MP-3 - GENDER DISPARITIES IN CANADIAN INSTITUTES OF HEALTH RESEARCH GRANT FUNDING FOR CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH

Background: The proportion of Canadian cardiologists identifying as women has increased from 9.2% in 1995 to 22.9% in 2019. However, women continue to be underrepresented in clinical and research leadership positions. Previous research has found that only 10% of lead authors in cardiovascular trials and 20% of recipients of federal cardiovascular grants in the United States identify as women. In Canada, funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is an important asset to further career advancement in academia. However, no studies have assessed gender disparities in Canadian grant funding for cardiovascular research.

METHODS AND RESULTS: We extracted and analyzed publicly available cardiology grant data from the cardiovascular and randomized trials committees in the CIHR database between 2008 and 2023. Professional and regulatory websites were used to determine pronouns for gender and degrees while H index at the time of submission was elucidated using Web of Science. During this period, 777 funded grants had men as principal applicants (78.2%) and 217 had women (21.8%). Temporally, 80.4% of the funded principal applicants were men and 19.2% women in 2008-2013, 78.3% men and 21.7% women in 2013-2018, and 74.0% men and 26.0% women in 2018-2023. Linear regression analysis revealed a significant increase in the proportion of women receiving grants over time (p = 0.03). Among principal applicants, men who received funding received higher amounts than women (median: $594 105 (IQR: $240 371 – 758 085) versus $450 288 ($100 000 – 707 625) (p = 0.0001)). Multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that compared to men, women received $112 149 (p = 0.01) less per grant after controlling for confounding variables including province, H-index during the grant year, graduate degree, and year of funding. In regression analysis, the amount of grant funding increased by approximately $17,910 per year for men while it decreased by approximately $14,362 per year for women, holding all other variables constant.


Conclusion: From 2008 to 2023, men consistently received higher funding amounts compared to women, despite an increase in the proportion of women receiving funding over time and even after adjusting for relevant factors. Our findings highlight gender disparities in CIHR grant funding for cardiology research in Canada. Future research should focus on identifying the underlying factors contributing to these disparities and develop strategies to mitigate them, thereby fostering a more inclusive and equitable research environment in cardiology.