World Trade Center Youth Research Coordinating Center (U54)

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program, plans to establish a WTC Youth Research Coordinating Center ("Center") through a U54 cooperative agreement.

In December 2022, Congress amended the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. § 300mm–51(c)) to direct the WTC Health Program Administrator to establish a research cohort for emerging health impacts on youth. The cohort must be of sufficient size to support future research studies on the health and educational impacts of exposures resulting from the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks (9/11).

The overall purpose of the Center is to:

• Establish and maintain a WTC Youth Research Cohort of individuals who were: 
  • 21 years of age or younger at the time of 9/11 exposure, including those exposed in utero.
  • Within a certain distance of the WTC site on and after 9/11.
• Develop and implement research on the long-term health and educational (including developmental and cognitive) impacts of individuals exposed at a young age to 9/11.

The Center will integrate multidisciplinary expertise in epidemiology, environmental and occupational health, information technology and data management, community-engaged recruitment and research, and related disciplines. Community engagement and effective stakeholder communication will be central to all Center activities.

The Center will support four functional core activities:

1. Planning, Administration, and Evaluation.
2. Information Technology (IT) and Data Management.
3. Communication, Outreach, and Community Engagement.
4. Research and Related Activities.

The expected public health impact includes addressing gaps in knowledge about the health and educational impacts associated with 9/11 among individuals exposed in utero or at a young age. It also includes improving understanding of the long-term effects of 9/11 exposures across the lifespan.