World Trade Center Health Program Research: Newly Funded Projects

The World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program is pleased to announce the following 16 projects were awarded funding under the 2025 cycle. Follow the project title links to view the NIH Reporter summaries.

R21: RFA-OH-25-001 (2 years)

• Blood mutations and cancer associations among WTC-exposed Firefighters
  Amit Verma; Albert Einstein College of Medicine
• Decoding Spatial and Cellular Heterogeneity in Recurrence of WTC-Related Prostate Cancer
  Kuan-Lin Huang; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• FEV1 Variability as a Novel Mortality Biomarker
  Michael Weiden; New York University School of Medicine
• Identifying Undiagnosed Airway Dysfunction in WTC Responders Using Respiratory Oscillometry
  Rachel Zieg-Owens; Albert Einstein College of Medicine
• The Liver, Metabolic Syndrome, and Increased CVD risk among African American World Trade Center General Responders
  Andrea Branch; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• Longitudinal Assessment of Hearing Loss in World Trade Center-Exposed Responders
  David Goldfarb; Albert Einstein College of Medicine
• Premature Biological Aging among WTC Responders
  Stephanie Tuminello; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• Update of the WTC Cancer Tissue Biobank
  Emanuela Taioli; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

R21: RFA-OH-24-002 (2 years)

• Evaluating Frailty and Obesity in World Trade Center General Responders Utilizing Measures of Physiologic and Metabolic Function
  Ryan Walker; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• Feasibility and Acceptability of Tele-exercise to Improve Physical Function in WTC Responders with Prostate Cancer
  Nancy Gell; University of Vermont and State Agricultural College
• Translation of the Aging and Immunity Multiome (TAIM): a Pilot Lifestyle Investigation in WTC Exposed FDNY Responders
  Anna Nolan; New York University School of Medicine

R21: RFA-OH-24-003 (2 years)

• Episodic Memories of 9/11 Terror Attack and Mental Health: Natural Language Processing of Adolescent and Adult Survivors' Narratives (EMLAS Study)
  Yael Cycowicz; New York State Psychiatric Institute
• Exploring Body Mass Index and Health Disparities on Lung Function Trajectories in WTC Survivors
  Yuyan Wang; New York University School of Medicine
• Tissue Molecular Profiles in WTC-exposed Community
  Alan Arslan; New York University School of Medicine

K01: RFA-OH-24-004 (3 years)

• Dynamics of Emotion Regulation, Trauma, and Grief among Those Impacted by the World Trade Center Attacks
  Alexander Rice; Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Physical Functional Decline among Aging World Trade Center Responders: A Focus on Vulnerabilities
  Laura Sampson; State University New York Stony Brook

To view the history of WTC Health Program funded projects and associated publications, visit the WTC Health Program Research Funding Dashboard.

Check the funding opportunities section of our research page to see updates. Don’t forget to subscribe to the eNews research topic.