It’s 2021 and medicine continues to misunderstand, mistreat and frequently ignore, women, transgender and non-binary people. For example, we know women are 50-75 per cent more likely to have adverse reactions to medications, something that happens for the simple reason many drugs aren’t tested on women during clinical trials. Unfortunately, there’s even less research about the health of transgender and non-binary folks.There’s also a well documented lack of racial and ethnic diversity in clinical trials. Like the rest of the world, medicine best serves cisgender white men, and it’s historically marginalized basically everyone else...

Obviously, The Medical Establishment needs to work on all this gender bias nonsense. That’s why the existence of a not-for-profit like Medical Herstory is such a relief! According to its website, Medical Herstory is a youth-led organization that advances “gender health equity through storytelling, patient advocacy, medical education, and undoing stigma​.” Simply put, Medical Herstory works to undo a millennia of patriarchy’s bullshit. And to that we say, “Finally!” This kind of advocacy could literally save lives!

Founded by Tori Ford, a McGill grad who also holds an MPhil in Health, Medicine and Society from Cambridge, Medical Herstory provides educational workshops for patients and medical professionals alike. These workshops tackle important topics, including facilitating collaborative care, storytelling as a tool for healing trauma, and defining gender health inequality. I want to learn more about all of those things!

Today, Medical Herstory boasts a team of seventy volunteers, but they’re looking for more! If you’re interested in volunteering with Medical Herstory, or if you’re keen to bring one of their workshops to your community, contact the team here.

The folks at Medical Herstory are also in the market for personal essays and videos for their website. They’re interested in stories from patients and healthcare providers alike, so if you’ve got a rant you’re itching to share, this is your chance! Just this afternoon, I read a moving piece about a Washington, D.C. resident’s experience with pregnancy loss, and the tale of a young woman who bonded with her mother over a chlamydia diagnosis. I’m grateful both authors found a platform for their stories!

What an organization like Medical Herstory gets is this: If we’re to dismantle patriarchal systems of oppression, it can’t hurt for women and non-binary folks to be in the best health possible.  I’m glad their team is working to end gender bias in healthcare. I for one want to feel my strongest when The Revolution finally arrives…