DALLAS, October 30, 2023 — Multiple 1-year grants of up to $50,000 each are available from the American Heart Association to fund research that evaluates the use of race in heart disease and stroke risk calculators.
The American Heart Association, the single largest non-government supporter of heart and brain health research in the U.S., is offering the funding as part of the De-Biasing Clinical Care Algorithms project. The project is a two-year scientific research strategy, supported in part by a grant from the Doris Duke Foundation, to study the complex issue of how race and ethnicity factor into clinical care algorithms and risk prediction tools.
Risk calculators are made up of a formula or combination of formulas that use health data and health habits like blood pressure level, weight, amount of physical activity, age and more to help determine a person’s risk for heart disease or guide their treatment decisions. Some formulas include race or ethnicity in their analysis, but recent evidence has suggested that using race in these formulas may exacerbate health inequities.
“The use of race in clinical decision tools could have unintended adverse consequences in patient care,” said Jennifer Hall, Ph.D., FAHA, chief of data science for the American Heart Association. “Rigorously assessing race and ethnicity data is an essential endeavor in our pursuit of dismantling structural racism in health care and improving health equity.”
The Association is looking for applications from trainees, including pre-doctoral, postdoctoral and other fellows (within 6 years post doctorate) who are American Heart Association Professional members at the time of application. Interested applicants who are not members should begin the membership process before the application deadline. Professional membership information is at professional.heart.org.
The application is at https://professional.heart.org/en/research-programs/aha-funding-opportunities#datagrants. The deadline to apply is Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. Awardees will be notified of their selection in the Spring of 2024. All awardees will additionally receive an Amazon Web Services service credit of up to $50,000 to use the American Heart Association Precision Medicine Platform, a cloud-based system that allows researchers to collaborate and analyze large datasets from any computer in the world in a secure environment and with the power of machine learning.
The American Heart Association has funded more than $5 billion in cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and brain health research since 1949. New knowledge resulting from this funding benefits millions of lives in every corner of the U.S. and around the world.
Additional Resources:
- Call to Action: Structural Racism as a Fundamental Driver of Health Disparities
- Culture, diet, economic factors and more affect CVD risk among Asian Americans
- Redlining linked to higher heart failure risk among Black adults in U.S.
- Follow AHA/ASA news on X @HeartNews
The Association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific Association programs and events. The Association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and biotech companies, device manufacturers and health insurance providers and the Association’s overall financial information are available here.
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About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public’s health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for nearly a century. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, X or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.
For Media Inquiries:
Maggie Francis:
For Public Inquiries: 1-800-AHA-USA1 (242-8721)
heart.org and stroke.org
