A Collaborative Framework for Incorporating Sex and Gender Differences into Education for Healthcare Professional Students

Sex and gender-related health disparities significantly impact patient outcomes. Despite the importance of sex- and gender-based medicine (SGBM) in personalizing medical care to patients’ unique needs, health professional education and training is lacking sex and gender health education (SGHE) content. In one study, 48% of medical residents answered incorrectly or unsure when asked knowledge questions about sex- and gender-related differences in medicine (Kling et al, 2016). In response to this critical gap, the American Medical Women’s Association’s Sex and Gender Health Collaborative (AMWA-SGHC)’s mentoring committee launched a National Student Sex and Gender Health Education Initiative with an aim to integrate SGHE into health professional education. This project is a student-led collaboration with physicians. The pilot phase, involving 9 students, saw the development of educational materials known as “factsheets” on sex and gender differences in 8 diseases for use in medical education. During the expansion phase, over 200 health professional and pre-health professional students formed 75 teams to create over 60 factsheets in collaboration with health professional mentors. A survey of participants was revealing: 96.5% of students recognized the importance of SGBM in patient care, but 50.84% of students reported minimal or no inclusion of SGBM in their curriculum. At the midpoint survey, 63.21% of all students strongly agreed that creating factsheets increased their SGBM knowledge. This project of AMWA-SGHC is recruiting new students and faculty mentors on an ongoing basis, seeking collaboration with external organizations, and evaluating its effectiveness. Encouraged by the largely positive outcomes and with a vested interest in SGHE, AMWA-SGHC plans to support and continue this project. The impact of the AMWA-SGHC student initiative has been extraordinary. The process of producing educational material informed students of the importance of SGBM and gave them a greater understanding of health advocacy for understudied populations. The collaborative aspect of the project has increased student confidence in their career and connected them to others who care about advocating for SGBM. To increase the visibility of SGBM and underscore its importance in medicine, student leaders have showcased this ongoing project at 37 professional conferences and published perspective pieces, garnering prestigious awards. This initiative features student organizers and leaders collaborating with faculty, works towards educational gains in SGBM, and aims to increase health equity by integrating SGHE into health professional curricula.