A Sociocultural Exploration of Sex-Bias in NSERC-funded Human Cardiovascular Research at Ontario Universities

It is well established that sex-bias against the inclusion of women exists in human cardiovascular research, where women have been excluded from or under-represented in the research process, despite the high prevalence of cardiovascular disease among this population. To address the sex-bias against the inclusion of women in federally-funded research, including research funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Discovery Grant (DG) program, the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans was introduced in 2010. However, despite the introduction of this policy, it remains unknown whether a sex-bias persists in NSERC DG-funded basic human cardiovascular research at Ontario universities. The purpose of this research is twofold. (1) Using a quantitative analysis, this research will determine the presence or absence of a sex-bias against the inclusion of women in NSERC DG-funded basic human cardiovascular research at Ontario universities from policy implementation to the present. After analysis of all NSERC DG-funded publications (n=96), female exclusion or under-representation was evident in 63% of publications. (2) By conducting semi-structured interviews with Ontario university basic human cardiovascular researchers (n=5) and by using thematic analyses, this study will characterize the sex-bias against the inclusion of women, and by using a sociocultural lens, will explore how research, as a social institution, may act to construct, maintain and reinforce sex inequalities. This research will highlight practical changes that could occur to challenge this sex-bias and increase female inclusion in cardiovascular research, ultimately with the goal of improving female cardiovascular health.