Training in the implementation of sex and gender research policies: an evaluation of publicly available online courses
Abstract Background Recently implemented research policies requiring the inclusion of females and males have created an urgent need for effective training in how to account for sex, and in some cases gender, in biomedical studies. Methods Here, we evaluated three sets of publicly available online tr...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Biology of Sex Differences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13293-024-00610-6 |
| _version_ | 1797220059630796800 |
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| author | Annika Gompers Madeline T. Olivier Donna L. Maney |
| author_facet | Annika Gompers Madeline T. Olivier Donna L. Maney |
| author_sort | Annika Gompers |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Recently implemented research policies requiring the inclusion of females and males have created an urgent need for effective training in how to account for sex, and in some cases gender, in biomedical studies. Methods Here, we evaluated three sets of publicly available online training materials on this topic: (1) Integrating Sex & Gender in Health Research from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR); (2) Sex as a Biological Variable: A Primer from the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH); and (3) The Sex and Gender Dimension in Biomedical Research, developed as part of “Leading Innovative measures to reach gender Balance in Research Activities” (LIBRA) from the European Commission. We reviewed each course with respect to their coverage of (1) What is required by the policy; (2) Rationale for the policy; (3) Handling of the concepts “sex” and “gender;” (4) Research design and analysis; and (5) Interpreting and reporting data. Results All three courses discussed the importance of including males and females to better generalize results, discover potential sex differences, and tailor treatments to men and women. The entangled nature of sex and gender, operationalization of sex, and potential downsides of focusing on sex more than other sources of variation were minimally discussed. Notably, all three courses explicitly endorsed invalid analytical approaches that produce bias toward false positive discoveries of difference. Conclusions Our analysis suggests a need for revised or new training materials that incorporate four major topics: precise operationalization of sex, potential risks of over-emphasis on sex as a category, recognition of gender and sex as complex and entangled, and rigorous study design and data analysis. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T12:43:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4f29181cbf0e451085a90ab7b92ab01d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2042-6410 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T12:43:31Z |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biology of Sex Differences |
| spelling | doaj.art-4f29181cbf0e451085a90ab7b92ab01d2024-04-07T11:06:10ZengBMCBiology of Sex Differences2042-64102024-04-0115111410.1186/s13293-024-00610-6Training in the implementation of sex and gender research policies: an evaluation of publicly available online coursesAnnika Gompers0Madeline T. Olivier1Donna L. Maney2Rollins School of Public Health, Emory UniversityDepartment of Psychology, Emory UniversityDepartment of Psychology, Emory UniversityAbstract Background Recently implemented research policies requiring the inclusion of females and males have created an urgent need for effective training in how to account for sex, and in some cases gender, in biomedical studies. Methods Here, we evaluated three sets of publicly available online training materials on this topic: (1) Integrating Sex & Gender in Health Research from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR); (2) Sex as a Biological Variable: A Primer from the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH); and (3) The Sex and Gender Dimension in Biomedical Research, developed as part of “Leading Innovative measures to reach gender Balance in Research Activities” (LIBRA) from the European Commission. We reviewed each course with respect to their coverage of (1) What is required by the policy; (2) Rationale for the policy; (3) Handling of the concepts “sex” and “gender;” (4) Research design and analysis; and (5) Interpreting and reporting data. Results All three courses discussed the importance of including males and females to better generalize results, discover potential sex differences, and tailor treatments to men and women. The entangled nature of sex and gender, operationalization of sex, and potential downsides of focusing on sex more than other sources of variation were minimally discussed. Notably, all three courses explicitly endorsed invalid analytical approaches that produce bias toward false positive discoveries of difference. Conclusions Our analysis suggests a need for revised or new training materials that incorporate four major topics: precise operationalization of sex, potential risks of over-emphasis on sex as a category, recognition of gender and sex as complex and entangled, and rigorous study design and data analysis.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13293-024-00610-6SABVSGBASex differencesGender differences |
| spellingShingle | Annika Gompers Madeline T. Olivier Donna L. Maney Training in the implementation of sex and gender research policies: an evaluation of publicly available online courses Biology of Sex Differences SABV SGBA Sex differences Gender differences |
| title | Training in the implementation of sex and gender research policies: an evaluation of publicly available online courses |
| title_full | Training in the implementation of sex and gender research policies: an evaluation of publicly available online courses |
| title_fullStr | Training in the implementation of sex and gender research policies: an evaluation of publicly available online courses |
| title_full_unstemmed | Training in the implementation of sex and gender research policies: an evaluation of publicly available online courses |
| title_short | Training in the implementation of sex and gender research policies: an evaluation of publicly available online courses |
| title_sort | training in the implementation of sex and gender research policies an evaluation of publicly available online courses |
| topic | SABV SGBA Sex differences Gender differences |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13293-024-00610-6 |
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