Why heart attacks and strokes differ by race and where you live
REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke-Myocardial Infarction-4 (REGARDS-MI-4)
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 ID | NIH-11136536 on NIH RePORTER |
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.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: 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.
Not a fit: People seeking an experimental treatment or immediate medical care should not expect direct clinical benefit from this observational, data-focused project.
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 performed: 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
New York, United States
- 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
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 below.