On January 31, 2022, Ari Shechter, adjunct assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience and behavior, received a grant (R01) from the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for collaborative research with Columbia University emergency medicine physician Bernard P. Chang, titled “Psychological symptoms in healthcare workers following the COVID-19 pandemic and relationship to long-term cardiovascular risk.”
The study is an ongoing project with Columbia University Health Sciences to examine long-term psychological and cardiovascular health outcomes among emergency department healthcare workers following the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers investigate the scope of health consequences in these domains. Their work seeks to better protect frontline workers during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and in future emergencies by informing medical professionals and government officials about the effectiveness of existing protocols.