CHANGEMAKERS
MENDING THE GAPS
INEQUALIT Y IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING C AN HAVE L ASTING IMPACTS ACROSS R ACE , G E N DE R AN D ETH N I CITI ES THAT G O U N N OTI CE D FO R DEC ADES –
YET
AFFECT
TR E ATM E NTS
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SOLUTIONS
USED
EVERY
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NOW,
F O U R FAC U LT Y M E M B E R S I N T H E D E PA R T M E N T O F M AT E R I A L S S C I E N C E & ENGINEERING AIM TO SHINE A LIGHT ON SOME OF THESE KNOWLEDGE GAPS AN D H E LP R EC TI F Y TH E PRO B LEMS TH E Y CR E ATE .
By definition, a gap is an “incomplete or deficient area.” For instance, in a scientific study, a literature gap represents unexplored sections in the data and an opportunity for further analysis or investigation. The equity gaps that have permeated cultures, industries and communities throughout history are undeniable, and science, including its branches of research and education, is not exempt. With their insight,
experience and analysis to guide them, Josephine Allen, Ph.D., Erika Moore, Ph.D., Nancy Ruzycki, Ph.D., and Michele, Manuel, Ph.D., are not only identifying, but also helping bridge some of the science, research and cultural equity gaps they’ve encountered.
TH E DATA G A P Josephine Allen, Ph.D., associate professor and Genzyme Professor of Materials Science & Engineering, addresses inequity not only in her research, but also how it affects the raw data she uses in it. Dr. Allen and her team observed that biomedical researchers and the journals publishing their papers rarely mentioned the sex of the cells involved in the studies. “Sex-based differences have been a long-standing interest of mine and are the primary reason I work in the area of cardiovascular disease – particularly its disproportionally
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Josephine Allen, Ph.D.
negative effects on women, and African American women, in particular,” said Dr. Allen. “My interest is fueled by the overwhelming evidence that male and female biology is different, and these biological differences translate to disparities in health, disease and treatments.” A literature survey of several top biomedical journals found that cell sex was reported in only a small fraction (roughly 3%) of papers. That information prompted her lab’s paper highlighting the findings entitled “Let’s Talk About Sex – Biological Sex is Underreported in Biomaterials Studies.” Dr. Allen and her team then submitted a comprehensive review highlighting underreported cell sex data. “I thought about all of the new insight that could be gained, how studies could be more easily replicated and how, as a field, we have an opportunity
