How historic neighborhood redlining affects health and access to care

Structural Racism and Disparities in Social Risk, Human Capital, Health Care Resources, and Health Outcomes: A Multi-level Analysis of Pathways and Policy Levers for Change

NIH-funded research State University of New York at Buffalo · NIH-11250009

Researchers will look at how past redlining and current neighborhood resources shape health and opportunities for racial and ethnic minority communities.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionState University of New York at Buffalo NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Amherst, United States)
Project IDNIH-11250009 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

The team will link historical redlining maps to today's neighborhood measures of housing, food access, transportation, economic need, safety, education, and local medical resources. They will combine those place-based measures with health outcome and population data to trace how past discrimination leads to worse social risks and health over time. Analyses will use multi-level statistical models to separate individual and neighborhood effects and to test which policy changes might reduce harm. The project aims to point to concrete community and policy actions that could improve health equity in affected areas.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: People who live or have lived in neighborhoods with documented historic redlining, especially racial and ethnic minority community members, would be most relevant to the findings and any related recruitment.

Not a fit: Individuals whose health issues are unrelated to neighborhood conditions or who live outside historically impacted areas are unlikely to see direct benefits from this project in the short term.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the work could guide policies and resource investments that reduce health disparities and improve care and living conditions in communities harmed by redlining.

How similar studies have performed: Prior research has linked redlining and neighborhood disadvantage to poorer health outcomes, but this project expands those approaches with multi-level pathway analysis and explicit policy-lever testing.

Where this research is happening

Amherst, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.