Dr. Arya Receives NIH Funding to Research AAA in Women
September 16 2025
Dr. Shipra Arya has received more than $1 million in funding to study abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) in women from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
AAA repair is typically recommended when the aneurysm diameter reaches 5.5cm, based on studies that primarily included men. Women, however, face a fourfold higher risk of AAA rupture at smaller diameters and nearly double the mortality following surgery. This discrepancy raises critical questions about whether women should undergo elective AAA repair at smaller diameters than men to improve survival and quality of life.
The NIH funding is part of a UG3, the first phase of a two-phase research award that provides support for exploratory and developmental projects, such as planning for a clinical trial.
The WARRIORS trial (Women’s Aneurysm Research: Repair Immediately Or Routine Surveillance) is an international, randomized controlled trial designed to compare early elective endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) with routine surveillance in women aged 50+ with small (4.0-5.4 cm) asymptomatic AAAs suitable for EVAR. The trial will enroll 1,112 women globally, including 350 in the United States, with 1:1 randomization stratified by age, country, and aneurysm size. The primary outcome is AAA-related mortality and rupture over a five-year period.
Arya is a professor in Stanford’s Division of Vascular Surgery. Her fellow US PIs are Drs. Adam Beck and Jeff Szychowski of the University of Alabama, Birmingham. International PIs are Colin Bicknell and Anna Pouncey at the Imperial College London.
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