Why heart attacks and strokes affect people differently across places and races
Official title: REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke-Myocardial Infarction-4 (REGARDS-MI-4)
Funded at Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ · NIH-11418586 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project follows adults across the U.S. to see how lifelong social and neighborhood factors shape heart attacks, heart failure, and recovery, with attention to Black adults and regions with high disease rates.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | September 10, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $241,538 |
| NIH project number | 3R01HL165452-04S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11418586 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults in the United States—especially Black adults and people living in regions with high heart disease or stroke rates—are the groups most directly represented by the study data.
✕Less likely to help
People under 21, non-U.S. residents, or individuals from demographic groups not well represented in the cohort may not see direct benefits from this specific project.
What this research studies
The team uses long-term data from a national cohort (REGARDS) with carefully confirmed heart attack, heart failure, and cause-of-death records. They will link structural social determinants (like neighborhood conditions, policies, and segregation) and intermediary factors (like stress and health behaviors) across the life course to disease incidence, recurrence, and recovery. Analyses are designed to explain racial and geographic differences in outcomes and to provide rigorously adjudicated event data to other investigators. The project also includes a year-long career development program to train early-stage researchers in disparities science.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to specific social or neighborhood targets for policies and programs that reduce heart disease disparities and improve recovery after acute events.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have linked social and neighborhood factors to heart outcomes, but few have used a national, life-course approach with rigorously adjudicated events, making this approach relatively novel though grounded in prior REGARDS findings.
Where this research is happening
-
Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Safford, Monika M — Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ
- Study coordinator: Safford, Monika M
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Why heart attacks and strokes differ by race and where you live
This project explores how lifelong social and neighborhood factors shape the risk of heart attacks and heart failure and how well adults recover, especially across different racial groups and U.S. regions.
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Understanding why Black and White patients experience different rates of heart disease and heart failure.
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Understanding why Black and White patients experience different rates of heart disease and stroke.
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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.