GenderDataGap Medicine – Working together for gender-sensitive health research
Let's Close the Gender Data Gap in Medicine - working together for gender-sensitive health research
In medical research, it is increasingly recognized that alongside biological sex, sociocultural gender has a significant impact on our health. Factors such as social roles, norms, and relationships have been proven to influence health behaviors and outcomes. However, there is often a lack of appropriate data—resulting in a "Gender Data Gap".
With the support of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), we are working to close this gap through two closely linked projects.
Our Research Projects at a Glance
We are pursuing two main approaches to advance gender-sensitive clinical research in Germany:
1. The GVHR Validation Study: How Do We Measure "Gender"?
Currently, the German-speaking world lacks standardized instruments to measure sociocultural gender as a multidimensional construct in health research.
- Our Goal: We are translating and validating the internationally recognized "Stanford Gender-Related Variables for Health Research" (GVHR) questionnaire for the German-speaking region.
- What is Measured: The questionnaire comprises 25 items across seven areas of life, including caregiver strain, work strain, independence, risk-taking, emotional intelligence, social support, and discrimination.
2. The Expert Network: Stronger Together
We are connecting experts across different projects and disciplines.
- Our Goal: We bring statisticians and medical professionals together to retrospectively analyze existing clinical trial data for gender aspects (in so-called post-hoc analyses).
- Activities: In workshops and thematic working groups, we develop best-practice recommendations and methodological solutions. We also aim to raise awareness of this important topic among the public and the scientific community.
Get Involved!
We need your support to make medical research fairer and more precise.
For the Public: Participate in Our Online Study!
Help us validate the GVHR questionnaire for Germany. Your participation directly contributes to enabling doctors to provide more tailored and gender-sensitive diagnoses in the future.
- Who Can Participate? Anyone aged 16 and over with sufficient German language skills.
- How Long Does It Take? The anonymous online survey takes only about 15 minutes. There are two surveys spaced 3 months apart.
- Your Data is Safe: No directly identifying features like IP addresses are stored.
For Researchers and Institutions: Join Our Network!
We invite medical societies, researchers, and networks specializing in gender in medical research to actively collaborate with us.
- Participate in our methodological workshops.
- Get involved in our thematic working groups for publications.
- Engage in continuous exchange via our network website and moderated email list.
Contact
Do you have questions about the projects or would you like to join our network as a researcher? Please feel free to contact us:
- Prof. Dr. Heidrun Golla (Study Lead / Participating Partner), University Medical Center Göttingen, Department of Palliative Medicine, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, 37075 Göttingen, Phone: +49 (0) 551 39-60501, Email: heidrun.golla(at)med.uni-goettingen.de
- Prof. Dr. Martin Hellmich (Study Lead / Coordinator of Networking Activity), University Medical Center Göttingen, Department of Medical Statistics, Humboldtallee 32, 37073 Göttingen, Phone: +49 (0) 551 39-65022, Email: martin.hellmich(at)med.uni-goettingen.de
A project funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) (FKZ: 01GN2505).