ELSI Dialogues: Gendered innovations – The importance of gender in biomedical research

In this webinar, Londa Schiebinger, Founding Director, and Sabine Oertelt-Prigione, Co-Director of Gendered Innovations in Science, Health & Medicine, Engineering, and Environment at Stanford University, give an overview of their work to promote sex- and gender-sensitive research in the biomedical field.

With several case studies, the speakers give a powerful argument for disaggregating analyses by sex and gender. A lively Q&A session follows each speaker. Moderated by Mónica Cano Abadía (BBMRI-ERIC).

Part 1) Gendered Innovations in Biomedicine

Londa Schiebinger John L. Hinds Professor of History of Science Director, Gendered Innovations in Science, Health & Medicine, Engineering, and Environment Stanford University

How can we harness the creative power of sex, gender, and intersectional analysis for discovery and innovation? This talk discusses this type of analysis in cells, animal, and human research. To match the global reach of science and technology, Gendered Innovations was developed through a collaboration of over 200 experts from across the United States, Europe, Canada, and Asia. Major funders include the European Commission, the U.S. National Science Foundation, and Stanford University.

Part 2) Practical considerations for the operationalisation of sex- and gender-sensitive research in biomedicine

Sabine Oertelt-Prigione Chair of gender in primary and transmural care at the Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, Professor of sex- and gender-sensitive medicine at the University of Bielefeld, Germany

Once researchers decide to focus on sex and gender in their work, the next question is: how do you do it? What do you have to consider and how do you start? In this talk we explore more in depth how sex and gender are currently operationalised in biomedicine. What should be measured during the experiments and what should be reported in the following scientific publication. Using several examples from different biomedical fields, we explore practices and formulate recommendations.

About the webinar: This webinar was organised by BBMRI-ERIC’s ELSI Services & Research unit. BBMRI-ERIC is a European Research Infrastructure for biobanking and biomedical resources, and its ELSI unit provides guidance on ethical, legal and societal issues in biobanking and the life sciences more generally.