Events at Bielefeld University
Upcoming Events
Summer School 2026 "GenDeCT 2.0 - Gender-sensitive inclusive design of clinical trials"
After the successful first edition last year, we are happy to announce a second edition of our Summer School "GenDeCT 2.0 – Gender-sensitive inclusive Design of Clinical Trials".
The Summer School “Gender-sensitive inclusive design of clinical trials” conveys scientific and practical methods for closing the gender data gap in clinical trial design. We will focus on gender-sensitive aspects of planning, design and recruitment, data collection, practice and logistical structures, as well as regulatory structures. Over five days, participants will learn how to combine theoretical knowledge with practical examples and how to develop their own models for clinical studies and scientific research.
GenDeCT aims to provide participants with practical, actionable gender-sensitive methods for each phase of clinical studies. Participants will learn practical approaches to improve the inclusion of underrepresented groups and the generalizability and transferability of research results, with the goal to enhance the overall quality of clinical studies. Additionally, the course promotes interdisciplinary exchange and offers opportunities to develop innovative solutions for closing the gender data gap in practice.
Key learning areas include:
Raising Awareness: Raise awareness of the influence of gender and intersectional aspects in clinical research. Reflect on potential gender-related biases in clinical studies.
Getting to know tools for implementation: Consider gender-sensitive aspects from the outset in the research design of clinical studies. Discuss practical examples of implementation.
Focus on Practice and Translation: Apply person-centered, co-creative teaching and learning methods of Design Thinking to develop your own gender-sensitive clinical studies.
Networking: Interdisciplinary and cross-generational exchange and networking with international experts in the field of gender-sensitive clinical trial design
The course will take place from 7th-11th September 2026. Official course language is English.
The course is onsite at the Medical School OWL, Bielefeld, Germany.
Our Summer School welcomes professionals, researchers and students engaged in the health sector, especially concerned with or conducting clinical trials.
The course is free of charge, a travel voucher of 500 € is offered to all participants after completion of the course.
To apply, please send
- a letter briefly outlining your experiences and/or motivation to participate in this course and
- a curriculum vitae to our administrative assistant Claudia Dammann: claudia.dammann@uni-bielefeld.de before 31st of July 2026.
Name of the course leaders:
Sabine Oertelt-Prigione (MD, PhD, MScPH)
Awa Naghipour (MD)
Laura Wortmann (MD, PhD)
The Summer School GenDeCT is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) (grant number 01GN2605).
Programme outline
- Monday (07.09.) Welcome and Introduction
Morning
Welcome: (Getting to know each other/ Interactive presentation of participants’ own clinical studies/ questions, etc.)
Formulate wishes/goals for the week
Afternoon
Input: Introduction to the history of sex/gender-sensitive medicine and the role of this winter school (Sabine Oertelt-Prigione, Bielefeld & Nijmegen)
Input: The research-to-practice-continuum and sex/gender in clinical practice guidelines (Awa Naghipour, Bielefeld)
- Tuesday (08.09.) Planning, Recruitment and Inclusion
Morning
Input: Consideration of Sex and Intersectional Aspects, (dis)ability (Tanja Sappok, Bielefeld)
Input: Data-Collection in clinical practice and large data sets (Alison Berner, London)
Afternoon
Input: Consideration of sex and intersectional aspects, racism (Katie Biggs, UK)
Input: Intersectional Analyses in Healthcare Research (Mathias Nielsen, Copenhagen)
- Wednesday (09.09.) Practice and Logistics
Morning
Input: Standardization, Sex/Gender Aspects in FHIR/FAIR Data (Carina Vorisek, Berlin)
Input: Regulatory agencies and their approach to sex/gender (Sieta de Vries & Patrick Vrijlandt, NL)
Afternoon
Input: Logistical aspects, establishment of an inclusive Clinical Research Unit (Marie von Lilienfeld-Toal, Bochum)
Input: Patient perspective on inclusive, participatory trial design (Tamás Bereczky, Berlin)
- Thursday (10.09.) Design
- Friday (11.09.) Outcomes and Reflection
Previous Events
Winter School 2025 "GenDeCt - Gender-sensitive inclusive design of clinical trials"
Course Description
The Winter School “Gender-sensitive inclusive design of clinical trials” conveys scientific and practical methods for closing the gender data gap in clinical trial design. We will focus on gender-sensitive aspects of planning, design and recruitment, data collection, practice and logistical structures, as well as regulatory structures. Over five days, participants will learn how to combine theoretical knowledge with practical examples and how to develop their own models for clinical studies and scientific research.
The Winter School GenDeCT is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) (grant number 01GN2501)
Workshop „Gamification für gendersensible und intersektionale Lehre in der Medizin“
Gender-sensitive medicine is increasingly finding its way into medical curricula. Nevertheless, widespread implementation is still a long way off and experts often have to do a lot of convincing and information work to position the topic. As part of these activities, train-the-trainer seminars are often offered as an option, allowing future lecturers to familiarise themselves with and experience the topic. However, practical tools are necessary for these seminars.
As part of the June visit of visiting gender professor Londa Schiebinger to Bielefeld University, we will develop some of these tools in the one-day workshop/hackathon "Gamification for gender-sensitive and intersectional teaching" on 19 June. Based on the intersectional design cards (https://intersectionaldesign.com/), which Prof Londa Schiebinger developed together with the London designer Hannah Jones, we will interactively create further tools. In addition to group work and dialogue, international gamification and inclusivity expert Vivian Acquah and Claudia Herling, board member of the International Gender and Design Network, will also give keynotes for the participants and act as mentors for the teams. Yuen Yen Tsai will guide us through the day as a moderator with gaming experience.
An informal get-together will follow at 6.30 pm, which can also be attended by last-minute participants.
The workshop will be held in English (keynotes and moderation) and German (group work).