Heart Podcast Strategies to increase female participation in cardiovascular clinical trials
Aug 26, 2025
In this insightful discussion, Professor Vijay Kunadian, a pioneer in interventional cardiology, teams up with Sarah Brown, a passionate heart disease advocate and trustee at the Cardiovascular Care Partnership. They dive into the significant underrepresentation of women in cardiovascular clinical trials, highlighting critical barriers and sharing personal anecdotes. The duo emphasizes strategies to enhance female participation, the importance of inclusivity, and the vital role of tailored communication and female leadership in improving health outcomes.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Cross-Specialty Consensus Matters
- A coordinated, multi-society effort highlights female underrepresentation across all cardiovascular specialties.
- Collective action with patient groups and research networks enables broader, system-level solutions.
Use Participation-to-Prevalence Ratio
- Participant-to-prevalence ratio measures representation by comparing trial enrolment with disease prevalence.
- Many cardiovascular areas show ratios well below the 0.8 threshold, indicating underrepresentation of women.
Underrepresentation Is Widespread
- Underrepresentation of women is widespread: coronary disease, heart failure, valves, cardio-oncology, rhythm disorders and rehab.
- Lack of female participants risks applying male-derived evidence to women with different biology.