Less than 25% of radiology-related NIH grants have been awarded to female researchers
Men in radiology receive significantly more research funding in comparison to women, new data reveal.
Over 75% of the grants the National Institutes of Health distributed over the last 15 years for radiology-related research have gone to men. Experts involved in the analysis caution that their findings highlight the lingering issue of gender equity in the field, the effects of which extend beyond career growth for women.
“Skewed grant distribution narrows the range of research questions pursued and limits the voices driving future research,” Alyssa Cubbison, DO, with the department of radiology at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, and colleagues contend. “These inequities may also have downstream effects on clinical innovation and patient care, limiting tool development, delaying the translation of research into practice, and perpetuating gaps in diagnostic accuracy across diverse populations.”
For their work, experts gathered data from the NIH on all research grants that were awarded to principal investigators within radiology departments between 2009 and 2023. Data on the number of grants, average and total funding amounts, and gender were compared for grant awards throughout the time studied.
The team reviewed a total of 9,378 NIH-funded radiology grants. Of those, just 24.8% were awarded to female principal investigators, while men also received higher grant amounts, at more than $704,000 on average compared to around $535,500 for women. Male research leaders were more likely to receive multiple grants over time than women as well. Throughout the 15 years studied, male grant recipients were awarded more than $5 billion, while women received around $1.3 billion.
The funding gap narrowed from 2009 to 2023; the male-to-female ratio narrowed from 7:1 in 2009 to 2.8:1 in 2023, though men continued to receive consistently larger amounts—a finding the group described as an “enduring” theme.
“While the funding gap narrowed in select years, particularly after 2016, disparities remained significant in most years, including the most recent funding cycles,” the group notes. “These findings suggest that incremental progress in representation has not translated into funding parity and that structural factors continue to shape funding outcomes in radiology.”
The driver of these funding gaps is likely rooted in both structural and institutional barriers, the group suggests. Though the later years from the team’s assessment point to progress, there is still more work to be done.
“Focused reforms include expanding mentorship and leadership programs, embedding equity metrics in grant review, and transparent funding practices,” the authors suggest. “Practical strategies such as partially blinded processes, publishing annual gender equity reports, and establishing bridge or seed funding programs for women investigators in imaging disciplines can accelerate change.”
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In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.