She has received funding from the American Heart Association to complete work to understand the impact of physical activity throughout the lifecourse on brain health and the risk for dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Her recent article "Midlife exercise blood pressure, heart rate, and fitness relate to brain volume 2 decades later" was picked up by popular news sites like CNN, TIME, Newsweek, BBC, and Runnersworld for its implication that regular exercise can retain brain health later in life. Dr. Spartano also teaches courses for the Boston University Graduate Medical Sciences program and School of Public Health.