Our Research
Science to serve one goal: Better health
Scientists at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) have a rare advantage: We work within a system that provides both care and coverage. With a 360-degree view of people’s everyday health experience over time, we discover what works best to serve Kaiser Permanente's mission: better health.
We collaborate closely with Kaiser Permanente Washington's medical staff and other providers — gaining from their perspectives on practical approaches to health care’s toughest problems. Together, we create a learning health care system — a place where research strengthens practice and practice strengthen research.
Scientists
Working in the public interest
Our faculty work on interdisciplinary research teams, conducting about 300 studies at any given time. They partner with affiliate researchers and others from academic institutions and health systems and share findings in the public domain to serve the public good.
See our KPWHRI researcher directory.
News
Richards and Nelson earn research awards
Honors from the Health Care Systems Research Network for early career achievements and manuscript of the year
Year in review
Top 10 research highlights in 2021
We look back at 2021 research findings, including on COVID-19 vaccines, health equity, dementia, and suicide risk factors.
Funding sources
A broad base of support
Most of our support comes from federal agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health. We also contract with biomedical companies and receive grants from private foundations. About 5 percent of our budget comes from Kaiser Permanente Washington.
See our list of funders.
Practical findings
Is blood pressure reading better at home or clinic?
Home blood pressure monitoring shown to be an excellent alternative for making new diagnoses of hypertension.
Research
COVID-19 pandemic research at KPWHRI
Having long tracked infectious diseases and tested vaccines, KPWHRI now focuses on the novel coronavirus.
Recent publications
Chen Y, Ji X, Xiao H, Unger JM, Cai Y, Mao Z, Yeung K. Impact of the pilot volume-based drug purchasing policy in China: interrupted time-series analysis with controls. Front Pharmacol. 2021 Dec 22;12:804237. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.804237. eCollection 2021. PubMed
Chen C, Hennessy S, Brensinger CM, Bilker WB, Dublin S, Chung SP, Horn JR, Bogar KF, Leonard CE. Antidepressant drug-drug-drug interactions associated with unintentional traumatic injury: Screening for signals in real-world data. Clin Transl Sci. 2022 Nov 22. doi: 10.1111/cts.13452. Online ahead of print. PubMed
Gatto NM, Thordardottir EB, Tomasson G, Rúnarsdóttir H, Song H, Jakobsdóttir J, Aspelund T, Valdimarsdóttir UA, Hauksdóttir A. Association between adverse childhood experiences and Multiple Sclerosis in Icelandic women - A population-based cohort study. Brain Sci. 2022, 12(11), 1559; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12111559.
Schuttner L, Lee JR, Hockett Sherlock S, Ralston JD, Rosland AM, Nelson K, Simons C, Sayre GG. Primary care physician perspectives on the influence of patient values, health priorities, and preferences on clinical decision-making for complex patients with multimorbidity: A qualitative study. Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2022 Nov 16;15:2135-2146. doi: 10.2147/RMHP.S380021. eCollection 2022. PubMed
Collaborate with us
KPWHRI oversees all research conducted at Kaiser Permanente Washington, ensuring that all studies involving Kaiser Permanente Washington members are aligned with the organization’s primary mission: to improve health. Researchers from outside Kaiser Permanente Washington can learn more about our processes for collaborating with KPWHRI faculty members.
Land Acknowledgment
Our Seattle offices sit on the occupied land of the Duwamish and by the shared waters of the Coast Salish people, who have been here thousands of years and remain. Learn about practicing land acknowledgment.