Key facts
- An Alzheimer's study involving 600 participants in Pittsburgh may be forced to close early due to funding cuts by the Trump administration.
- The "Phresh" study, which began as an examination of food deserts, evolved to collect data on cognitive health and Alzheimer's disease.
- Researchers were given 90 days to shut down the study, more than five months earlier than expected.
- Black Americans have nearly double the risk of developing Alzheimer's dementia compared to white Americans.
- The study was first funded in the Obama administration.
An Alzheimer's study involving 600 participants in Pittsburgh may be forced to close early due to funding cuts by the Trump administration. The "Phresh" study, which began as an examination of food deserts, evolved to collect data on cognitive health and Alzheimer's disease. Researchers stated the cancellation could delay diagnoses for participants, particularly Black Americans who have a higher risk of developing the disease.
The study, initially funded during the Obama administration, was designed to examine the health effects of a new grocery store in the predominantly Black, low-income Hill District neighborhood compared to the Homewood neighborhood, which was not slated to receive one. Over its 15-year duration, the study's focus shifted from food deserts to broader issues of neighborhood investment, sleep, cardiovascular health, and eventually mental health and Alzheimer's disease, based on participant feedback.
One participant, Roderick Blair, a retired emergency preparedness worker, initially expressed skepticism about research involving Black individuals but became a committed participant over more than a decade. He shared personal data, wore monitoring devices, and underwent cognitive tests, which are now unlikely to yield results for him and the other 600 participants.
Tamara Dubowitz, a primary investigator and professor at the University of Pittsburgh, stated that the study's termination, with only 90 days' notice, prevents experts from interpreting the cognitive test results. She described the cancellation as "clear retribution" and a departure from the administration's priorities, which have alternately labeled such research as "DEI" or unscientific. The Trump administration has reportedly disrupted over 5,700 medical research grants nationally.