Bronwyn Graham on women in medicine
Scientists are afraid that if we include females in research, with their messy fluctuating sex hormones, this will produce messy, unreliable data.
For too long, medical research has centered on the male body; often excluding females entirely in the name of simplicity and control. But what have we missed by treating sex hormones as a problem rather than a vital part of the picture?
UNSW’s Bronwyn Graham explores the serious gaps in our understanding of female health and the urgent need to include women more meaningfully in scientific research. It’s not just about equity. It’s about better science, better treatments and better outcomes for everyone.
This quote was featured in an event presented by the UNSW Centre for Ideas and Festival of Dangerous Ideas.
Bronwyn Graham
Bronwyn Graham is a professor, clinical psychologist and behavioural neuroscientist at UNSW Sydney. Her research examines how female-unique factors, like fluctuating sex hormones and pregnancy, impact women’s mental health. Bronwyn has held numerous fellowships, including an ARC DECRA, a UK-based MQ Fellowship, an American Australian Association Neurological Fellowship, and she has received continuous funding from the ARC since 2014. Bronwyn’s awards include a Psychological Science ‘rising star’, a NSW Young Tall Poppy, and the Biological Psychiatry Aubrey Lewis Award. Bronwyn regularly appears in the media and she disseminates her findings to health professionals through collaborations with organisations including AnxietyUK and Black Dog Institute.
