•    The Youth Centre hosted this science engagement activity aimed at raising awareness among future generations about scientific excellence.

On 25 and 26 November, Navarrabiomed held two forum theatre sessions at the Pamplona-Iruña Youth Centre with the aim of promoting awareness and understanding of gender-sensitive research, an approach that contributes to more excellent science and healthcare for the entire population. The event was chaired by Patricia Fanlo, Minister of the Department of University, Innovation and Digital Transformation, and brought together more than 250 students from secondary education, vocational training, and university programmes.

The initiative formed part of the activities organized by the research centre within the framework of the 2024 Science, Technology and Innovation Weeks. It was developed by Navarrabiomed in collaboration with the theatre company Psiare and ADItech, coordinator of the Navarre R&D&I System (SINAI). The project was funded by the Government of Navarre through the COSMOS 2024 Grants Programme for the Promotion of Scientific Culture, Dissemination of R&D&I Conducted in Navarre, and the Encouragement of STEM Vocations.

Minister Patricia Fanlo highlighted the importance of the initiative, which coincided with the commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women: “This forum theatre has successfully connected with young people by demonstrating the relevance and significance of incorporating a gender perspective in the health and biomedical fields. Our challenge and responsibility is to promote equality in health and science in order to build a fairer, more equitable and responsible society. We need to support initiatives like this that engage directly with young people, the future STEM professionals of tomorrow, empowering them to become agents of change in science and healthcare.”

Forum Theatre to Rethink Science

Forum theatre is a non-conventional performance format that addresses social and professional issues. It consists of a theatrical performance followed by an open discussion forum in which audience members, experts, and actors can intervene, propose alternative outcomes, and reshape the narrative. It is designed as an inclusive space for reflection and dialogue, encouraging critical thinking, engagement, and active participation, in this case around scientific issues.

The scenes performed were designed to inform and raise awareness about the importance of integrating a gender dimension into research to achieve scientific excellence. Additional objectives included:

•    Raising awareness of existing gender inequalities in health and research.
•    Exploring the different ways in which women and men experience illness.
•    Highlighting diseases and conditions that disproportionately affect women and have historically been overlooked.

Javier Gómez-Arrue, Director of Navarrabiomed, emphasized that: “All research, monitoring and evaluation data should be disaggregated by sex and gender so that research outcomes benefit women and men equally, ultimately improving healthcare for everyone. At Navarrabiomed, we are developing a cross-cutting research area focused on the gender dimension in order to promote excellent research that serves 100% of the population.”

The activity drew on scientific evidence to illustrate the existing sex and gender gap in health research. Participants learned how:
•    Approximately 80% of research in major health disciplines contains sex and gender bias.
•    Less than 10% of health-related publications specifically examine sex and gender.
•    More than one-third (37%) of genes are expressed differently depending on sex.
•    Many diseases present different clinical manifestations, symptoms, and signs in women and men.
•    Failing to consider these differences can lead to healthcare biases that primarily disadvantage women.
•    Women receive poorer diagnoses than men in at least 700 medical conditions.

The session held on 26 November concluded with remarks from Elena Antoñanzas, Director of the Service for Planning, Health Strategy and Research, who reaffirmed the Department of Health’s commitment to promoting equality in health and science as essential foundations for a fairer society. She also stressed that research incorporating a gender dimension is crucial to reducing the gender gap in women's healthcare.

The discussion and reflection will continue on social media through the hashtag #ScienceFor100Percent (#LaCienciaDel100).