authored by men received 2.5 to 3.1 times more citations than women authors. Gender distribution of the editors-in-chief, associate editors, and editorial board members across all quartiles showed that 78.7%, 69.5%, and 72.7% were men, respectively, and mostly affiliated with the European and American regions. Findings of the present study showed that gender inequity is still present and women researchers continue to be the minority in the field of parasitology, particularly in the research on echinococcosis. © The Author(s), 2024.
  • Item type:Publication,
    Geographical and gender inequalities in health sciences studies: testing differences in research productivity, impact and visibility Open PDF 
    (2024)
    Goyanes, M.
    ;
    Demeter, M.
    ;
    Háló, G.
    ;
    Arcila-Calderón, C.
    ;
    Gil de Zúñiga, H.
    Purpose: Gender and geographical imbalance in production and impact levels is a pressing issue in global knowledge production. Within Health Sciences, while some studies found stark gender and geographical biases and inequalities, others found little empirical evidence of this marginalization. The purpose of the study is to clear the ambiguity concerning the topic. Design/methodology/approach: Based on a comprehensive and systematic analysis of Health Sciences research data downloaded from the Scival (Scopus/Scimago) database from 2017 to 2020 (n = 7,990), this study first compares gender representation in research productivity, as well as differences in terms of citation per document, citations per document view and view per document scores according to geographical location. Additionally, the study clarifies whether there is a geographic bias in productivity and impact measures (i.e. citation per document, citations per document view and view per document) moderated by gender. Findings: Results indicate that gender inequalities in productivity are systematic at the overall disciplinary, as well as the subfield levels. Findings also suggest statistically significant geographical differences in citation per document, citations per document view, and view per document scores, and interaction effect of gender over the relation between geography and (1) the number of citations per view and (2) the number of views per document. Originality/value: This study contributes to scientometric studies in health sciences by providing insightful findings about the geographical and gender bias in productivity and impact across world regions. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.
  • Item type:Publication,
    Women in Science: Where We Stand?—The WHEN Protocol Open PDF 
    (MDPI, 2025)
    Arnaboldi, Francesca
    ;
    Macagno, Alessia
    ;
    Villani, Marialuisa
    ;
    Biganzoli, Giacomo
    ;
    Bianchi, Francesca
    Gender disparity in scientific fields, identified with the acronym STEM, is a complex issue whose multiple causes have distant origins in time. In the early development of scientific disciplines, women were often denied access to education and professional opportunities, and their contributions to the scientific fields were frequently not recognized. These trends of underrepresentation gave rise to the male-dominated culture in STEM that persists today, as young women often lack female role models and are less likely to pursue careers in STEM, perpetuating the gender gap and limiting women’s influence and visibility in these fields. Here we present the protocol of the WHEN project, which aims to explore the perceptions that high-school students have of scientific careers and of the women in science, investigating whether gender stereotypes persist and can affect decisions about future paths. Through questionnaires, this study investigates the impact of socio-economic variables on the persistence of gender stereotypes and, most importantly, explores the potential for reducing them through direct engagement with female STEM role models.
  • Item type:Publication,
    Gender differences and cooperation in medical authorships - an analysis of the recent ten years in five key medical disciplines Open PDF 
    (2023)
    Yamamura, J.
    ;
    Molwitz, I.
    ;
    Ozga, A.-K.
    ;
    Nguyen, T.-A.
    ;
    Wedekind, I.
    Background: Career prospects in academic medicine are strongly linked to scientific authorship and this marker has been widely used as an indicator of gender equity in academia. However, direct comparisons of medical disciplines regarding their proportion of female physicians (FP) in different countries are missing. This study examines the gender parity and gender cooperation using first authorships (FA) and senior authorships (SA) of scientific publications in five medical disciplines and six different OECD countries over a 10-year time-trend. Methods: Articles from three high-impact journals in each of the medical discipline radiology, urology, surgery, gynecology, and pediatrics from the years 2007/8 and 2017/18 were retrospectively reviewed. The gender and affiliation location of the FA and SA of original research articles and reviews were assigned and compared with the proportion of in each discipline for the United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan. Mantel-Haenszel test and multinomial logistic regression models were used to calculate differences in proportions of women authors and FP and to assess trends and proportions of FA and SA. Results: 30,803 articles were evaluated. Equally, with rising proportions of FP in all disciplines, the number of women authors increased across years. The shares of women FAs were either significantly higher (urology/surgery/gynecology) or balanced (pediatrics/radiology) compared to the proportion of FP. In contrast, the shares of women SA were balanced only in disciplines with a low proportion of FP (urology and surgery) and otherwise reduced. Women same-gender cooperation was as common as men same-gender cooperation and preferred over a women-led mixed gender cooperation in disciplines where this seemed to be practicable due to the high proportions of FP. Conclusion: In contrast to FA, a significant disparity persists in SA, particularly in disciplines with a high proportion of FP. The discrepancy between FA and SA may reflect, among others, dropout from an academic career in early or mid-academic levels, for example, due to structural inequality; together with the findings on gender preference in authorship collaborations, this may inform future strategies for promoting equal career advancement for women physicians. © 2023, The Author(s).