Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of Washington received a $651,175 Project Grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) under the Aging Research program (CFDA 93.866), awarded February 1, 2026, with completion targeted for November 30, 2030. This award supports a longitudinal study examining the developmental pathways linking female pubertal timing to long-term cardiometabolic health outcomes and biological aging. The research utilizes participants from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD), a landmark birth cohort, to conduct a second follow-up visit with approximately 374 female participants (mean age 38 years). This follow-up assessment builds on the first follow-up visit conducted when participants were approximately 28 years old and will generate data on biological aging biomarkers, pubertal timing history, and cardiometabolic health indicators to test whether the timing of pubertal onset serves as a marker of biological aging and contributes to disparities in women's health trajectories.

The deliverables under this award include comprehensive follow-up data collection, biological sample analysis, and research findings contributing to the National Institutes of Health Strategic Plan for Research on the Health of Women (2024-2028). The study directly addresses critical knowledge gaps regarding mechanisms linking early life exposures, pubertal development timing, and women's cardiometabolic disease risk, with implications for identifying intervention opportunities during key female life course transition periods to improve long-term health outcomes.