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.
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.
Research
Changing sitting habits shows meaningful impact
A new trial highlights a promising intervention to improve blood pressure in older adults.
Recent publications
Putt ME, Shaw PA. Proceedings of the University of Pennsylvania 16th annual conference on statistical issues in clinical trials: Optimizing dose selection across the clinical trials spectrum. Clin Trials. 2025 Jun 10:17407745251346836. doi: 10.1177/17407745251346836. Online ahead of print. PubMed
Mackey CD, Schultz ME, Nguyen KH, Mettert KD, Bernabe AM, Garcia M, Jaffe AE, Larimer ME. A longitudinal investigation of PTSD symptoms, hazardous drinking, and relationship satisfaction in college student dating relationships. J Soc Pers Relat. 2024 Oct;41(10):2983-3007. doi: 10.1177/02654075241259106. Epub 2024 Jun 7. PubMed
Justice M, Piccorelli A, Avins AL, Cook AJ, Eng CM, Nielsen A, Pressman A, Stone KL, Teets RY, Wellman R, DeBar LL. Baseline sample characteristics for the BackInAction pragmatic trial of acupuncture for chronic low back pain in older adults. Contemp Clin Trials. 2025 Jun 6:107981. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2025.107981. Online ahead of print. PubMed
Makhnoon S, Getchell G, Rodriguez Y, Pena L, Rodriguez J, Ibidapo T, Henrikson NB, Lee M, Wu S, Pirzadeh-Miller S. Choice architecture in cascade genetic testing (CHARGE study) for hereditary cancer: Design of a hybrid type I randomized feasibility trial. Contemp Clin Trials. 2025 Jun 5:107979. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2025.107979. 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.