Understanding COVID-19's long-term health effects in World Trade Center responders

Severity and long-term health effects of COVID-19 among World Trade Center responders

NIH-funded research State University New York Stony Brook · NIH-11074515

This project aims to understand how severe COVID-19 was and its lasting health effects on people who responded to the World Trade Center events.

Quick facts

Grant typeU01 cooperative agreement
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionState University New York Stony Brook NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Stony Brook, United States)
Project IDNIH-11074515 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

Many people experience lingering COVID-19 symptoms or new health problems weeks or months after their initial illness, even if their original infection was mild. This project focuses on World Trade Center responders, an aging group who already face unique health challenges from their 9/11 exposures. We want to learn more about the long-term health issues COVID-19 might cause in this specific population, including problems with lungs, heart, brain, and mental health. By studying this group, we hope to identify risk factors for these lasting complications and better understand how COVID-19 impacts overall health over time.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates for this research are individuals who served as World Trade Center responders and have experienced COVID-19.

Not a fit: Patients who are not World Trade Center responders or have not had COVID-19 would not directly benefit from this specific cohort-focused research.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help us better understand and prepare for the long-term health challenges faced by World Trade Center responders and others who have had COVID-19.

How similar studies have performed: While general long-COVID research is ongoing, this specific focus on the unique health profile of World Trade Center responders and their COVID-19 outcomes represents a novel and important area of inquiry.

Where this research is happening

Stony Brook, 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.