Nika Žibrat Kalanj 

Residency project

Beyond Bias: Challenging Assumptions in Medicine

Women spend 25% more of their lives in poor health than men, yet biomedical research has long treated the male body as the standard. At the Netherlands Women’s Health and Innovation Center within the Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, researchers are re-examining these assumptions: Do cells interpret molecular signals differently depending on sex? How does the presence of two X chromosomes in women translate to distinct immune responses and higher prevalence towards certain diseases? How are the differences in social behaviours between men and women imposing diagnostic biases for neurological conditions? My project will explore how scientific paradigms shift when entrenched assumptions are challenged—and why closing the women’s health gap is essential for both medicine and society.

Testimony

Women spend 25% more of their lives in poor health than men. Yet for decades, biomedical research has treated the male body as the normative standard. The women’s health gap is not a peripheral concern; it is a structural blind spot with far-reaching implications for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention across a wide spectrum of diseases.

At the Netherlands Women’s Health Research and Innovation Center, researchers are actively re-examining these assumptions. They are asking fundamental questions: Do cells interpret molecular signals differently depending on sex? Could brown fat metabolism help explain sex-specific vulnerability to metabolic disorders? How does X-chromosome inactivation shape immune responses and influence disease risk? These inquiries are not incremental adjustments to established knowledge. They represent an effort to reconsider the conceptual foundations of biomedical science.

This project will go beyond reporting on frontier discoveries. It will explore how scientific paradigms shift when entrenched assumptions are challenged — and why closing the women’s health gap is essential not only for medicine, but for society as a whole.

My professional trajectory bridges science and science journalism. After completing my doctoral studies in biotechnology, I recognised that rigorous, trustworthy fundamental science must be matched by compelling communication. At a time when public trust in expertise is, at times, fragile, illuminating the processes and principles of high-quality research is more important than ever. The FRONTIERS residency offers a rare opportunity to deepen my journalistic practice within a research environment committed to innovation, inclusion, and scientific integrity.