Long-term stress and heart health in frontline emergency workers after COVID-19
Official title: Psychological symptoms in healthcare workers following the COVID-19 pandemic and relationship to long-term cardiovascular risk
Funded at Columbia University Health Sciences · NIH-11290732 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether lasting anxiety, stress, and sleep problems in emergency department healthcare workers after COVID-19 affect their future heart health.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Columbia University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | February 1, 2022 |
| Project end | January 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $716,507 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL157341-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11290732 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Emergency department clinicians and staff who worked during the COVID-19 surges and are willing to complete surveys and occasional clinic visits, especially in the New York area.
✕Less likely to help
People who were not frontline ED workers during COVID-19 or who cannot attend follow-up visits are unlikely to be directly included or benefit from this study.
What this research studies
If you work in an emergency department, the research team will follow you after the COVID-19 pandemic to track lasting feelings like anxiety, stress, and trouble sleeping. You'll be asked to complete surveys, provide health measurements (like blood pressure and blood samples), and allow review of medical records to capture heart disease risk factors. The team will compare these measures over time to see whether persistent psychological symptoms link with markers of cardiovascular risk. Findings will be used to inform supports aimed at protecting the long-term health of frontline healthcare workers.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could help identify healthcare workers at higher future risk of heart disease so they can get earlier supports to reduce that risk.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work showed high acute psychological distress among frontline healthcare workers and other studies link chronic stress to heart disease, but long-term studies tying post-COVID symptoms to cardiovascular risk in ED staff are relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Columbia University Health Sciences
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chang, Bernard P. — Columbia University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Chang, Bernard P.
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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.