Personalizing how stress affects health over 25 years
Official title: Personalizing a stress vulnerability model of life events and health across 25 years
Funded at University of Minnesota · NIH-11578621 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study using health data from World Trade Center responders over 25 years to understand why some people get sicker than others after stressful events and how to tailor healthier lifestyle changes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Minnesota NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Minneapolis, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2026 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $256,719 |
| NIH project number | 1R21OH013155-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11578621 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
World Trade Center responders who have been monitored for health and exposure to traumatic events over the past 25 years.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals not exposed to or not part of the WTC responder monitoring program may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project analyzes a large group of World Trade Center responders who have been followed for 25 years, looking at how individual differences in stress responses relate to health across multiple systems. It will apply new statistical methods to link personal stress vulnerability with cardiometabolic, respiratory, gastrointestinal, physical capacity, and cognitive health data collected during routine monitoring. The goal is to identify who is most at risk and what lifestyle strategies might reduce the harms of stress for those individuals. The work leverages existing long-term data rather than starting from scratch, aiming to provide a clearer picture of how stress vulnerability shapes disease risk.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, it could pave the way for personalized lifestyle interventions that reduce stress-related health risks.
How similar studies have gone: This approach builds on extensive health monitoring data, but using advanced methods to index stress vulnerability at the individual level is a novel angle.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ringwald, Whitney — University of Minnesota
- Study coordinator: Ringwald, Whitney
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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.