A new article published in Human Resources for Health identifies 13 interventions considered to have transformational potential to address gender-related obstacles in health education programs.

Integration of Gender-Transformative Interventions into Health Professional Education Reform for the 21st Century: Implications of an Expert Review is based on a literature review that rated and ranked 51 interventions that have been used to counter gender discrimination and inequality in countries around the world. The authors describe 13 specific interventions, as well as core sets of interventions, that promise to overcome gender-related barriers to entry, retention, career progression, and graduation in health professional education.

Increasing the number of graduates from health professional education programs is crucial for addressing the global shortage of health workers.

"Yet the production of health workers is often hindered by gender discrimination and inequality in education programs that affects both students and faculty," says Constance Newman, senior team leader for gender equality and health at IntraHealth International and lead author of the paper. "Examples include discrimination due to pregnancy or family caregiver responsibilities, sexual harassment, and inequalities in career advancement opportunities."

Promising interventions described include sexual harassment policies, clear and confidential grievance reporting procedures, and education and awareness-raising. The authors aim to influence leaders in health professional institutions and government ministries to make commitments and enact reforms to address gender discrimination and inequality, and to see such investments as essential steps in scaling up high-quality education and training programs to meet health and development goals.

Coauthors include Diana Frymus, a health workforce expert at the US Agency for International Development, which funded the study through the IntraHealth-led CapacityPlus project. Complementary resources developed by CapacityPlus include the full technical report on the literature review and findings, a technical brief, and an advocacy tool intended for use by school administrators, government officials, and other national stakeholders involved in policy- and decision-making related to health workforce education and training.