Understanding Healthy Aging in African Americans
Official title: Study of Healthy Aging in African Americans
Funded at University of California at Davis · NIH-11111345 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how memory and thinking skills change over time in middle-aged and older African Americans, especially focusing on factors that might protect against or lead to Alzheimer's disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California at Davis NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Davis, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2017 |
| Project end | May 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $4,747,819 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG050782-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11111345 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are middle-aged and elderly Black individuals who are long-term members of Kaiser Permanente Northern California.
✕Less likely to help
Patients outside of the specified demographic or geographic area would not directly benefit from participating in this specific cohort.
What this research studies
This project, called the Study of Healthy Aging in African Americans (STAR), began in 2017 to follow a large group of middle-aged and elderly Black individuals who are long-term members of Kaiser Permanente Northern California. Researchers collect information on their memory, thinking skills, lifestyle, social experiences like stress and discrimination, and overall health. The goal is to understand why African Americans have a higher rate of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, and what factors might help them maintain brain health as they age. This work aims to identify unique risk and protective factors within this community.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify specific risk and protective factors for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in African Americans, leading to more targeted prevention and treatment strategies.
How similar studies have gone: This study is one of the largest all-Black cohort studies, providing unique and much-needed data where previous research has focused almost exclusively on non-Hispanic Whites.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California at Davis
Davis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Whitmer, Rachel a — University of California at Davis
- Study coordinator: Whitmer, Rachel 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.