How trauma affects heart and metabolic health in the Blackfeet community
Official title: Trauma and Cardiometabolic Health in an American Indian Community
Funded at Montana State University - Bozeman · NIH-11128692 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how childhood and historical trauma relate to heart disease risk and mental health in American Indian adults from the Blackfeet community.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Montana State University - Bozeman NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Bozeman, United States) |
| Project start | July 15, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $648,045 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL163237-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11128692 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults aged 21 and older who are members of or live in the Blackfeet community and who can provide health information, blood samples, and take part in brief stress-testing visits.
✕Less likely to help
People under 21, those not part of the Blackfeet community, or anyone unable or unwilling to provide blood samples or participate in stress testing would not be eligible and so would not directly benefit.
What this research studies
If you join, researchers will ask Blackfeet adults about experiences of childhood and historical trauma and about current mental health and alcohol use. They will take blood pressure and other vital signs and collect blood to measure cholesterol, blood sugar, and inflammation. Participants will also do brief stress tasks while the team measures heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormones to see how the body responds. The work is done in partnership with the Blackfeet community to keep the approach culturally appropriate.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Findings could help shape culturally informed prevention and care strategies to reduce heart disease and improve mental health in the Blackfeet community.
How similar studies have gone: Research in other populations has linked trauma and altered stress physiology to higher cardiometabolic risk, but this project is among the first to focus specifically on an exclusively American Indian (Blackfeet) community.
Where this research is happening
-
Montana State University - Bozeman
Bozeman, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: John-Henderson, Neha — Montana State University - Bozeman
- Study coordinator: John-Henderson, Neha
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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.