Centre for Sex and Gender Equity in Health and Medicine

The health of women and girls, people with variations in sex characteristics (intersex people) and trans and gender-diverse people has been understudied in health and medical research. An almost exclusive focus on male cells, male animals and men in health and medical research has led to poorer health outcomes and evidence gaps for women, intersex people, and trans and gender-diverse people, and inefficient health spending. Women’s health research often focuses only on their sexual, reproductive, and maternal health rather than the leading causes of death and disability for women. Research on intersex and gender-diverse people is even less developed and availability of health data remains a challenge. For some health conditions, we also have very little information on men and boys, given the conditions occur predominantly in women. The Centre for Sex and Gender Equity in Health and Medicine is addressing these inequities through world-class research, advocacy for policy change, and capacity building initiatives, which together aim to ensure that sex and gender become routine considerations in Australian health and medical research, and that Australia remains at the forefront of leading scientific and medical practice.

The Centre is a collaboration between The George Institute for Global Health, UNSW Faculty of Medicine and Health, The UNSW Australian Human Rights Institute, and Deakin University. Key activities include:

• The Centre has been funded by the Victorian Department of Health to conduct a quantified metric analysis of current policy and practice in Victoria regarding sex and gender inclusion in research funding; health and medical university teaching curricula; and research in health and medical research institutes. This project is a foundational step towards our goal of a nation-wide audit to establish ‘the Australian baseline’ – understanding where Australia stands with respect to sex and gender considerations in Australian health and medical policy, practice, and education.
• The Centre is advocating for funders to set policies and guidelines for considering sex and gender in health and medical research. The NHMRC and the MRFF have recently developed a Statement on Sex, Gender, Variations in Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation in Health and Medical Research, on which key members of the Centre were consulted. Read the Centre’s response to the Statement here.
• The Centre is also advocating for research organisations to review their own policies and procedures to ensure that consideration of sex and gender becomes embedded as the norm in research projects. We also advocate for changes to university curricula in medicine and health sciences to incorporate principles of sex- and gender-based differences in health and disease, to inform the future generation of scientists and health-care providers.
• The Centre is bringing together researchers with an interest in the effects of sex and gender on health outcomes, enabling greater learning, collaboration, and impact. The Centre will be a key resource to support research organisations and universities to build the required capacity to conduct such reviews and to implement sex and gender research policy.

By throwing a spotlight onto this neglected, and often hidden, cause of poor health outcomes, we can achieve significant improvements in health outcomes for all population groups, by ensuring that screening, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up are based on the best available research. And we can ensure that our investments in health care through Medicare, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, and many other tax-payer funded programs are more effective and cost efficient.