From the margins to the center: Transforming cardiovascular care for women

Jeannette M. WADE; Edward Kwabena AMEYAW; Zohra S. LASSI

doi:10.1177/17455057251406947

From the margins to the center: Transforming cardiovascular care for women

Jeannette M. WADE^*
, Edward Kwabena AMEYAW
, Zohra S. LASSI

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Journal Publications › Editorial/Preface (Journal)

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death among women worldwide, with significant disparities in prevalence, outcomes, and care. Despite these alarming statistics, research on women’s heart health remains underfunded and poorly prioritized, due in part to the historic exclusion of women from clinical trials and biomedical research. This editorial will highlight the scope of CVD in women, explore sex- and gender-specific risk factors such as gestational diabetes, early menopause, and psychosocial stress, and underscore barriers to quality care including implicit bias and structural inequities. It also calls for increased representation of women in clinical trials and medical fields. Policy and funding shifts are urgently needed to encourage sex-specific research and equitable healthcare delivery. This editorial concludes with a call to action for inclusive, interdisciplinary research approaches, that centers women and their unique biological realities. Advancing gender-responsive cardiovascular care will require not only scientific innovation but also institutional accountability and societal commitment to health equity.

Original language	English
Number of pages	5
Journal	Women's Health
Volume	21
Early online date	16 Dec 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/17455057251406947
Publication status	Published - Dec 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Keywords

sex- and gender-based medicine
cardiovascular diseases in women
health equity
clinical trial representation

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1177/17455057251406947Licence: CC BY-NC

Cite this

@article{3db294ac7fa040ce8448d0c274c345fd,

title = "From the margins to the center: Transforming cardiovascular care for women",

abstract = "Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death among women worldwide, with significant disparities in prevalence, outcomes, and care. Despite these alarming statistics, research on women{\textquoteright}s heart health remains underfunded and poorly prioritized, due in part to the historic exclusion of women from clinical trials and biomedical research. This editorial will highlight the scope of CVD in women, explore sex- and gender-specific risk factors such as gestational diabetes, early menopause, and psychosocial stress, and underscore barriers to quality care including implicit bias and structural inequities. It also calls for increased representation of women in clinical trials and medical fields. Policy and funding shifts are urgently needed to encourage sex-specific research and equitable healthcare delivery. This editorial concludes with a call to action for inclusive, interdisciplinary research approaches, that centers women and their unique biological realities. Advancing gender-responsive cardiovascular care will require not only scientific innovation but also institutional accountability and societal commitment to health equity.",

keywords = "sex- and gender-based medicine, cardiovascular diseases in women, health equity, clinical trial representation",

author = "WADE, \{Jeannette M.\} and AMEYAW, \{Edward Kwabena\} and LASSI, \{Zohra S.\}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).",

year = "2025",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1177/17455057251406947",

language = "English",

volume = "21",

journal = "Women's Health",

issn = "1745-5057",

publisher = "SAGE Publications Inc.",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - From the margins to the center: Transforming cardiovascular care for women

AU - WADE, Jeannette M.

AU - AMEYAW, Edward Kwabena

AU - LASSI, Zohra S.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

PY - 2025/12

Y1 - 2025/12

N2 - Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death among women worldwide, with significant disparities in prevalence, outcomes, and care. Despite these alarming statistics, research on women’s heart health remains underfunded and poorly prioritized, due in part to the historic exclusion of women from clinical trials and biomedical research. This editorial will highlight the scope of CVD in women, explore sex- and gender-specific risk factors such as gestational diabetes, early menopause, and psychosocial stress, and underscore barriers to quality care including implicit bias and structural inequities. It also calls for increased representation of women in clinical trials and medical fields. Policy and funding shifts are urgently needed to encourage sex-specific research and equitable healthcare delivery. This editorial concludes with a call to action for inclusive, interdisciplinary research approaches, that centers women and their unique biological realities. Advancing gender-responsive cardiovascular care will require not only scientific innovation but also institutional accountability and societal commitment to health equity.

AB - Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death among women worldwide, with significant disparities in prevalence, outcomes, and care. Despite these alarming statistics, research on women’s heart health remains underfunded and poorly prioritized, due in part to the historic exclusion of women from clinical trials and biomedical research. This editorial will highlight the scope of CVD in women, explore sex- and gender-specific risk factors such as gestational diabetes, early menopause, and psychosocial stress, and underscore barriers to quality care including implicit bias and structural inequities. It also calls for increased representation of women in clinical trials and medical fields. Policy and funding shifts are urgently needed to encourage sex-specific research and equitable healthcare delivery. This editorial concludes with a call to action for inclusive, interdisciplinary research approaches, that centers women and their unique biological realities. Advancing gender-responsive cardiovascular care will require not only scientific innovation but also institutional accountability and societal commitment to health equity.

KW - sex- and gender-based medicine

KW - cardiovascular diseases in women

KW - health equity

KW - clinical trial representation

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105024976740

U2 - 10.1177/17455057251406947

DO - 10.1177/17455057251406947

M3 - Editorial/Preface (Journal)

C2 - 41403054

SN - 1745-5057

VL - 21

JO - Women's Health

JF - Women's Health

ER -

From the margins to the center: Transforming cardiovascular care for women

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this