Long before symptoms appear, changes in the heart, brain, and blood vessels are already underway. PHRI’s Canadian Alliance for Healthy Hearts and Minds (CAHHM) was created to detect these early signals by bringing together thousands of adults from communities across Canada to better understand how heart disease, cognitive decline, and other chronic conditions develop over time. By combining medical imaging, clinical assessments, and information about social and environmental conditions, CAHHM looks beyond individual risk factors to examine how broader systems and environments shape long‑term health.
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Sonia Anand
Led by senior scientist Sonia Anand, the study was designed to capture early signs of disease, often before symptoms appear. Participants completed detailed health assessments and underwent MRI scans of the brain, heart, and abdomen, allowing researchers to identify early changes linked to cardiovascular and cognitive health.
In late 2023, CAHHM entered a new phase. The study team started recontacting select participants to update health information and, for some, conduct repeat MRI scans and clinical assessments. This follow‑up work is focused on understanding how factors such as vascular disease, fat distribution, lifestyle, and access to care are connected to changes in cognitive and cardiometabolic health over time.
In a recent webinar hosted by CanPath, Anand shared key findings from the original CAHHM study and outlined how this next phase is expanding the project’s impact. Watch the webinar recording below.
