Research Agenda

Research Mission

The mission of the WTC Health Program research includes the following broad areas:

Physical and mental health conditions that may be related to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks;
Diagnosing WTC-related health conditions for which there has been diagnostic uncertainty; and
Treating WTC-related health conditions for which there has been treatment uncertainty.

Areas of Interest

Research mentioned in the Zadroga Act includes epidemiologic and other research studies on WTC-related health conditions or emerging conditions among (1) enrolled WTC responders and certified-eligible WTC survivors under treatment; (2) sampled populations outside the NYC disaster area, in Manhattan (as far north as 14th Street) and in Brooklyn; and (3) control populations, to identify potential for long-term adverse health effects in less exposed populations.

The WTC Health Program major areas of interest for research include, but are not limited to:

Linking 9/11 exposure to health conditions:
- Cancers, multisystem or autoimmune, cardiovascular and neurologic disease (including age at diagnosis);
- Characterizing patterns of illness among subgroups of the 9/11-exposed population (e.g., by age, sex, and comorbidities); and
- Characterizing alterations to health and educational development in for those exposed to 9/11 as children.
Characterizing and treating established WTC-related diseases and comorbidities:
- Identifying phenotypes, biomarkers, and epigenetics for existing health conditions,
- Care models that address complex co-morbidities and other modifiable factors, and
- Improving surveillance, diagnostic, and treatment capabilities for enrolled members.
Health services research and value-based care that addresses disaster-related injury and illness for chronic disease. (NOTE: Health services research examines how people get access to health care, how much care costs, and what happens to patients because of this care. The main goals of health services research are to identify the most effective ways to organize, manage, finance, and deliver high quality care; reduce medical errors; and improve patient safety (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2002).)
Characterizing the work-ability and occupational outcomes for those impacted by 9/11:
- Lessons learned in recovery:
  - Identifying and operationalizing key elements of psychological resilience for disaster responders; and
  - Establishing comparison groups for disaster-related research for key health indicators for first responders

Relevant diseases or conditions include, but are not limited to, the following:

Respiratory diseases
Cancer (including detection/diagnosis of pre-malignant changes)
Cardiovascular Disease
Psychological resilience and well-being
Persistent psychiatric conditions such as posttraumatic stress, anxiety and depressive disorders
Cognitive changes
Aging – the impacts of aging on those impacted by 9/11 illness and injury
Neurological Diseases
Aerodigestive health
Multisystem or auto-immune diseases
Gastro-esophageal disorders
Gastrointestinal health
Chronic musculoskeletal conditions resulting from acute traumatic injury and overuse disorders

The World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program is required, by law (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)), to maintain the privacy and security of your personal health information and to provide you with notice of its legal duties and privacy practices with respect to how your personal health information is held by the WTC Health Program and will be used and disclosed (“given out”) by the WTC Health Program. Full Privacy Policy Text | All Privacy Policies