Program Research
The WTC Health Program has funded health research since it was established in 2011. This research defines what we know about exposure during 9/11 and what to expect for those who become diagnosed with WTC-related conditions.
Research guides the Program Administrator in determining what conditions the Program covers and which conditions should be added. It also improves the detection, diagnosis, and treatment experience for members.
How Research Becomes Care
Research for the WTC Health Program is conducted with high standards of quality and ethics. This means that each step of the research process requires serious consideration and review. A team of experts consider evidence from peer-reviewed and published scientific studies to form consensus among scientists and clinicians.
As clinicians learn more about 9/11 health conditions from emerging research findings, they learn new ways to improve treatment. New and important findings are presented to the Administrator before proposing any changes to Program policies.
Information collected from members of the WTC Health program is maintained in accordance with strict requirements for privacy and confidentiality. For more information about how health data is stored and used, please refer to the Member Handbook.
How Can You Help?
In the NY metropolitan area, new members are asked if they agree to be part of WTC Health Program research by allowing their health information to be used for 9/11 health-related research. This information is de-identified, meaning members cannot be identified by researchers, but details on a member’s condition become part of a large data set describing 9/11 health impacts.
Participation is optional. Members who choose not to participate, continue to receive monitoring exams and treatment.
If you are a member who agreed to be included in research, you are helping improve care for those exposed and now sick because of 9/11. You are also contributing to knowledge on how best to respond and provide treatment for survivors of other disasters.
Latest Research Articles and Updates
Articles:
- The World Trade Center Health Program: Twenty years of health effects research
[September 2021] - A Workshop on Cognitive Aging and Impairment in the 9/11-Exposed Population
[January 2021] - World Trade Center Health Program: First Decade of Research
[October 2020]
Blogs:
- Cancer Incidence, Latency, and Survival in World Trade Center Rescue/Recovery Workers
[April 2022] - A Way Forward: Translational Impacts of WTCHP Research
[October 2021] - World Trade Center Health Program: First Decade of Research
[June 2021]
Commentary:
- World Trade Center Health Program: 20 years after 9/11
[September 2021] - The World Trade Center Health Program: Petitions for adding qualifying health conditions
[June 2021]
MMWR:
- World Trade Center Health Program-United States, 2012-2020
[September 2021]
Review:
Get more information on WTC Health Program-funded research and study results through our Research Gateway.