Gender disparities in NIH radiology grant funding: A 15-year analysis

Disparities in research grant funding have been documented across various fields of medicine; yet gender inequities within radiology remain underexplored.

To evaluate gender-based differences in NIH radiology grant funding, focusing on the number of grants awarded and average funding amounts received by principal investigators (PIs) from 2009 to 2023.

A retrospective cross-sectional analysis was conducted using publicly available NIH RePORTER data. Grants awarded to PIs affiliated with radiology departments from 2009 to 2023 were included. Gender was inferred using Genderize.io and verified manually. Extracted data included number of grants, average and total funding amounts, and PI gender. Analyses included descriptive statistics, t-tests for comparing means, and linear regression to evaluate temporal trends.

A total of 9,378 NIH-funded radiology grants were analyzed. Of these, 75.2% (n=7,056) went to men and 24.8% (n=2,322) to women. Men received significantly higher average funding per grant than women ($704.2 K vs $535.5 K; p < 0.0001) and were more likely to be repeat recipients (p < 0.05), revealing a persistent funding gap between genders. Total funding to men PIs was $5.0 B versus $1.3 B for women PIs. While the men-to-women ratio narrowed (7:1 in 2009 to 2.8:1 in 2023), men consistently received higher grant volume and funding annually.

Despite incremental progress in women's representation, these findings underscore ongoing gender disparities in radiology funding. This imbalance may hinder innovation and limit the range of perspectives driving future research. Evidence-informed strategies may help address inequities, promote diversity and innovation, and ensure equitable, high-quality patient care.