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NRS Cardiovascular Champion urges responses to women’s heart health inequalities survey
The NHS Research Scotland (NRS) Cardiovascular Network is encouraging engagement with a new survey aimed at identifying what matters most in future research of women’s heart health.
The Network’s Clinical Research Champion, Professor Lis Neubeck, is deputy lead of a project assessing vital research questions that can help to address the inequalities which have seen cardiovascular disease (CVD) become the leading worldwide cause of death in women.
The James Lind Alliance (JLA) Priority Setting Partnership project, entitled ‘Beating Bias’, is being led from Kings College London and funded by Heart Research UK, with the aim of closing this gap in care by improving research, ensuring voices are heard, and seeking equal, proactive treatment.
Launched in September last year, the project notes that “women experience greater risk of CVD through social, financial and education inequalities in society”.
Furthermore, it states that “this sex-bias, sustained over decades, has resulted in limited evidence about the risk factors, diagnosis, treatment pathways and outcomes of CVD in women”.
With far fewer women than men taking part in heart disease research, organisers are now aiming to identify the top 10 most urgent unanswered research questions that will help to inform positive future work.
To achieve that, healthcare professionals, patients or individuals with lived experience of women’s heart disease, and carers across Scotland are invited to get involved in the survey which is open for 12 weeks.
Professor Neubeck, a pioneer in Scottish research, said: “If we are to successfully bridge gaps in research and ultimately break down lingering inequalities around women’s heart health, then effectively capturing areas of greatest need is an essential first step.
“We are therefore excited to announce the launch of this important survey, which is open to both men and women, and is designed with the specific aim of doing nothing less than transforming the future of women’s heart health.
“With the vital data acquired from it, I believe we can drive meaningful change and ultimately improve women’s cardiovascular outcomes.
“We would simply like respondents to write down one or two questions or comments relating to women and heart disease which are important to them, so filling it out should not take long.
“No question is too small or insignificant – and the more responses we have, the more comprehensive a picture we get.”
Further details can be found here, but you can also directly contact the Beating Bias research team.
The non-profit making JLA says its Priority Setting Partnerships “work to identify which uncertainties really matter and where research would make the most difference.” They “have the potential to impact on the people who take part in them, the profile of the areas they set priorities in, and of course the research that is funded.”
Publication date: 12th March 2026
