Embedding concepts of sex and gender health differences into medical curricula

Abstract

Sex, a biological variable, and gender, a cultural variable, define the individual and affect all aspects of disease prevention, development, diagnosis, progression, and treatment. Sex and gender are essential elements of individualized medicine. However, medical education rarely considers such topics beyond the physiology of reproduction. To reduce health care disparities and to provide optimal, cost-effective medical care for individuals, concepts of sex and gender health need to become embedded into education and training of health professionals. In September 2012, Mayo Clinic hosted a 2-day workshop bringing together leading experts from 13 U.S. schools of medicine and schools of public health, Health Resources and Services Administration Office of Women's Health (HRSA OWH), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH), and the Canadian Institute of Health and Gender. The purpose of this workshop was to articulate the need to integrate sex- and gender-based content into medical education and training, to identify gaps in current medical curricula, to consider strategies to embed concepts of sex and gender health into health professional curricula, and to identify existing resources to facilitate and implement change. This report summarizes these proceedings, recommendations, and action items from the workshop.

FIG. 1.

Key components of an interprofessional curricula. Source: Health Resources and Services Administration Office of Women's Health.

FIG. 2.

Definitions of sex and gender adapted from the IOM report.

FIG. 3.

Schematic of stakeholders internal and external to an organization and tools to be engaged in implementing sex and gender concepts into medial education. Examples of Accrediting and Certification Bodies: Liaison committee on Medical Education (LCME), Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG); Curriculum Gatekeepers: Deans of Curriculum, Block Leaders, Educational Policy Committee, Curriculum Integration Committee, Core Faculty Group Leading the Curriculum Integration; Emerging Technologies: Smart Phone and Tablet Apps; Faculty Champions: Grass-roots engagement of Basic and Clinical Faculty to Pioneer Efforts and Engage Others; Institutional Leadership: President, Deans, Assoc/Asst Deans, Chairs; Sex and Gender (SG) Medicine-Focused Organizations & Initiatives: Society for Women's Health Research, Sex and Gender Women's Health Collaborative, Organization for the Study of Sex Differences, International Society of Gender Medicine, North American Menopause Society; Government Organizations: Department of Health and Human Services Office for Women's Health, National Institutes of Health Office for Research on Women's Health, Federal Drug Administration, Health Resource Service Administration; Medical Database/Search Engines: Pub Med, Ovid, Up-to-Date, Medscape, MD Consult; Journals & Other Scientific Publications: Gender Medicine, Journal of Women's Health, Institute of Medicine Reports; Print Media: Monographs, Reviews, Commentaries; Specialty Organizations: American Academy of Family Medicine (AAFM), American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), American College of Physicians (ACP), American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG), Association of Professors in Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO), American Medical Student Association (AMSA), Association of American Medical Colleges AAMC); Social Media: Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn Webinars & Online C.