Why heart attacks and strokes differ by race and where you live
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-11136536 · Data updated 2026-11-12
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.
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) | $1,953,999 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL165452-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11136536 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are U.S. adults aged 21 and older from diverse racial and regional backgrounds—particularly Black adults and people living in high-risk areas—who can share medical records and participate in follow-up.
✕Less likely to help
People seeking an experimental treatment or immediate medical care should not expect direct clinical benefit from this observational, data-focused project.
What this research studies
You would be included in a large national group of adults whose medical records, follow-up contacts, and death records are used to confirm heart attacks, heart failure, and causes of death. The team links those confirmed events to life-course social determinants such as neighborhood conditions, education, and access to care to see how these factors affect who gets sick and who recovers. They focus on the incidence and recurrence of coronary heart disease and different types of heart failure and measure resilience after acute events. The project uses existing REGARDS cohort data, shares rigorously adjudicated outcomes with other investigators, and includes a year-long mentoring program for early-stage researchers.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to social or policy changes that reduce racial and regional gaps in heart disease and help more people recover after heart events.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier studies, including prior REGARDS work, have linked social factors to heart disease but few have used a life-course approach with rigorously confirmed events, so this builds on limited but promising evidence.
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 affect people differently across places and races
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.
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Understanding why Black and White patients experience different rates of heart disease and heart failure.
This study is looking at why Black and White people in the U.S. experience heart disease and heart failure differently, focusing on how social factors and racism play a role, and it aims to help researchers understand these issues better while also supporting new scientists from diverse backgrounds.
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Understanding why Black and White patients experience different rates of heart disease and stroke.
This study is looking at why Black and White people in the U.S. experience different rates of heart disease and heart failure, focusing on how social factors and racism play a role, and it aims to understand how people bounce back from heart health issues to help improve care for everyone.
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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.