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It’s well documented that both race and zip code can influence one’s health, yet many questions remain about why this is so. The REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) project, funded by the NIH since 2001, is a national study aimed at uncovering the factors that increase an individual’s risk of stroke and cognitive disorders. Specifically, the study seeks to understand why certain regions of the country have higher stroke rates, and why Black individuals experience more strokes and more cognitive impairment, cognitive decline, and dementia than white individuals. In 2024 the NIH renewed its grant for an additional five years, with a focus on investigating factors contributing to worsening health disparities among Black Americans, the rise in stroke mortality since 2014, and effects of these trends on dementia and brain health.

“It is alarming that our population’s health is worsening, and that Black Americans continue to have poorer health outcomes than others,” says Mary Cushman, M.D., M.Sc., University Distinguished Professor and co-leader of the REGARDS collaboration. “This new research will help provide answers to narrow the gap.”

Read more about Dr. Cushman and the REGARDS study.

Research of this type has contributed to ����̽̽'s designation by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as an R1 institution, placing it in the top tier of research universities in the U.S.