Celebrating women in pulmonary hypertension research

This International Women’s Day, let’s take a moment to recognize and celebrate women in all aspects of pulmonary hypertension research: women who agree to participate in clinical trials, women who are researchers, and women who are on health care teams at clinics where research takes place.

In the past, it wasn’t unusual for women to be left out of clinical trials, particularly women of childbearing age. Because women were excluded from research studies, we don’t fully understand how some treatments affect women’s bodies. Women may experience more (or fewer) side effects, and treatments may be less (or more!) effective in women – we just don’t know.

However, pulmonary hypertension research has been fairly inclusive. Several recent studies that looked at women’s representation in cardiac-related clinical trials found that pulmonary hypertension trials typically had a large majority of female participants.

This matters. Pulmonary arterial hypertension disproportionately affects women, and having women well represented in research helps ensure that findings are meaningful, accurate, and applicable to the people most impacted by the disease. It also strengthens our ability to understand sex-based differences in disease biology, treatment response, and long-term outcomes.

But inclusion is not just about numbers. It’s about listening to women’s experiences, supporting women in leadership roles in research and medicine, and ensuring equitable access to clinical trials across age, race, and socioeconomic status.

On this International Women’s Day, we celebrate the women who enroll in studies, who design and lead trials, who coordinate care, and who advocate for better treatments. Their contributions are advancing knowledge, improving care, and shaping a more equitable future for everyone living with pulmonary hypertension.