Early in Jana Radosavljevic’s neuroscience journey, she made an observation that would change the course of her research and career: Most experiments relied on male subjects, leaving women and gender-diverse individuals underrepresented in research.
This observation has provided Radosavljevic, now a third-year PhD candidate in McMaster’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, with a mission and personal compass to change how research is conducted.
“Women and gender-diverse people are often underrepresented in biomedical research, and even when they’re included, researchers often don’t analyze by sex or gender groups to see if there are differences, which can lead to gaps in clinical care,” Radosavljevic says.
Radosavljevic’s current research is focused on depression, specifically the variability that leads some people to cycle through multiple treatments before finding one that works. The question she is looking to solve is why?
“Two people with depression can have completely different symptoms and even biology,” she says.
“Neuroscience traditionally focuses on biomarkers, but often overlooks that the blood samples or brain scans we study contain sexed cells collected from people living in a gendered society.”
To understand this variability, Radosavljevic is identifying biological subtypes of depression using blood-based inflammation markers and investigating how sex assigned at birth and gender-related social factors influence immune subtypes. Radosavljevic hopes to pave the way for personalized treatments that work for everyone, not just the majority group.
Her work is part of the Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression (CAN-BIND), a multi-site network that aims to identify biomarkers of treatment response. Radosavljevic leads projects that examine how sex and gender interact to shape mental health.
Global recognition
Radosavljevic’s work in sex and gender-based analysis to personalize depression treatment and as an advocate for gender equity in STEM, has garnered recognition from a prestigious awards panel.
Late last year, Radosavljevic was selected as one of five exceptional Canadians to receive the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science 2025 Award. The award recognizes and supports the groundbreaking research led by women scientists who are shaping the future of scientific discovery.
“Not only does the award recognize the impact of my research, but it equally values my scientific outreach, mentorship, and commitment to translating this research, which is incredibly meaningful to me.”
As part of the award, Radosavljevic will receive $5,000 and participate in the For Girls in Science mentorship program, which is in partnership with Let’s Talk Science and UNESCO schools. She will be invited to different outreach events throughout the year to speak about her experiences and how young girls can be involved in STEM.
“The goal is to demystify science. Being able to be that representation, answer questions, and break down barriers, I think is going to encourage a lot more girls to get involved in science.”
Failing, learning, and mentoring others
Radosavljevic is no stranger to mentoring. As the trainee lead for the CIHR Institute of Gender and Health (IGH) Sex and Gender Science Trainee Network at McMaster, she builds opportunities, capacity, and mentorship for trainees interested in sex and gender-based analysis.
“It’s a really great space because you don’t necessarily need to be doing sex and gender research. But maybe you’re like me when I started, and you’re thinking about these issues, but you’re not quite sure how to approach them.”
As the first person in her family to pursue science, Radosavljevic understands the importance of early mentorship and representation. She tutored and mentored many science students during her undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto and during her gap years at the Hospital for Sick Children.
Her approach to mentorship centres on sharing personal experiences and reframing failure as a tool for growth. Radosavljevic is very candid about her early academic setbacks and how learning to reflect on failure, adapt, and try again shaped her as a scientist.
“I found it really difficult to pursue this path because it wasn’t linear, and I didn’t have perfect grades in high school,” Radosavljevic says.
“When I started undergrad, I really struggled in my early science coursework because I hadn’t yet developed effective study strategies. Once I figured out how I learn best, I was able to excel.”
“But science isn’t about being perfect—it’s about failing and learning from those failures to discover new things. Resilience is what drives scientific progress, not perfection.”