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• Group Health part of UW's new Northwest Institute for Genetic Medicine

  On April 18, 2008, the Life Sciences Discovery Fund (LSDF) granted University of Washington (UW) scientists and researchers a $5.3 million, four-year grant to support the translation of human genetic research into clinical medicine. The grant will be used to launch the Northwest Institute of Genetic Medicine, a collaborative effort between researchers at the UW, Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute, Group Health, and local biotechnology companies.
• Two Group Health physician researchers elected to the Institute of Medicine

  Two leaders from the Group Health Center for Health Studies—Drs. Eric B. Larson and Ed Wagner—have been elected to The Institute of Medicine (IOM), one of the nation's top honors in medicine.
• Low libido in menopause linked to trouble sleeping

  Women whose sexual desire diminishes during menopause are more likely to report disturbed sleep, depression symptoms, and night sweats, according to Group Health research in the June American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. To the best of the research team’s knowledge, this marks the first time that sleep disturbance has been independently associated with diminished sexual desire during or after menopause.
• NCQA honors Dr. Ed Wagner for improving chronic illness care nationally

  Dr. Ed Wagner, director of the MacColl Institute for Healthcare Innovation at Group Health Cooperative, is among four winners of the 2007 Health Quality Awards from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). The awards, presented every two years, honor individuals and organizations whose energy, efforts, and vision have substantially helped improve U.S. health care quality.
• Regular follow-up important during antidepressant treatment

  Because individuals can react differently to antidepressant medications, regular follow-up is important during the first few weeks of treatment, according to an editorial by Group Health psychiatrist and researcher Greg Simon, MD, MPH.
• Good physical function linked to Alzheimer's delay: Research suggests mind-body connection

  The first signs of dementia—including Alzheimer's disease—may be physical, rather than mental, according to a joint study between Group Health Cooperative and the University of Washington.
• Reactions to last DTaP vaccine not prevented

  A red splotch forms where most preschoolers get their fifth, and last, shot of the acellular diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTaP) vaccine, and it can last a few days. Neither of two common over-the-counter drugs—ibuprofen (Advil) and acetaminophen (Tylenol)—help prevent this side effect, according to a Group Health Cooperative study appearing in the March issue of Pediatrics.