Credit: iStock/blackCAT As a scientist, I’ve often wondered: Why do women report more severe side effects from medications? The answer isn't a medical mystery; it’s historical oversight. For decades, medical research and drug development disproportionately focused on men, disregarding the unique biological and physiological complexities of women. This singular focus created a significant and lasting … Continue reading The Gender Gap in Medicine: Why Drugs Must Be Developed with Women in Mind
Sex as a biological variable
Spotlighting Women’s Heart Health on World Heart Day
Credit: iStock/FatCamera Scientists used to believe that men and women had the same physiology. With that line of thinking, if a physiological change was found in men, it just had to be the same in women. We now know this to be far from true. Unfortunately, until recently, most of the heart research has been … Continue reading Spotlighting Women’s Heart Health on World Heart Day
Women in Science: How Far We’ve Come and Where We Still Need to Go
Credit: iStock The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is on February 11. While women have long been hidden from the scientific history books, influential figures—Hedy Lamarr, Katherine Johnson and Rosalind Franklin to name a few—are becoming more and more celebrated in mainstream media for their work. Yet, women and girls are still … Continue reading Women in Science: How Far We’ve Come and Where We Still Need to Go
COVID-19: What’s Sex Got to Do with It?
Credit: iStock The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to challenge the scientific community. Scientists across the globe are still trying to figure out the risk factors for severe COVID-19. Being male seems to be a higher risk, and many researchers are looking into why males experience COVID-19 symptoms more severely than females. My lab studied the … Continue reading COVID-19: What’s Sex Got to Do with It?