Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (ARIC)

The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (ARIC) is a propsepective epidemiologic study conducted in four communities in the United States.  ARIC is designed to investigate the causes of atherosclerosis and its clinical outcomes, and variation in cardiovascular risk factors, medical care, and disease by race, gender, location, and date.  To date, the ARIC project has published over 800 articles in peer- reviewed journals.

Framingham Heart Study (FHS)

The Framingham Heart Study (FHS) is a long-term, multigenerational study, designed to examine the incidence and prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its risk factors, trends in CVD influence and its risk factors over time, and family patterns of CVD and risk factors.  Examination and testing was initiated in 1948.  Since that time, the study has added an Offspring Cohort in 1971, the Omni Cohort in 1994, a Third Generation Cohort in 2002, a New Offspring Spouse Cohort in 2003 and a Second Generation Omni Cohort in 2003.  In the past half century, FHS has produced approximately 1,200 articles in leading medical journals.

Hispanic Community Health Study (HCHS)

The Hispanic Community Health Study (HCHS) is a multi-center epidemiologic study in Hispanic/Latino populations to determine the role acculturation in the prevelance and development of disease, and to identify risk factors playing a protective or harmful role in Hispanics/Latinos.  In February 2014, the NIH presented a summary of medical research results of the HCHS to the communities and participants from the largest health study of Hispanic/Latino populations in the United States.

Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

The Multi-Ethnic Sutdy of Atherosclerosis (MESA) is a medical research study involving more than 6,000 men and women from six communities in the United States. MESA is a study of characteristics of subclinical cardiovascular disease and the risk factors that predict progression to clinically overt cardiovascular diease or progression of the subclinical disease. As of July 2013, there are 600 MESA papers published or in press.