AstraZeneca’s Post

🎉 Happy International Women's Day! 🎉 Today, we celebrate the achievements of women in all spheres, including medicine. However, it's also a day to reflect on the ongoing challenges they face. A recent study highlights gender inequality in interventional pulmonology (IP), an area where women are still underrepresented, particularly in leadership roles. Key findings from the survey of 92 physicians across 17 countries: - 52% of respondents were women, showing a significant presence in the field. - Despite this, men continue to dominate bronchoscopy and research involvement. - Only 23% of leading positions are held by women, compared to 60% by men. - Gender discrimination was reported by 26.8% of women, compared to 5.3% of men. These statistics remind us of the importance of promoting gender diversity and equality in all professions, including medicine. Let's use this Women's Day to commit to breaking down barriers and creating more inclusive and equitable work environments. https://lnkd.in/gMM-rVVF #InternationalWomensDay #GenderEquality #Medicine #InterventionalPulmonology.

Gender imbalances in medical research can lead to less effective treatments for women. Our partners Clémence Foltz, Nicole Ticchi and Athina Samara wrote an insightful article on this issue and why gender equality and diversity in medical research are crucial to ensure health for all. Biomaterials databases and marketplaces can bridge this gap, promoting better health for all. This is why the BIOMATDB Project is developing these tools striving to support gender diversity in medical research and healthcare outcomes. ❤️🩹🩺 Do you want to know how? Read the full article on our website: https://lnkd.in/d-Tnr2RA #biomaterials #women #genderequality #medicalresearch

🔬𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬: Somer Baburek, MBA sheds a light on women’s exclusion in clinical trials in a thought-provoking article published in Clinical Leader.* Women have been persistently underrepresented in medical research, leading to skewed outcomes and a limited understanding of ailments primarily affecting them. In this piece, Somer delves into the challenges faced across multiple facets – from recruitment to obtaining accurate diagnoses and treatments. While there is a glimmer of progress in women’s presence as scientists and policy change advocates, the goal of true gender equity is far from over. We must ensure representation in order to combat gender bias in clinical trials – so no one is left behind! Read the full article below: https://lnkd.in/dNFeV2NW   #Clincase #ClincaseResearch #ClinicalDataManagement

📊 New insights on gender disparities in #InterventionalCardiology reveal women are more likely to leave the field. Discover the factors behind this trend with this @TCTMD article ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gwsFpBSg #SCAIWIN

84.2% of oncology professionals would like more education on sex and gender differences in oncology The European Society of Medical Oncologists Gender Medicine Task Force has published some fascinating survey results in 506 oncology professionals from 83 countries. - 45.6% of oncology professionals did not know that sex hormones are important for the development of non-sex related cancer types - 38.5% did not know that some anticancer therapies are more toxic for women - Only 19.7% had already studied sex and gender differences in their field - 53.6% did know that men are at greater risk for most cancer types. If you are working in the oncology space there’s a great opportunity to bring the work of the ESMO Gender Medicine Task Force into your communications. Check this out: https://bit.ly/3YyLDHF #womeninpharma #weinspirepossibilities #weignitepotential #whatispossible #genderedmedicine Stay in touch with Women in Pharma events by subscribing to our mailing list https://bit.ly/3XgQ3Cm

What is the gender health *innovation* gap? A personal reflection. It wasn't until last year, at 32 years old with over a decade of cervical screenings and gynaecological checkups behind me, that I had a striking realisation: "What's the deal with the vaginal speculum?" For those unfamiliar, it's that metal or single-use plastic contraption routinely used in modern gynaecological exams (see image below). Or as Google describes it: 'a cold metal hinged device used to pry open the vagina to reach the cervix.' Yikes. This realisation was triggered, not during an uncomfortable cervical screening, but while watching an uncomfortable episode of Mad Men (a series set in the 1960s) during a flight last year. The speculum used in that scene was identical to the one I'm familiar with. And remember, Mad Men is renowned for its set and prop accuracy. As someone who has dedicated almost 10 years of their career to thinking about gaps in this space, I was stunned that I had never questioned the personal discomfort caused by this device before. Recognized? Yes. Questioned? No. A testament to how women and marginalised folks have had to normalize even the most uncomfortable aspects of our healthcare experiences. I explored this lack of innovation and its consequences in this month's LUÜNA | B Corp™ newsletter, highlighting: When you consider that: "(Only) 4 percent of healthcare-related R&D efforts are targeted specifically at women's health issues" - McKinsey, Women's Health Gap Report, 2024 It's not surprising to learn: “The vaginal speculum – that creepy looking metal device used to examine the vagina and cervix – has remained largely unchanged since the 19th century.” - Professor Helen King Swipe to see a timeline of this lack of innovation. This matters for many reasons, including: Regular cervical screenings can detect life-threatening conditions like cervical cancer early. Yet, screening rates have declined in Hong Kong in recent years. You might be thinking, 'invasive exams will never be comfortable.' But speculum-free tests are finally gaining traction (we shared some in the newsletter). With global studies showing that speculum-free exams increase screening rates, gaining further traction on innovative, more comfortable screening methods is essential. And it's not just about innovation; we need collective action from everyone to speed up solutions going mainstream. There are many ways you can contribute, including: - Raising the topic of regular screenings with those you love - Asking your healthcare practitioners if they have explored developments - Contributing to trials (see WomenX Biotech Limited) - And as always normalising conversations about once 'taboo' topics like menstruation and reproductive health wherever you can For so many of us, our lives could actually depend on it. Did you miss this month's newsletter? Sign up below for next month's edition: https://lnkd.in/efHAY6rr

A TRANS RESEARCHER'S PURSUIT OF BETTER DATA ON DETRANSITION Kinnon MacKinnon leads the world’s largest study on people who stop or reverse their gender transitions... Kinnon MacKinnon, a Canadian researcher, was only faintly surprised this spring when the website for an upcoming conference did not list his talk alongside the dozens of others. He was slated to discuss one of the most fraught topics in medicine: patients who transition to a different gender but later change their minds, known as detransition. The Pediatric Endocrine Society, which organized the conference, said that his presentation was kept under wraps because of safety concerns; there had been protests against gender medicine at the previous year’s gathering... Dr. MacKinnon, a 39-year-old assistant professor of social work at York University in Toronto, is transgender, and he presented alongside another trans researcher. As he took the microphone, he joked: “They really get the trans people in to talk about the easy topics, eh?” He’s gotten used to trying to defuse tension — at scientific meetings and gender clinics, and in TikTok posts — as detransition, a once-obscure topic, has vaulted into the U.S. presidential campaign and an upcoming Supreme Court case... My Ph.D. project looked at how clinicians assess whether trans adults are ready for hormones and surgeries. Worry about regret was one of the main considerations that doctors would use to deny access, and I studied how trans people experienced these assessments as gatekeeping... The study included more than 900 people in the United States and Canada who had detransitioned, two-thirds of whom had undergone medical transitions. One group detransitioned due to more internally driven factors, such as worsening mental health through transition, or reconceptualizing their identity, or treatment dissatisfaction. This is also the group that has the highest regret. That one is 90 percent assigned female at birth. Another group of people who detransitioned was more positive. They had a change in identity, but they were satisfied with their treatment, and stopped because they were happy with where they were at. And then another group detransitioned because of a lack of support and discrimination. And we did find that about 6 percent of our sample reported detransition because of state legislation in the U.S... Most of the people who are having these experiences are L.G.B.T.Q. You don’t have to look very far back in the history books to see that medical systems can help us... they can also cause us harm... There’s a paper published from a Dutch sample of trans adults who transitioned as children, and 35 to 44 percent reported infertility regret... I think we’re going through that phase right now with detransition. It’s extremely sensationalized and polarized. It’s not as much focused on, what is the humanity? Credit: Azeen Ghorayshi, Medium.com Source: https://lnkd.in/ghyQ8T5s

Comparison of machine learning models for the prediction of hypertension in transgender patients undergoing gynecologic surgery https://lnkd.in/dfVbH_E7 #transgender #trans #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA