Overview
Launched in March 2024, The Centre for Sex and Gender Equity in Health and Medicine is a cross-institutional collaboration designed to address health disparities caused by historical biases in medical research and practice. It focuses on ensuring that sex and gender differences are systematically accounted for to improve health outcomes for all individuals.
Mission and focus areas
The Centre focuses on four key pillars: research, education, policy, and clinical practice. Its primary aim is to advocate for funders to set policies and guidelines for considering sex and gender in health and medical research, while also developing educational resources for clinicians and researchers to better understand how these factors influence disease and treatment.
Structure and governance
The Centre is a partnership between several major Australian institutions, including The George Institute for Global Health, the Australian Human Rights Institute at UNSW Sydney, Deakin University, and Monash University. It operates through regional hubs, such as the Victorian Hub hosted by Deakin and Monash, and is supported by the Victorian Government.
Programs and offerings
The Centre’s programs include advocating for policy change within funding bodies, developing sex and gender-sensitive research methodologies, and providing leadership in the integration of sex and gender considerations into the Australian medical curriculum and clinical guidelines.
