Toolbox IDIBAPS Talk Series: Dealing with sex and gender in biomedical research. Why is this important and how to navigate the “basics”

On Tuesday 20th May, at 3 p.m., will take place the session Dealing with sex and gender in biomedical research. Why is this important and how to navigate the “basics”, led by Gisela Sugranyes - psychiatrist at Hospital Clinic Barcelona (HCB) and group leader at IDIBAPS – and Blanca Coll-Vinent, doctor of Medicine, specialized in internal medicine and emergency care.  

Gisela Sugranyes is a 50/50 consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist at Hospital Clinic Barcelona (HCB) and group leader at IDIBAPS. Her research focuses on understanding changes taking place in brain structure and function leading to major mental health disorders, and she has also studied the effect of sex on brain development during youth. She forms part of the Gender and Health Commission HCB and is main author of the PROGENDERS Decalogue (2024 ISCII Responsible Research and Innovation Award). 

 Blanca Coll-Vinent is a doctor of Medicine, specializing in internal medicine and emergency care. She works as a physician in the Emergency Department of the HCB. Her research is primarily focused on cardiac arrhythmias and other acute cardiac conditions, with a special emphasis on sex and gender. She is the president of the Gender and Health Commission HCB, author of the PROGENDERS Decalogue (2024 ISCII Responsible Research and Innovation Award), and member of the Executive Committee of the Catalan Society of Health from a Sex and Gender perspective. 

In this session we will talk about the importance of bearing sex and gender into account when conducting biomedical research. There is a long history of errors of omission and bias in the field, which have limited scientific progress and have had an impact on both sexes, which have often had a greater effect on women. We will go through several examples of these errors in different disciplines and contexts, in order to illustrate how this continues to be an area which needs to be improved.  

We will then present the Progenders Decalogue, which we have developed together with other researchers at the Hospital Clinic Barcelona and IDIBAPS to try and address this situation, since we realized that while most researchers are motivated to conduct good practice, there is a lack of information on how to do this. This Decalogue consists of ten basic recommendations on how to carry out biomedical research sensitive to sex and gender. We will also illustrate how to address issues that often arise when applying these principles, across biomedical research settings. 

This activity is open to participants both within and outside the institution. It is a hybrid event; allowing for in-person participation at the Esteve Auditorium of Esther Koplowitz Centre or virtual attendance via Zoom. To join digitally, advance registration is required to receive a personal connection link. Registration will remain open until the day of the event.  

After the session, members of the IDIBAPS community can join a meeting with the experts upon prior request. 

• Request digital access for the session:  Webinar Registration - Zoom 

• Request to participate in a meeting with the expert, until May 16th: seminaris@recerca.clinic.cat  

This activity is organized by IDIBAPS. The Toolbox, IDIBAPS Talks Series are promoted by the Human Resources Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R) of the institution.