On May 30, during the sidelines of the World Health Assembly, the Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA) and the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) co-sponsored an international gender medicine roundtable to better understand the state of sex and gender medicine in countries around the world.
Partial group photo of in-person attendees for the international gender medicine roundtable
The roundtable was moderated by Dr. Elizabeth Lichtenstein, chair of MWIA’s Gender Medicine Committee, who presented an overview of sex and gender specific medicine, commen nomenclature, and key issues. Representing AMWA were Dr. Connie Newman and Dr. Eliza Chin who shared information about the state of gender medicine in the United States (including the NIH policy on sex as a biological variable (SABV), the impetus for diversity in clinical trials and disaggregation of data by sex, and efforts of the Sex and Gender Summits and AMWA Sex and Gender Health Collaborative to integrate sex and gender concepts into the curricula for future health professionals. Dr. Douglas Chin, AMWA member and Director of the Afghan Health Initiative, discussed the health disparities that Afghan women and girls face within an extremely restrictive regime that deprives them of basic human rights. Participants hailed from Nigeria, Sweden, Canada, the Netherlands, Thailand, India, France, Afghanistan, Italy, Brazil, Georgia, Egypt, and more–all who shared information about the status of gender medicine in their country, including efforts to improve medical education, research, and clinical care through a gender lens. A copy of How Sex and Gender Impact Clinical Care, edited by Dr. Connie Newman and Dr. Marjorie Jenkins was presented to MWIA President, Dr. Eleanor Nwadinobi. This book aims to educate primary care providers about sex and gender differences in disease and treatment of disease.
Learn more about the Sex and Gender Health Education Summits organized by AMWA.
Learn more about the AMWA Sex and Gender Health Collaborative
*Thanks to a generous anonymous donor and the Bellagio Grant from the Medical Women’s International Association.
