Dr. Agay-Shay Presents Her Research at Afik Israeli Women Professors Forum Conference

Dr. Keren Agay-Shay, from the Faculty of Medicine in the Galilee at Bar-Ilan University, was one of the keynote speakers at the AFIK in Academia - Israeli Women Professors Forum conference, held on October 28, 2024. AFIK in Academia - Israeli Women Professors Forum was established to promote gender equality in the number of female researchers in academic faculties and their representation in key positions at research universities in Israel.

Dr. Agay-Shay, an expert in environmental epidemiology, delivered a lecture on environmental impacts on women's health. She focused on specific exposures unique to women and their potential effects on health, presenting information on the impact of climate change and air pollution on women.

A central theme of her lecture was the gaps in knowledge. "Many studies in medicine in general, and in environmental epidemiology in particular, do not examine differences between men and women. We still lack sufficient understanding of the diverse environmental impacts on women, and there is much more to investigate in this field."

The lecture also reviewed the disparities in funding for research on diseases predominantly affecting women compared to male-associated diseases, as well as knowledge gaps in these areas. "I find it quite astonishing that only in 1993 was a guideline issued mandating the inclusion of women and minorities in clinical research. This means that some drugs reached the market without having been tested on women. Additionally, I was shocked to learn that only ten years ago did the NIH issue a mandatory guideline that every preclinical study on animals and tissues must include both male and female samples."