Women were excluded from clinical trials until 1993 in the United States and until 1997 in Canada. Nam Kiwanuka speaks to Dr. Michelle Cohen, a family physician and an assistant professor of medicine at Queen's University, about why women were excluded and the historical harms that were caused by not including women in clinical trials.

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Research links

Closing the women’s health gap: Canada’s $37 billion opportunity: https://www.mckinsey.com/mhi/our-insights/closing-the-womens-health-gap-canadas-37-billion-dollars-…

Cuts, uncertainty over NIH grants disrupt innovation in health fields, researchers say
:https://marylandmatters.org/2025/09/15/cuts-uncertainty-over-nih-grants-disrupt-innovation-in-healt…

Gender Equity in Clinical Trials in Canada: Aspiration or Achievement?: https://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3576&context=scholarly_works

History of Women’s Participation in Clinical Research: https://orwh.od.nih.gov/toolkit/recruitment/history

Guidance Document: Considerations for Inclusion of Women in Clinical Trials and Analysis of Sex Differences: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/drug-products/applications-su…