What Gets Funded Shapes What We Know: 15 Years of Canadian Womens Health Research

What Gets Funded Shapes What We Know: 15 Years of Canadian Women’s Health Research | medRxiv Skip to main content Home About Submit ALERTS / RSS Search for this keyword Advanced Search What Gets Funded Shapes What We Know: 15 Years of Canadian Women’s Health Research Laura L Gravelsins , Tallinn FL Splinter , Ahmad Mohammad , Samantha A Blankers , Gabrielle L Desilets , View ORCID Profile Liisa AM Galea doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.02.17.26346472 Laura L Gravelsins 1 Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Center for Addiction and Mental Health , Toronto, ON, Canada , M5T 1R8 2 Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto , 500 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, Canada , M5G 1V7 3 Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto , 6 Queen’s Park Crescent, Toronto, ON, Canada , M5S 3H2 4 Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto , 250 College Street, Toronto, ON, Canada , M5T 1R8 5 Department of Psychology, University of Toronto , 100 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, Canada , M5S 3G3 Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Tallinn FL Splinter 1 Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Center for Addiction and Mental Health , Toronto, ON, Canada , M5T 1R8 2 Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto , 500 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, Canada , M5G 1V7 3 Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto , 6 Queen’s Park Crescent, Toronto, ON, Canada , M5S 3H2 4 Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto , 250 College Street, Toronto, ON, Canada , M5T 1R8 5 Department of Psychology, University of Toronto , 100 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, Canada , M5S 3G3 Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Ahmad Mohammad 1 Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Center for Addiction and Mental Health , Toronto, ON, Canada , M5T 1R8 2 Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto , 500 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, Canada , M5G 1V7 3 Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto , 6 Queen’s Park Crescent, Toronto, ON, Canada , M5S 3H2 4 Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto , 250 College Street, Toronto, ON, Canada , M5T 1R8 5 Department of Psychology, University of Toronto , 100 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, Canada , M5S 3G3 Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Samantha A Blankers 1 Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Center for Addiction and Mental Health , Toronto, ON, Canada , M5T 1R8 2 Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto , 500 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, Canada , M5G 1V7 3 Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto , 6 Queen’s Park Crescent, Toronto, ON, Canada , M5S 3H2 4 Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto , 250 College Street, Toronto, ON, Canada , M5T 1R8 5 Department of Psychology, University of Toronto , 100 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, Canada , M5S 3G3 Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Gabrielle L Desilets 1 Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Center for Addiction and Mental Health , Toronto, ON, Canada , M5T 1R8 2 Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto , 500 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, Canada , M5G 1V7 3 Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto , 6 Queen’s Park Crescent, Toronto, ON, Canada , M5S 3H2 4 Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto , 250 College Street, Toronto, ON, Canada , M5T 1R8 5 Department of Psychology, University of Toronto , 100 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, Canada , M5S 3G3 Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Liisa AM Galea 1 Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Center for Addiction and Mental Health , Toronto, ON, Canada , M5T 1R8 2 Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto , 500 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, Canada , M5G 1V7 3 Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto , 6 Queen’s Park Crescent, Toronto, ON, Canada , M5S 3H2 4 Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto , 250 College Street, Toronto, ON, Canada , M5T 1R8 5 Department of Psychology, University of Toronto , 100 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, Canada , M5S 3G3 Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Liisa AM Galea For correspondence: liisa.galea{at}utoronto.ca Abstract Full Text Info/History Metrics Data/Code Preview PDF Abstract Importance Funding of women’s health research has been low, with a narrow focus on what is considered women’s health. Understanding which lifespan stages and areas of women’s health are funded is essential to determine the breadth of women’s health research and identify where gaps in research are concentrated. Objective To examine which lifespan stages and areas of women’s health were more likely to be funded in open Canadian grant competitions. Evidence Review Publicly available funded Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Project Grant abstracts from 2009 and 2023 were coded for mention of a hormonal transition period (puberty, menstrual cycle, pregnancy/postpartum, perimenopause/menopause), exogenous hormone use (hormonal contraception, fertility treatments, menopause hormone therapy), and/or a female-specific health condition. Abstracts were also coded for Indigenous health and Two Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Transgender or Trans Identified, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, Plus (S2/LGBTQIA+) populations. Remaining grant abstracts were grouped by common theme. Abstracts were analyzed for changes in research representation and funding over time and whether funding was lower than expected based on population prevalence or proportion of the lifespan spent in that stage. Findings Nearly 50% of female-specific research focused on cancers (breast, gynecologic) or pregnancy and did not significantly increase in funding or representation over time. Of the funded grant abstracts that focused on pregnancy, ∼22% examined outcomes pertaining only to the fetus/offspring, not the birthing parent. Over 15 years, 2.37% of all CIHR abstracts over 15 years were devoted to pregnancy, whereas only 0.24% was devoted to other hormonal life stages (menstrual cycles, menopause). For all hormonal transition stages except pregnancy, the proportion of grants and funding devoted to that stage was lower than expected based on the proportion of the lifespan spent in that stage. Conclusions and Relevance These findings reflect the narrow breadth of women’s health, which largely focused on cancers (breast, gynecologic) or pregnancy, rather than being distributed across key life course stages that shape women’s health. To advance science for all, the heterogeneity and complexity in women’s health across the lifespan must be embraced and barriers for women’s health research must be removed. Question Which areas and life stages of women’s health are most likely to be funded in Canadian open grant competitions, and where are funding gaps concentrated? Findings Nearly half of female-specific grants focused on cancer or pregnancy, with little change over time. Pregnancy dominated hormonal-stage research, often excluding maternal outcomes, while menstrual and menopausal stages were rarely funded. For most life stages, funding was lower than expected based on lifespan representation. Meaning Women’s health research funding remains narrowly focused. Broader, life-course–inclusive investment is needed to address critical gaps and advance equitable health science. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Funding Statement This work was supported by a grant from womenmindTM to L.A.M.G. (CAMHF-1197). We also gratefully acknowledge funding from the Womens Health Research Cluster to L.A.M.G, L.L.G, and A.M. T.F.L.S. was funded by a Canadian Graduate Research Scholarship (CGS-M), and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship program (OGS). Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes Footnotes laura.gravelsins{at}camh.ca tallinn.splinter{at}mail.utoronto.ca Ahmad.Mohammad{at}camh.ca Samantha.Blankers{at}camh.ca gabrielle.lee-desilets{at}camh.ca We updated images to make them clearer and split the table and formatted to provide clarity Data Availability All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors Copyright The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC 4.0 International license . Back to top Previous Next Posted March 18, 2026. Download PDF Data/Code Email Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about medRxiv. NOTE: Your email address is requested solely to identify you as the sender of this article. Your Email * Your Name * Send To * Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas. 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