Who gets included in heat physiology research matters. WHiP is asking researchers to help us understand where the field is now — and where it should go next.
Heat physiology research has an important role to play in understanding how the human body responds to heat, how we adapt, and how we can better protect health and performance in hot environments. Yet, despite growing recognition of the importance of including women in research, there are still important questions about how women are represented and how differences in ovarian hormone status are considered within heat physiology studies.
This is the focus of a new research project from the Female Heat Laboratory at the University of Worcester: WHiP – Women in Heat Physiology.
Why does this matter?
Historically, women have been underrepresented in research examining human responses to heat. This matters because findings from research populations that do not adequately represent women may not be generalisable to the wider population.
At the same time, ovarian hormones can influence physiological responses to heat. Women are not a homogenous research population, and ovarian hormone status can vary across the lifespan and according to factors including menstrual cycle phase, hormonal contraceptive use and menopausal status.
However, there is currently considerable variation in how these factors are considered in heat physiology research.
Researchers may make different decisions about whether to include women, how to classify ovarian hormone status, whether and how to schedule testing, and what information to report. There may also be good reasons behind these decisions, including methodological complexity, practical constraints, available resources, training and concerns about physiological variability.
What we don’t yet fully understand is how researchers are making these decisions, why approaches differ, and what researchers themselves believe good practice should look like.
That is where WHiP comes in.
What is WHiP?
WHiP – Women in Heat Physiology is a multi-phase research project led by Dr Jessica Mee at the University of Worcester and Dr Tessa Flood at the University of West London.
The project aims to understand researcher practices, perceptions and barriers relating to female inclusion and ovarian hormone status in heat physiology research.
Rather than assuming there is one correct approach, WHiP starts by asking the research community what is currently happening.
The first phase is an international survey exploring current research practices and the factors that influence methodological decision-making. This will be followed by interviews to explore the experiences and reasoning behind those practices in greater depth.
The final phase will use a Delphi consensus process, bringing together experts in heat physiology research to develop evidence-informed recommendations for improving inclusion, methodological consistency and reporting.
The ambition is not simply to identify differences in practice, but to understand them — and ultimately to work towards recommendations that researchers can use and support.
We want to hear from the heat physiology community
A key strength of WHiP will be the breadth of perspectives included.
We are inviting anyone involved in heat physiology research using human participants to take part in the survey.
This includes researchers at all career stages, including:
- PhD and research students
- Postdoctoral researchers
- Lecturers, senior lecturers and professors
- Research technicians
- Laboratory staff and lab managers
- Research leads and principal investigators
- Anyone involved in study design, data collection or methodological decision-making in human heat physiology research
We are particularly keen to hear from researchers across different countries, institutions, career stages and research settings.
You do not need to be an expert in female physiology to take part. If you are involved in human heat physiology research and make, contribute to, or influence methodological decisions, your perspective is valuable to this study.
What does the survey ask?
The anonymous online survey takes approximately 20 minutes to complete.
It explores areas including:
- How women are currently included in heat physiology research
- How researchers consider ovarian hormone status
- Current approaches to menstrual cycle phase, hormonal contraceptive use and menopausal status
- Factors influencing methodological decisions
- Perceived methodological, practical and institutional barriers
- Researchers’ confidence and exposure to guidance
- What researchers would consider ideal practice without practical constraints
- Priorities for improving consistency and inclusion in future research
Importantly, we are interested in both what researchers currently do and what they would ideally do.
This distinction is important. Understanding the gap between current and ideal practice can help identify where barriers exist and where changes in guidance, training or research culture might be useful.
Building consensus, together
There is increasing discussion within physiology about how women should be included in research and how ovarian hormone status should be considered. However, discussion alone does not necessarily tell us what is happening across the research community.
WHiP aims to provide that evidence.
By combining survey data, researcher interviews and a Delphi consensus process, we hope to build a clearer picture of current practice and the challenges researchers face — while giving researchers themselves an opportunity to shape what comes next.
Ultimately, the goal is to support a heat physiology research culture where the inclusion of women is considered carefully and consistently, methodological decisions are transparent, and researchers have practical, evidence-informed recommendations to guide their work.
Take part in WHiP
If you are involved in heat physiology research using human participants, we would really value your contribution.
The WHiP survey is anonymous and takes approximately 20 minutes to complete.
[TAKE PART IN THE WHiP SURVEY]
We would also be grateful if you could share the survey with colleagues and professional networks. Reaching researchers across career stages, institutions and countries is particularly important to ensuring that WHiP reflects the breadth of the heat physiology community.
The study has received ethical approval from the University of Worcester Health and Sciences Research Ethics Panel (HS25260057-R).
For questions about the study, please contact:
Dr Jessica Mee
University of Worcester
j.mee@worc.ac.uk
Dr Tessa Flood
University of West London
Tess.Flood@uwl.ac.uk
Help us build a framework the heat physiology community can get behind.
WHiP – Women in Heat Physiology