Society and medicine must better understand women

Medical research has long been skewed towards male physiology, leaving a significant gap in understanding women's health. This historical oversight is now being challenged by institutions like the Center for Research and Innovation in Women's Health at Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam.

Prof. Dr. Hanneke Takkenberg and Prof. Dr. Jeanine Roeters van Lennep, directors of the center, emphasize the critical need to address this disparity. They argue that women's health must become a scientific, economic, and social priority. The center, celebrating its first anniversary, was founded in response to the growing recognition of these neglected areas in medical science.

The underfunding of research specifically focused on women's health remains a major obstacle. The directors are working to ensure that scientific inquiry, clinical practice, and public policy evolve to better serve the health needs of women, aiming to close the knowledge gap created over decades of male-centric research.