From symptoms to outcomes, women’s experiences with heart disease are distinct from men’s, yet fewer than one-quarter of participants in heart-related studies are women. Women are also less likely to be referred to a cardiologist or receive specialized treatments.

Our researchers are filling the gap in knowledge, informing the development and testing of treatments to benefit both women and men, helping the public to recognize signs of heart disease in women and guiding health care providers to better evaluate and treat heart conditions in women.

SarahPerman

Why Women Receive Less Bystander CPR

"This study is the first to explore public perceptions of why community bystanders may not administer aid to an unresponsive woman in cardiac arrest. We learned that the sexualization of women's bodies, the perception that women are frail and therefore prone to injury, and misperceptions about women in acute medical distress are leading reasons why women receive less bystander CPR than men do."

Sarah M. Perman, MD, MSCE
Department of Emergency Medicine
University of Colorado, School of Medicine

Researchers

Other Research Areas