Gender Bias in Behavioral Health

May 3, 2023

Target Audience

Psychologists, Western Psychiatric Hospital Staff and Faculty, and other Mental Health Professionals.

Learning Objectives

1. Defining Gender Bias 
2. Increasing awareness of gender bias in behavioral health and academic settings 
3. Developing strategies to challenge gender bias in clinical and research settings

Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
    The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
  • 1.50 Attendance
Course opens: 
04/25/2023
Course expires: 
06/30/2023
Event starts: 
05/03/2023 - 12:00pm EDT
Event ends: 
05/03/2023 - 1:30pm EDT

12:00pm    Introduction/Goals for Workshop: Rameshwari V. Tumuluru, MD

12:10pm    Overview of gender bias in behavioral health and how biases form. Three samples will be presented: Bridget Keown, PhD

12:22pm    Exercise:
Presentation: Gender Bias in Behavioral Health – Dr. Bridget Keown will present three learning objectives: Defining gender bias, increasing awareness of gender bias in behavioral health and academic settings, developing strategies to challenge gender bias in clinical and research settings.
Dr. Bridget Keown will define and describe gender essentialism and gender bias and talk about how biases form and how to overcome bias. Dr. Keown will present three examples: 1) Autism Spectrum Disorder (ratio of men to women, social factors alongside genetic/prenatal); 2) Eating Disorders (constructed as “women’s disorder” and sociocultural influences on gender-specific development); 3) War-related PTSD (historic assumptions of military masculinity, divides patients by sex, rather than trauma type).
Exercise: Dr. Bridget Keown, lead presenter, will provide an overview of Gender Bias in Behavioral Health and will present a short video clip (Autism Tropes in Media [CC] - YouTube) before participants are placed into small Zoom breakout rooms. The small group discussions will take place over a 10-minute period along with thought provoking questions provided by the presenter. Participants will then return to the larger Zoom group for discussion over a 10-minute window. The small group discussions and large group discussion will then be repeated after reading a short description of a proposed study and media narratives it inspires (noted within the PowerPoint Presentation).

1:02pm    Discussion and Question & Answer Session: Bridget Keown, PhD
BREAKOUT DISCUSSION #1
1. What reactions do you have to this film clip?
2. How do media portrayals of ASD affect real-life experiences?
3. How can researchers and practitioners address gendered stereotypes around ASD to improve the general understanding about the condition?

BREAKOUT DISCUSSION #2
1. What are some examples of gender essentialism and bias that you can identify in this study as it is described here?
2. What are some ways this study, or the reporting of it, could be improved to make the results more accurate for a diverse group of military service people?
Wrap Up/Large Group Discussion: After the small group discussions end, all participants will reconvene. The presenter would like to hear individual and group comments, feedback, or reactions and how it relates to behavioral health and “your” work. Some of the questions that will prompt the larger group discussion are: 1) What are some of the feelings you experienced during the breakout discussion; 2) What further questions do you have? What resources could help you learn more about these issues?; 3) In this workshop, what was useful? What was difficult? What could have made it better?; 4) What are some small steps one can take in the immediate future to continue this conversation and to overcome biases?; 5) What can you do on your own, and what can you do as part of a team?

1:22pm    Ending Comments: Dr. Rameshwari Tumuluru

1:30pm    Adjourn

Live Virtual Conference
United States

Course Director:
Rameshwari V. Tumuluru, MD
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Planning Committee:
Layla Banihashemi, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Jody B. Glance, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Benjamin L. Handen, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Traci M. Kennedy, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Cecile D. Ladouceur, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Tushita Mayanil, MD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Lori Zippay, BA, Administrator, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital
Harriet Wortzman, EdD, Manager of Clinician Education and Academic Manager, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital

Lead Presenter:
Bridget Keown, PhD
Teaching Assistant Professor, Gender and Science,
University of Pittsburgh
Programming Director, Research Ethics and Society Initiative

In support of improving patient care, the University of Pittsburgh is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Physician (CME)
The University of Pittsburgh designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Other health care professionals will receive a certificate of attendance confirming the number of contact hours commensurate with the extent of participation in this activity. 

Available Credit

  • 1.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
    The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
  • 1.50 Attendance
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