Welcome to the OSSD!

The Organization for the Study of Sex Differences (OSSD) is a scientific membership organization that seeks to enhance knowledge of sex/gender differences by facilitating interdisciplinary communication and collaboration among scientists and clinicians of diverse backgrounds.

Most diseases differ in males and females. Often, one sex is partially protected from a disease because of biological or environmental factors. It is important to understand these sex differences, to discover and enhance sex-biasing factors that protect from disease, and to develop optimal therapies for women and men.

The OSSD was founded in 2006 by member scientists and staff of the Society for Women's Health Research (see History). From 2006-2012, OSSD operated as a program of the SWHR, and in 2012 became an independent non-profit educational organization. The OSSD gratefully acknowledges the efforts of the SWHR in the creation, staffing, and funding of OSSD in its early years and recognizes the integral leadership role of SWHR in promoting the study of sex differences and advocating for sex difference research since 1990.

Latest News

• The Canadian Institutes of Health Research just published a new video to help peer reviewers assess the integration of sex and gender as part of their grant reviews.  Check out the new video here!  
• Typical woman or typical man?  BIH honors two scientists for their gender-oriented biomedical research.  Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) awards the BIH Excellence Award for Sex and Gender Aspects to Professor Louise Pilote of McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and Professor Rhonda Voskuhl of the University of California, USA.  Both scientists strongly incorporate gender aspects into their biomedical research.  The scientists will share the 20,000 euro award and will come to Berlin for a guest stay at the BIH.
• How far have we come? Two independent analyses of sex bias and the reporting of sex in basic biomedical research written by OSSD members Dr. Sabra Klein and Dr. John Meitzen. Read them here: 'Sex Reporting in Preclinical Microbiological and Immunological Research'   and    'Problems and Progress regarding Sex Bias and Omission in Neuroscience Research'.
• An article highlighting the work of Dr. Jeff Mogil (Capstone speaker at OSSD 2017) on sex differences in pain:  "Pain for Women, Pain for Men" by Bob Roehr
• Data released from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration indicate men and women have very different experiences with bad reactions to drugs. Read the full 2014 Washington Post article:  'Bad medicine:  The awful drug reactions Americans report' by Dan Keating and Jason Millman
• A fascinating study from OSSD Past-President, Dr. Louise McCullough, showing that having multiple pregnancies may enhance neurovascular health later in life. The data highlight that female reproductive experience may be an important factor to consider in preclinical and clinical studies. Ritzel et al. (2017) Multiparity improves outcomes after cerebral ischemia in female mice despite features of increased metabovascular risk. PNAS 114(28); E5673-E5682.
• Check out two important 'Viewpoints' published in JAMA on the consideration and reporting of sex and gender in medicine and clinical research (Oct 31st).
• "Consideration of Sex Differences in Medicine to Improve Health Care and Patient Outcomes", MJ Legato et al. JAMA Oct 31, 2016
• "Reporting Sex, Gender or Both in Clinical Research", JA Clayton and C Tannenbaum JAMA, Oct 31, 2016.

Read our Newsletter

The Benefits of OSSD Membership

There are many great reasons to join or renew your membership with the OSSD.  Here are just a few:

• The OSSD is a unique organization, fostering research on sex differences across tissues and diseases.
• Our Annual Meeting is fantastic and members participate at reduced rates.
• We strongly support our trainees with numerous travel and poster awards.
• The Biology of Sex Differences, the OSSD's official journal, continues to gain visibility and prominence.

Join the OSSD Today