Women have historically been underrepresented in clinical research, particularly in cardiovascular studies. This has created gaps in health equity and can impact outcomes on a broad scale. At Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation (MHIF), we are committed to changing that narrative.
The Penny Anderson Women’s Cardiovascular Center conducted a retrospective review from January 2022 through July 2025 to evaluate female representation in sponsored clinical trials at MHIF. During this period, more than 1,200 participants were enrolled across nearly 90 trials and 60 sponsors. The average age of participants was 68, and most lived in Hennepin and Dakota counties in Minnesota.
Women accounted for 41.4% of participants, compared with 58.6% men. Notably, women were nearly equally represented in trials across the Valve, Prevention and Heart Rhythm science centers.
To better understand this, we calculated participation-to-prevalence ratios (PPR). This measure shows whether women in our trials reflect how common each condition is among women in real-world populations. For example, at Allina Health from 2022 through July 2025, women made up 39% of patients with coronary artery disease, compared with 37% of participants in MHIF-sponsored clinical trials. This results in a PPR near 1.0, showing that enrollment closely reflects the real-world population.
Three MHIF science centers — coronary artery disease, heart rhythm and valve — achieved near alignment with disease prevalence. Across these specialties, MHIF also exceeded national averages in female enrollment.
Recent nationwide findings from the Cedars-Sinai Smidt Heart Institute show that women make up 40.9% of participants in cardiovascular trials across the U.S. MHIF is proud to meet this national benchmark, highlighting our commitment to advancing equity in research.
The Penny Anderson Women’s Cardiovascular Center plans to lead organization-wide efforts to strengthen recruitment, remove barriers to participation and ensure women are fully represented in cardiovascular care. Interested in participating in research? Learn more about active and recruiting clinical trials at MHIF.
