9.6 million francs for more equitable healthcare
The SNSF is funding 19 projects as part of the National Research Programme "Gender Medicine and Health" (NRP 83). For example, they will contribute to improving palliative care as well as treatment for pregnant women.
Despite technological progress, not all medical devices are equally beneficial for everyone. Women and gender minorities are particularly affected by these disparities. Bernice Elger from the University of Basel is collaborating with researchers from the University of York (UK) and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (Germany) to study gender-specific differences in the efficacy of active implantable medical devices, such as pacemakers, defibrillators and neuroimplants. The project aims to reduce these inequalities by facilitating effective, fair and personalised solutions for medical devices and establishing new ethical standards in medical technology.
This is one of 19 projects funded over the next five years as part of the National Research Programme "Gender Medicine and Health" (NRP 83).
Significant interest in the call
Sex (biological attributes) and gender (sociocultural factors) influence health. Understanding and incorporating these two dimensions into health research and practice is essential for achieving better clinical outcomes, improving public health and ensuring equitable access to healthcare. NRP 83 aims to create a dedicated knowledge base in the fields of health research, medicine and public health. Establishing long-term cooperation between the relevant stakeholders ("community of practice") is equally important.
Last spring, 140 research teams submitted pre-proposals in response to a call for projects, an unusually high number underlining the topic's importance. A total of approximately 9.6 million Swiss francs has been allocated to fund 19 selected projects by interdisciplinary teams of researchers from the humanities, social sciences, life sciences and clinical sciences. Research domains include (but are not limited to) medical education, mental health, ethics, prevention and epidemiology.
Solving current problems
National Research Programmes contribute to addressing contemporary issues of national importance. The Federal Council selects the research topics and entrusts the SNSF with implementing these programmes.
Two selected projects:
- Improving treatment for pregnant women. Pregnancy can complicate the treatment of chronic diseases with appropriate medication. Women of childbearing age - particularly pregnant women - are still excluded from almost all randomised clinical trials assessing the efficacy of a treatment or drug. This significantly limits pregnant women’s access to adequate healthcare. Alice Panchaud and Stéphanie Baggio from the University of Bern are collaborating with Julia Spoendlin (University of Basel) and Ursula Winterfeld (University of Lausanne) to study how pregnancy affects the course of drug treatments. With their project, they aim to improve the treatment of chronic diseases during pregnancy.
- Access to palliative care. What access do lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTQI+) individuals and their families have to palliative and end-of-life care? What are their needs and what obstacles do they face? Claudia Gamondi (University of Lausanne), Tabea Hässler (University of Zurich/Swiss LGBTQI+ Panel) and Francesca Bosisio (School of Management and Engineering Vaud) are exploring these issues in all language regions of Switzerland. The aim of the project is to create a "rainbow book" with relevant recommendations to drive forward fundamental changes in healthcare.