Advancing on equitable and inclusive health for women and LGBTQIA+ people

Despite the progress made in recent years, women's health research and/or care is still far from being equitable and inclusive. The reasons are varied and intersectional, with evidence showing that certain social groups are discriminated against, and specific diseases remain underdiagnosed, conditioning access to health care, with consequences for morbidity and even mortality. People don't seek out or don't speak openly to health professionals for fear of being mistreated, and in turn, health professionals still lack specific knowledge and training or might experience communication difficulties. Citizen science (CS) offers an opportunity to reduce the gap between health professionals and women and LGBTQIA+ people encouraging the participation of the latter in the research process in multiple stages, whilst pushing decision-making and the implementation of strategies that promote communication, mutual trust and further empowerment.