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NIH grant 1K24AG104460-01: Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia in Women: Interdisciplinary Mentoring in Patient Oriented Research
Institute: {'code': 'AG', 'abbreviation': 'NIA', 'name': 'National Institute on Aging', 'admin_org_id': '12500002', 'admin_funding_url': ''}. PI: Eliza C Miller. Award: $207687.
Start: 2026-09-11T00:00:00.
PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID) are recognized as key pathogenic factors
in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, and represent a promising target for intervention. However, the
impact of reproductive factors, including adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs), hormonal fluctuations, and
menopausal symptoms, on VCID in women remains an understudied area. This new application for a NIA Mid-
Career Investigator Award seeks support for Dr. Eliza Miller, a physician-investigator with a well-funded
program of interdisciplinary research in VCID in midlife women, to promote mentoring and career development
for junior researchers from a broad variety of disciplines, including neurology, cardiology, obstetrics and
gynecology, epidemiology, and neuropsychology. This K24 award will provide Dr. Miller with the time, training,
and resources to broaden the impact of her NIH-supported research program investigating the effects of
reproductive factors on VCID in women. Specifically, we will (1) develop a focused clinical research training
pathway to create a robust pipeline of trainees in the field of women’s brain aging, starting at the
undergraduate level and extending through graduate and medical students, post doctoral residents and
fellows, and junior faculty; (2) capitalize on Dr. Miller’s role as lead neurologist for the Nulliparous Pregnancy
Outcomes Study Monitoring Mothers-to-be Heart Health Study (nuMoM2b HHS), the largest US cohort of
midlife women followed prospectively since early in their first pregnancies, to support the training of junior
clinical investigators; and (3) extend the scope of Dr. Miller’s current research with nuMoM2b HHS, which
focuses on APOs, to investigate associations of other reproductive factors with cognition and structural brain
changes. Exposures of interest, which nuMoM2b HHS has collected but not yet explored, will include migraine
(a brain disorder highly affected by hormonal fluctuations); sleep; mood; menstrual disorders; and peri-
menopausal symptoms. Dr. Miller’s data currently include nearly 2000 quantitative cognitive assessments and
hundreds of high resolution brain MRIs collected from this unique cohort, along with detailed survey data,
physiological measures, and biospecimens relevant to the exposures of interest. Dr. Miller has a strong track
record of mentoring junior investigators, particular physician trainees, who have gone on to pursue careers in
clinical research. She recently joined the University of Pittsburgh as chief of the Division of Women’s
Neurology, a combined clinical, administrative, and research position. This K24 support will allow her to
substantially reduce administrative and clinical time and instead devote the majority of her time to research,
while developing her own leadership skills through an individualized program of structured learning and peer
mentoring. A multidisciplinary advisory board of experienced senior investigator-mentors in brain aging and
women’s health will support her development as a successful mentor, as well as a fertile institutional
environment that prioritizes and cultivates the growth of interdisciplinary patient oriented research.document fetched 2026-09-20 02:42