Studying Sex and Gender Influences on Health
While the National Institutes of Health requires the consideration of sex as a biological variable in its funded studies, the influence of gender on biology remains largely unknown. Incorporating both the study of sex and gender as well as the role of the social environment on biology into basic science research will enhance our understanding of human health and disease.
Carolyn M. Mazure, PhD, Norma Weinberg Spungen and Joan Lebson Bildner Professor in Women’s Health Research in collaboration with Nina S. Stachenfeld, PhD, Senior Research Scientist in Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, authored a commentary on this topic, which was published in the May 12, 2022, issue of Cell.
In studying SABV and social variables, and exploring how gendered effects of experience affect biology, we have the opportunity for greater precision in what we discover about biology and behavior.