A National Institute on Aging workshop on sex differences in health across the lifespan

In December 2025, the Division of Aging Biology, National Institute on Aging (NIA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in collaboration with staff from other NIA divisions, NIH institutes and the Veterans Health Administration, convened a workshop to explore the mechanistic bases and health effects of sex differences across tissues and ages. Novel research discoveries, technologies and visions to advance sex-differences research were discussed

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Subjects

• Policy
• Ageing

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank T. L. Rankin and C. Maric-Bilkan (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease) for their participation in co-organizing the workshop. The participation of these individuals or the materials should not be interpreted as representing the official viewpoint of the US Department of Health and Human Services, the NIH, the NIA or the US Department of Veterans Affairs except where noted

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA

   Jeffrey Pea & Francesca E. Duncan

2. National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

   Siobhan Addie, Stacy Carrington-Lawrence, Rafael de Cabo, Chelsea Haakenson, Maja Maric, John P. Williams, Fei Wang, Xin Yuan & Vi

3. Discovery Center for Musculoskeletal Recovery, Schoen Adams Research Institute at Spaulding, Charlestown, MA, USA

   Fabrisia Ambrosio

4. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

   Fabrisia Ambrosio

5. Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA

   Fabrisia Ambrosio

6. Department of Medicine, SMPH, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA

   Rozalyn M. Anderson

7. GRECC, William S Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison, WI, USA

   Rozalyn M. Anderson

8. Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center, Smidt Heart Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA

   C. Noel Bairey Merz

9. National Institutes of Health, Office of Research on Women’s Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

   Elizabeth Barr

10. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Patrice Desvigne-Nickens

11. Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Dena B. Dubal

12. Bakar Aging Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Dena B. Dubal

13. National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Passley Hargove-Grimes

14. Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

    Emily G. Jacobs

15. Ann S. Bowers Women’s Brain Health Initiative, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

    Emily G. Jacobs

16. National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Mihoko Kai

17. National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Sunila G. Nair

18. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Kristy Nicks

19. Department of Physiology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Jennifer L. Pluznick

20. Office of Research and Development, US Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC, USA

    Kimberlee Potter

21. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Mercy R. Prabhudas

22. C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA

    Marta Rodriguez-Garcia

23. Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA

    Marta Rodriguez-Garcia

24. Aging & Metabolism Research Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK, USA

    Michael B. Stout

25. Oklahoma City Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA

    Michael B. Stout

26. Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA

    Barbara E. Stranger

27. Ludeman Family Center for Women’s Health Research, University of Colorado, Anschutz, Aurora, CO, USA

    Barbara E. Stranger

28. Colorado Center for Personalized Medicine, University of Colorado, Anschutz, Aurora, CO, USA

    Barbara E. Stranger

29. Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Susan Taymans

30. University of Arizona Comprehensive Cancer Center, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Dan Theodorescu

31. Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA, USA

    Francesca E. Duncan

Authors

1. Jeffrey PeaView author publications

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2. Siobhan AddieView author publications

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3. Fabrisia AmbrosioView author publications

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4. Rozalyn M. AndersonView author publications

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5. C. Noel Bairey MerzView author publications

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6. Elizabeth BarrView author publications

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7. Stacy Carrington-LawrenceView author publications

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8. Rafael de CaboView author publications

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9. Patrice Desvigne-NickensView author publications

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10. Dena B. DubalView author publications

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11. Chelsea HaakensonView author publications

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12. Passley Hargove-GrimesView author publications

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13. Emily G. JacobsView author publications

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14. Mihoko KaiView author publications

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15. Maja MaricView author publications

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16. Sunila G. NairView author publications

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17. Kristy NicksView author publications

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18. Jennifer L. PluznickView author publications

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19. Kimberlee PotterView author publications

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20. Mercy R. PrabhudasView author publications

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21. Marta Rodriguez-GarciaView author publications

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22. Michael B. StoutView author publications

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23. Barbara E. StrangerView author publications

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24. Susan TaymansView author publications

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25. Dan TheodorescuView author publications

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26. John P. WilliamsView author publications

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27. Fei WangView author publications

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28. Xin YuanView author publications

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29. Viviana I. PerezView author publications

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30. Francesca E. DuncanView author publications

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Contributions

F.E.D., F.W. and J.P.W. co-chaired the workshop. All authors contributed to discussions at the workshop and to the writing and editing of this Meeting Report

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Pea, J., Addie, S., Ambrosio, F. et al. A National Institute on Aging workshop on sex differences in health across the lifespan.
Nat Aging (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-026-01194-z

• Published:13 August 2026

• Version of record:13 August 2026

• DOI
  :https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-026-01194-z