Beaver Dam Offspring Study

School of Medicine and Public Health
Beaver Dam Offspring Study Logo- four stars on top getting smaller separated from Beaver Dam Offspring Study text by blue line

2024 Updates

  • The Beaver Dam Offspring Study-Neurocognitive Aging Study (BOSS-NCAS) staff have started reaching out to the first groups of participants to invite them for 18-year follow up examinations. Examinations will be scheduled through the end of 2025.

2023 Updates

  • BOSS-NCAS: The 18-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 18-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.