“From research to treatment options to access to services and programs, many women are overlooked and underserved because healthcare has traditionally not considered the impact of sex and gender differences.”

from The Health Gap, Women’s College Hospital

Extensive literature discusses the gender gap in women’s health care. It has been established that women’s symptoms are often ignored, and they are belittled by their doctors for conditions that are often under-researched, under-diagnosed, and are under treated. Niketana Kannan, a third-year PhD student with the Department of Economics, is seeking to understand the gap and discover potential interventions policymakers can use to bridge this health gap.

“My personal interest in this research topic came from hearing my family members talk about these kinds of experiences happening to them. They talked about when they went to a doctor and were told to just go take Tylenol to relieve their pain symptoms,” Kannan recalled. “Eventually, they were able to get the right diagnosis for what they needed, but it was a long and winding road to get there for them to finally find a doctor to take them seriously.” 

In her research project, Kannan is focusing on the role of female physicians to see if there is potential to improve health outcomes for women if female physicians are matched to female patients. [Read more…]