Interventions aimed at advancing gender equity in rheumatology: Insights from the Coalition for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE) survey

BACKGROUND: Gender disparities in rheumatology persist despite increasing female representation. This comprehensive global survey, conducted by the Coalition for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE) group, examined preferences for gender equity interventions among rheumatology professionals. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey of rheumatologists and allied health professionals was conducted across 105 countries (January 2023-May 2024). Intervention preferences spanned four domains: conference-based, organizational, skills training, and work-based strategies. Gender differences were evaluated using logistic regression adjusted for years of work experience, with subgroup analyses by Human Development Index (HDI), Gender Inequality Index (GII), professional role, and caregiving responsibilities. Multiple comparisons were adjusted using Benjamini- Hochberg correction for false discovery rate. RESULTS: Among 1945 respondents (66.4% female), the most widely endorsed interventions overall were family- and child-friendly conference policies (71.4%), communication and scientific writing training (52.6%), and engagement of national rheumatology groups (46.9%). Women demonstrated significantly stronger support for increasing the visibility of female role models (11.89% vs 5.81%, OR = 3.29, p < 0.01), establishing gender-balanced committees (17.66% vs 16.01%, OR = 1.76, p < 0.01), and gender-sensitive editorial board policies (12.70% vs 10.66%, OR = 1.77, p < 0.01). Respondents from higher-GII countries prioritised scientific writing masterclasses (OR = 4.58, p < 0.05) and career planning training (OR = 3.90, p < 0.05) but showed lower endorsement of unconscious bias training (OR = 0.48, p < 0.05) and male allyship programmes (OR = 0.42, p < 0.05). Women in low/middle-HDI countries more frequently selected grant writing support (40.3% vs 26.4%, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Gender equity intervention preferences vary systematically across contexts. These findings provide empirical foundations for developing culturally responsive, evidence-informed intervention frameworks to advance gender equity in rheumatology.

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Journal
Autoimmunity Reviews
Published
2026-09-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autrev.2026.104172
Primary Topic
Diversity and Career in Medicine
Type
article
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article

Interventions aimed at advancing gender equity in rheumatology: Insights from the Coalition for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE) survey

Elena Nikiphorou, Vikas Agarwal, Yoshiya Tanaka, Dzifa Dey et al.
Autoimmunity Reviews
Diversity and Career in Medicine
article

Interventions aimed at advancing gender equity in rheumatology: Insights from the Coalition for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE) survey

Elena Nikiphorou, Vikas Agarwal, Yoshiya Tanaka, Dzifa Dey, Syed Atiqul Haq, Carlos Enrique Toro Gutiérrez, Ghita Harifi, Pavel V. Ovseiko, Anne‐Marie Russell, Asgar Ali Kalla, Neelam Hassan, Nelly Ziadé, Penélope Esther Palominos, Christina Duftner, Laura Andréoli, Alejandra Magdalena Babini, Lai‐Shan Tam, Ran Nakashima, D. Alpizar-Rodriguez, Jessica Day, Ana María Arredondo Gonzalez, Júlia Boechat Farani, Ihsane Hmamouchi, Grace C. Wright, Wilson Bautista‐Molano, Laure Gossec, Lekshmi Minikumari Rahulan, Manali Sarkar, Joan Von Feldt, Taanya Talreja, Lisa Traboco, Latika Gupta, Dzifa Dey, Mariana Peixoto Souza, Laura C. Coates, Humeira Badsha
article en

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Gender disparities in rheumatology persist despite increasing female representation. This comprehensive global survey, conducted by the Coalition for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE) group, examined preferences for gender equity interventions among rheumatology professionals. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey of rheumatologists and allied health professionals was conducted across 105 countries (January 2023-May 2024). Intervention preferences spanned four domains: conference-based, organizational, skills training, and work-based strategies. Gender differences were evaluated using logistic regression adjusted for years of work experience, with subgroup analyses by Human Development Index (HDI), Gender Inequality Index (GII), professional role, and caregiving responsibilities. Multiple comparisons were adjusted using Benjamini- Hochberg correction for false discovery rate. RESULTS: Among 1945 respondents (66.4% female), the most widely endorsed interventions overall were family- and child-friendly conference policies (71.4%), communication and scientific writing training (52.6%), and engagement of national rheumatology groups (46.9%). Women demonstrated significantly stronger support for increasing the visibility of female role models (11.89% vs 5.81%, OR = 3.29, p < 0.01), establishing gender-balanced committees (17.66% vs 16.01%, OR = 1.76, p < 0.01), and gender-sensitive editorial board policies (12.70% vs 10.66%, OR = 1.77, p < 0.01). Respondents from higher-GII countries prioritised scientific writing masterclasses (OR = 4.58, p < 0.05) and career planning training (OR = 3.90, p < 0.05) but showed lower endorsement of unconscious bias training (OR = 0.48, p < 0.05) and male allyship programmes (OR = 0.42, p < 0.05). Women in low/middle-HDI countries more frequently selected grant writing support (40.3% vs 26.4%, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Gender equity intervention preferences vary systematically across contexts. These findings provide empirical foundations for developing culturally responsive, evidence-informed intervention frameworks to advance gender equity in rheumatology.

Autoimmunity Reviews
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (BR), Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases (GB), University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (GB), University of Ghana (GH), Innsbruck Medical University (AT), Inserm (FR), Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (IN), Chinese University of Hong Kong (HK), University of Southern Denmark (DK), King's College London (GB), Saint Joseph University (LB), University of Occupational and Environmental Health Japan (JP), Universidad El Bosque (CO), Universität Innsbruck (AT), King Edward Memorial Hospital and Seth G.S. Medical College (IN), Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (AU), Kyoto University (JP), Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (CO), Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre (IN), Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre (GB), Dubai Hospital (AE), Groote Schuur Hospital (ZA), John Radcliffe Hospital (GB), Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (GH), Hospital de São João (PT), University of Bristol (GB), Sorbonne Université (FR), University of Oxford (GB), Military University Nueva Granada (CO), NIHR Oxford Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Centre (GB), Institut thématique Immunologie, inflammation, infectiologie et microbiologie (FR), Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (FR), Queen Elizabeth Hospital (AU), International University of Rabat (MA), Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (AE), Institute for Rheumatic Diseases (Japan) (JP), St. Luke's Medical Center (PH), Faculty of 1000 (United States) (US), Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital (FR), Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación (MX), Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá (CO), Fundación Universitaria de Ciencias de la Salud (CO), Institut Pierre Louis d‘Épidémiologie et de Santé Publique (FR), Servicio Diabetología Hospital Córdoba (AR), Kyoto University Hospital (JP), Hôtel-Dieu de France (LB), King's College Hospital (GB), The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (GB), Wolverhampton Hospital (GB), Center for Rheumatology (US), Dr. Humeira Badsha Medical Center (AE), Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (BR), The University of Adelaide (AU), University of the Philippines Manila (PH), University of Pennsylvania (US), Association for Women in Science (US)
Gender equality, Quality Education
Openalex Percentile: Top 5%
Diversity and Career in Medicine
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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