In a May 14, 2014, posting on the Director’s Page on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) website, Janine Austin Clayton describes new policies to address gender differences in research. In “Filling the Gaps: NIH Enacts New Policies to Address Sex Differences,” Dr. Clayton described next steps on implementing these policies, which she and NIH Director Francis Collins announced in the May 14, 2014 issue of Nature. Dr. Clayton is the Director, Office of Research on Women’s Health and Associate Director for Research on Women’s Health, NIH.
Dr. Clayton stated that “NIH is now requiring applicants to report their cell and animal inclusion plans as part of preclinical experimental design. By implementing this policy, we are promoting a balanced approach to address male and female differences in cells and animals—just as we did years ago with women and men in NIH–funded clinical trials.
To read all of Dr. Clayton’s blog, please visit the NIH website.