Dr. Stacy Sims

And when we look at how studies are designed, and we're looking again at who's in the room who's designing studies, primarily it's men. Why? Because we see that most of the PIs on the studies and most of the, I guess, scientists that are coming up in academia are primarily men.

The first time I realized it from an academic standpoint was when I was a second year at university. And I was a participant in a metabolism lab, and I was one of the only women. And I standardized properly. I did all the things I was supposed to do because I come from a military family. I know how to follow rules. And at the end of the two weeks of experiments, they threw my results out. Why?

The first time I realized it from an academic standpoint was when I was a second year at university. And I was a participant in a metabolism lab, and I was one of the only women. And I standardized properly. I did all the things I was supposed to do because I come from a military family. I know how to follow rules. And at the end of the two weeks of experiments, they threw my results out. Why?

Exactly. So I asked why. And they're like, well, your results don't jive with what we thought we were going to see. They don't mesh with the results that we got from the men. So they're an anomaly. So we're not going to put them in for the context of talking about how carbohydrate metabolism was going. And I thought that was very strange. I was like, well, I've done everything properly.

Exactly. So I asked why. And they're like, well, your results don't jive with what we thought we were going to see. They don't mesh with the results that we got from the men. So they're an anomaly. So we're not going to put them in for the context of talking about how carbohydrate metabolism was going. And I thought that was very strange. I was like, well, I've done everything properly.

How come mine are the anomaly and those guys aren't the anomaly? How do you know that? And they didn't have an answer for it. So that was like the sticking point for me to understand why would my results be an anomaly when I've done exactly the same thing as what the men had done?

How come mine are the anomaly and those guys aren't the anomaly? How do you know that? And they didn't have an answer for it. So that was like the sticking point for me to understand why would my results be an anomaly when I've done exactly the same thing as what the men had done?

And it came down to menstrual cycle, came down to understanding that one week I was in a low hormone state and then the next week I wasn't. So when I started talking about that, this is where the professor who was in charge of the metabolism lab was like, well, we don't study women because they have a menstrual cycle.

And it came down to menstrual cycle, came down to understanding that one week I was in a low hormone state and then the next week I wasn't. So when I started talking about that, this is where the professor who was in charge of the metabolism lab was like, well, we don't study women because they have a menstrual cycle.

And we just study men because they're easier and we don't have to worry about hormone fluctuations interfering with our results. And at that point, I was like, excuse me? What? What are you talking about? So that was a defining point from an academic standpoint.

And we just study men because they're easier and we don't have to worry about hormone fluctuations interfering with our results. And at that point, I was like, excuse me? What? What are you talking about? So that was a defining point from an academic standpoint.

But the seed had been planted two years prior when my dad, who was a colonel in the Army, was like, so what do you want to do when you graduate from high school? And I said, I wanted to be an Army Ranger or a Navy SEAL. And he said, well, you can't. And I said, well, why can't I? And he said, because you're a girl. I was like, what does that mean?

But the seed had been planted two years prior when my dad, who was a colonel in the Army, was like, so what do you want to do when you graduate from high school? And I said, I wanted to be an Army Ranger or a Navy SEAL. And he said, well, you can't. And I said, well, why can't I? And he said, because you're a girl. I was like, what does that mean?

And he said, well, they don't accept women in the SEALs or the Rangers. It's a special ops and they don't accept women. And that was the first time in my life I've ever heard that I was limited because I was a female and I didn't match what the norm was. Because my whole life I'd been playing with boys, competing against boys. I mean, like it was just a normal.

And he said, well, they don't accept women in the SEALs or the Rangers. It's a special ops and they don't accept women. And that was the first time in my life I've ever heard that I was limited because I was a female and I didn't match what the norm was. Because my whole life I'd been playing with boys, competing against boys. I mean, like it was just a normal.

It didn't matter if you were a boy or a girl. It just was what you wanted to do. And then when my dad said, well, you can't because you're a girl. That was the first seed that had been planted and really made me upset and said, well, this doesn't make sense.

It didn't matter if you were a boy or a girl. It just was what you wanted to do. And then when my dad said, well, you can't because you're a girl. That was the first seed that had been planted and really made me upset and said, well, this doesn't make sense.

And then when I got to university and that happened, that was the definitive seed that just really pushed me into the whole academic and sporting career that I've led over the past 20 some years.

And then when I got to university and that happened, that was the definitive seed that just really pushed me into the whole academic and sporting career that I've led over the past 20 some years.

I've been a competitive athlete most of my life. So I would, I race bikes professionally. I did Ironman, I did XTERRA, and I'd have teammates who would ask me questions of how am I fueling? How am I going to perform my best? So we'd take those questions into the lab.