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Open research questions in Sex and Gender in Healthcare

183 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 1,315 Sex and Gender in Healthcare papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • Further research is needed to confirm the findings and explore the underlying mechanisms. Studies examining the impact of PI gender on trial recruitment in other disease areas are needed. Research investigating the effect of other factors on trial recruitment and diversity is necessary.

    Investigator Gender Influence on Female Enrollment in Multicenter Vascular Trials: A Site-Level Analysis · 2026 · DOI

  • Less attention has been given to the role of operational trial leadership in shaping enrollment patterns. Meaningful sex-specific analyses remain inconsistently reported in clinical research.

    Investigator Gender Influence on Female Enrollment in Multicenter Vascular Trials: A Site-Level Analysis · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies the gap in mental health research, particularly in relation to women's health, - It highlights the exclusion of pregnant and breastfeeding women from research, - The need for more rigorous studies and inclusive research designs is emphasized

    Women at the heart of mental science: commentary, Pinto da Costa et al · 2026 · DOI

  • The capacity of GPT-4 to incorporate evidence-based sex differences in cardiovascular patient education is unknown. The potential for GPT-4 to introduce or perpetuate gender biases in patient education materials is not well understood.

    GPT-4 improves sex-specificity in cardiovascular patient education but may perpetuate gender biases: A mixed-methods audit · 2026 · DOI

  • The use of social generalizations such as “bottling up emotions” in place of evidence-based content suggests the model may draw on culturally dominant narratives about gender when direct clinical evidence is sparse or ambiguous. 0001122 September 10, 2026 5 / 10 limited number of identified instances across 14 total generations, raise substantive concerns warranting attention in the context of patient-facing health communication.

    GPT-4 improves sex-specificity in cardiovascular patient education but may perpetuate gender biases: A mixed-methods audit · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of diversity in patient populations in randomized clinical trials. The limitations of real-world data. The need for regulatory clearance for new approaches and tools.

    To bridge the evidence gap in women’s health, look at the real world · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of representation of women in randomized clinical trials. The underappreciation and underfunding of research on medical conditions specific to women. The void in clinical trial data specifically focused on women's health.

    To bridge the evidence gap in women’s health, look at the real world · 2026 · DOI

  • ABSTRACT While scientific environments have been described as unwelcoming to the LGBTQ+ community, and fields such as physics have systematically documented these challenges, the climate in biology workplaces has not been assessed.

    LGBTQ+ Realities in the Biological Sciences · 2026 · DOI

  • Yet whether such descriptive language achieves gender-neutral communication remains an open empirical question.

    How Humans and LLMs Read Gender into "Gender-Neutral" Physical Descriptions · 2026

  • Nonetheless, many of these initiatives have not been evaluated, whereas those that are evaluated are scattered, and there is a lack of standardization in the field.

    Gender Attitudes Roles Evaluation in Collections‐Based Organizations: Overcoming the Gender Bias · 2026 · DOI

  • Despite the clear physical changes induced by gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT), little is known about how it affects underlying physiological and biochemical processes.

    Plasma proteome adaptations during feminizing gender-affirming hormone therapy · 2025 · DOI

  • Background: In cancer, age and sex are often studied individually, but the impact of the intersection of these factors on cancer incidence and survival remains unclear.

    A Pan-Cancer Analysis of Age and Sex Differences in Cancer Incidence and Survival in the United States, 2001–2020 · 2025 · DOI

  • To inspire further investigation into this crucial subject, we have conducted global analyses of various epigenetic features, leveraging data previously generated by the ENCODE project.

    Gender-specific genetic and epigenetic signatures in cardiovascular disease · 2024 · DOI

  • Social expectations and caregiving responsibilities. Implicit bias and limited mentorship. Structural barriers within allocation systems for liver transplantation.

    Gastroenterology through a gender lens: Clinical and professional perspectives · 2026 · DOI

  • Continued attention to the reciprocal influence between workforce transformation and clinical practice patterns. Critical appraisal of allocation policies for liver transplantation.

    Gastroenterology through a gender lens: Clinical and professional perspectives · 2026 · DOI

  • The mechanisms underlying sex differences in immune responses are not fully understood. The role of sex chromosomes in regulating immune responses is not well defined.

    Highlight on Dr. Rhonda Voskuhl: a pioneer in the exploration of sex differences in the immune response · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of sex-dependent regulation of endothelial cell phenotype and function. There is a need to understand the mechanisms underlying sex differences in EC biology.

    Sex differences in endothelial cell biology: cellular phenotypes and molecular regulators · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should focus on analyzing data according to sex/age as the primary analysis. Disaggregating data by sex and age is essential for accurate analysis and understanding the true relationship between a predictor and outcome.

    Importance of integrating biological sex and age analyses in health research · 2026 · DOI

  • The traditional statistical approach to sex and/or age differences is to consider them as confounders, which can lead to inaccurate findings. There is a need to propose a new approach to analyzing data, where sex and age are viewed as variables of importance to the research question.

    Importance of integrating biological sex and age analyses in health research · 2026 · DOI

  • Adoption and enforcement of sex and gender research standards remain variable across funders and journals worldwide. Barriers to implementation include limited time, expertise, and capacity across researchers, reviewers, and editorial workflows. Policy coverage varies among major funders, with some not requesting integration of sex/gender analysis into research design.

    Twenty years of sex and gender science in health research: a policy statement from the Organization for the Study of Sex Differences · 2026 · DOI

  • Sex and gender are inconsistently and inadequately integrated into biomedical research. The adoption of sex- and gender-responsive standards is necessary for translating research into practice. Persistent gaps in implementation remain, despite progress in sex and gender research.

    Twenty years of sex and gender science in health research: a policy statement from the Organization for the Study of Sex Differences · 2026 · DOI

  • Study design limitations not considering life-stage transitions. Critical gaps remain in the understanding of mechanisms and life-course variation in immune responses.

    Life-course immunology: reframing sex differences in the immune system to better understand women’s health · 2026 · DOI

  • The shift to a life-course model for immunology requires the use of research designs that emphasize sex differences research. Investigators must ensure that both sex differences and life stage are appropriately considered in immunology research design. Research data must be appropriately analyzed and disaggregated.

    Life-course immunology: reframing sex differences in the immune system to better understand women’s health · 2026 · DOI

  • The interplay of age and sex differentially impacts infectious disease, autoimmunity, and cancer susceptibility and severity. Many preclinical and clinical studies excluded females or failed to disaggregate data by sex, creating a male-biased evidence base. Precision medicine approaches that directly integrate both age and sex are needed.

    The problem with one-size-fits-all medicine: Biological sex and the aging immune system · 2026 · DOI

  • Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying sex differences in immune responses. Studies should consider both age and sex in their design and analysis. Precision medicine approaches that directly integrate both age and sex should be developed and implemented.

    The problem with one-size-fits-all medicine: Biological sex and the aging immune system · 2026 · DOI

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183 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 1,315 Sex and Gender in Healthcare papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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