Beaver Dam Offspring Study

School of Medicine and Public Health
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2026 Updates

  • The Beaver Dam Offspring Study-Neurocognitive Aging Study (BOSS-NCAS) has completed recruitment for the 19-year follow-up examinations.
  • Dr. Natascha Merten was honored to receive the Health Sciences Research Award, which recognizes outstanding work by a new investigator in the Health Sciences section at the annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, one of the largest scientific conferences focused on aging research.

2025 Updates

  • The Beaver Dam Offspring Study-Neurocognitive Aging Study (BOSS-NCAS) staff are reaching out to participants to invite them to take part in remote 19-year follow-up examinations.
  • In January, Dr. Natascha Merten was honored to receive the UW-Madison Vilas Faculty Early-Career Investigator Award. The Vilas awards recognize research and teaching excellence in faculty who are in relatively early stages of their careers and provide $75,000 in flexible funding to the recipient over three years. Congratulations Natascha!
  • In May of 2025, the BOSS-NCAS study team travelled to Beaver Dam to have a successful Community Advisory Board Meeting. The Community Advisory Board members are prominent leaders in the Beaver Dam community that are knowledgeable about the Beaver Dam community. The Community Advisory Board members learned and became knowledgeable about the BOSS-NCAS and helped advise the study team about the best ways to support participation.

2024 Updates

  • The Beaver Dam Offspring Study-Neurocognitive Aging Study (BOSS-NCAS) staff began reaching out to participants to invite them for 19-year follow-up examinations.
  • The BOSS-NCAS study officially began collaborating with the Wisconsin Aging and Geriatric Dog Study (WAGD). Willing BOSS-NCAS participants that currently own a dog will now have the opportunity to enroll their dog in this exciting new study. The study investigates parallel dog/human aging of the brain and the senses (vision, hearing, sense of smell), and how the home environment affects healthy aging.

2023 Updates

  • BOSS-NCAS: The 19-year follow-up examination phase is scheduled to begin 2024.
  • Dr. Merten and the study team are preparing for the next examination phase of the study.

2022 Updates

  • Dr. Natascha Merten is Appointed to Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences.
  • Dr. Natascha Merten, has secured new funding from the National Institute on Aging to conduct an 19-year follow-up examination on past BOSS participants. This study will be called the Beaver Dam Offspring Study-Neurocognitive Aging Study (BOSS-NCAS).
  • Dr. Natascha Merten takes on leadership of the study team, upon the retirement of Dr. Cruickshanks, the previous principal investigator of the BOSS and EHLS  studies.

2021 Updates

  • BOSS: The 10-year follow-up examination phase concluded in September 2017.
  • EHLS: The 21-year follow-up examination phase concluded in 2016.
  • The researchers are currently analyzing the data that were collected in both the EHLS and BOSS and publishing the findings.
    • A study funded in late 2020 by the National Institute of Aging, is using previously collected BOSS data to determine if  sensory and motor changes are good markers of pre-clinical Alzheimer’s disease.
  • Grant applications to re-examine the BOSS participants are in preparation.