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
Beinfeld M, Yeung K, Whittington MD, Mohammed R, Nhan E, Pearson SD. Oral treatments for outpatient COVID-19: effectiveness and value. J Manag Care Spec Pharm. 2022 Aug;28(8):903-909. doi: 10.18553/jmcp.2022.28.8.903. PubMed
Joyce C, Kelly KC, Gurnani S, Sherman KJ, Roseen EJ, Saper RB. "In class we were all one." a qualitative exploration of yoga and educational interventions for predominantly low-income and minority adults with chronic low back pain. J Integr Complement Med. 2022 Aug 1. doi: 10.1089/jicm.2022.0557. Online ahead of print. PubMed
Coley RY, Smith JJ, Karliner L, Idu AE, Lee SJ, Fuller S, Lam R, Barnes DE, Dublin S. External validation of the eRADAR risk score for detecting undiagnosed dementia in two real-world healthcare systems. J Gen Intern Med. 2022 Jul 29. doi: 10.1007/s11606-022-07736-6. Online ahead of print. 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.