Gender disparities in the National Institutes of Health funding for gastrointestinal oncology.

Abstract

763 Background: Traditionally, there has been an under-representation of women in academic fields, thus making them less likely to receive grants. This study examines the trend of funding allocation of R01 grants in Gastrointestinal oncology by the National Institutes of Health with specific focus on the distribution of funding between gender. Methods: The data were retrieved from the NIH RePORTER (Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools Expenditure) using gastrointestinal oncology-related search terms from 2018-2021. The gender was categorized using Genderize. The number of citations, publications, H-index, and seniority were obtained from Scopus and Web of Science in December 2022. Consumer Price Index was used to adjust funding amount to 2021 equivalent U.S. dollars. Linear regression was used for analysis. Results: A total of 1426 NIH-funded R01 grants amounting to 626.6 million were awarded for gastrointestinal oncology research. Women (n=391; 27.4% [95% CI: 25.1%-29.7%]) received fewer grants than men (n=1035; 72.6% [95% CI: 70.3%-74.9%]). From 2018-2021, there was no significant difference in the number of grants awarded among both men (263 to 259, p=0.65) and women (90 to 105, p=0.12). Similarly, there was no significant change in the grant amount (in millions) awarded among men (114.7 to 111.2, p=0.86) and women (39.8 to 47.9, p=0.19). Colorectal cancer accounted for the greatest proportion of grants (n=528; 37.0% [95% CI: 34.5%-39.5%]), amounting to 235.9 million. Of the 481 co-PIs, 405 (84.2% [95% CI: 80.9%-87.5%]) were men and 76 (15.8% [95% CI: 12.5%-19.1%]) were women. Male PIs as compared to female PIs had a higher h-index (52 vs 40, p<0.001), a higher number of publications (160 vs 111, p<0.001), and were cited more (13324 vs 6371, p<0.001). Funding amount was significantly associated with gender (β=0.06, p=0.02), number of publications (β=0.17, p<0.01) and institution (p<0.01). Conclusions: Our analysis shows continued gender disparity as only 27% of total R01 grants towards gastrointestinal oncology were granted to females during the fiscal years of 2018-2021. Thus, a collaborative effort is needed to close the divide and advance gender equality. [Table: see text]