Project Grant R01DK142896

Boston Medical Center Corporation received a $918,576 Project Grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847), awarded June 24, 2026, with completion targeted for February 28, 2031. The grant funds research investigating the mechanistic link between sociodemographic stressors and the incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in Black women, who experience approximately four times the risk of ESKD compared to white women.

The research employs the Black Women's Health Study cohort to model how cumulative allostatic load—chronic stress measured through nine objective biomarkers—accelerates renal decline. The project delivers epidemiologic analysis and mediation studies examining associations between neighborhood-level socioeconomic disadvantage (measured via Area Deprivation Index and Income Concentration at Extremes) and kidney disease incidence, while identifying health-related behavioral and clinical pathways connecting social factors to CKD development. Findings are intended to advance risk identification and modeling strategies, enabling more targeted interventions to address disparities in kidney disease among Black women.