How the COVID shutdown affected heart health in New Yorkers with multiple chronic conditions
Official title: COVID-19 shutdown: impact of healthcare disruptions on cardiovascular health disparities among people with multiple chronic conditions in New York City.
Funded at New York University School of Medicine · NIH-11166534 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how interruptions to medical care during the COVID-19 shutdown changed heart-related health for adults in New York City who have two or more chronic conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | New York University School of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $641,540 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG073321-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11166534 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults aged 21 and older in New York City who have two or more chronic conditions (for example diabetes, hypertension, obesity, or high cholesterol) and received care at the participating hospitals are the focus of this project.
✕Less likely to help
People under 21, those without multiple chronic conditions, or anyone who did not receive care within the participating NYC health systems are unlikely to be included or to benefit directly from this work.
What this research studies
Researchers will analyze electronic health records from five academic medical centers and the NYC Health + Hospitals system to compare care patterns before, during, and after the early COVID-19 shutdown. They will identify who missed appointments, who used telemedicine, and how those changes relate to heart problems such as heart attacks, angina, or other cardiovascular events. The team will pay special attention to differences across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups to understand whether disruptions widened existing disparities. Findings will use de-identified patient data and large EHR linkages to map long-term effects of the shutdown on cardiovascular outcomes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to where care systems failed during a disaster and guide changes to reduce future gaps and lower heart-related harm for vulnerable patients.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work documented care disruptions and uneven telemedicine uptake during COVID-19, but linking large, multi-hospital EHR networks to long-term cardiovascular outcomes and disparities in NYC is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
New York University School of Medicine
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dodson, John a — New York University School of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Dodson, John a
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.