Is there still a gender gap in medical research?
Summary
This Shortwave episode examines the complexities of sex differences in medical research, tracing the history from the exclusion of women in trials to current binary categorization issues. Hosts Emily Kwong, Aru Nair, and Dr. Angela Zhang discuss how oversimplifying sex into two buckets can lead to misdiagnoses, such as in heart attacks, and problematic drug dosing like Ambien. Experts argue for more precise definitions and inclusive practices to move toward precision medicine while addressing societal biases in healthcare.
Topics discussed
Intro and host introductions
History of women's exclusion from medical trials
Sponsors: Ollie and Betterment
Problems with binary sex categories in medicine
Averages, diversity, and intersex individuals
Confounding factors and the Ambien dosing case
Biological vs social explanations for differences
Precision medicine and future goals
Outro, credits, and Fresh Air promo
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