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.
2023 annual report
Research and innovation for better health
In 2023, KPWHRI conducted impactful studies on cancer screening, vaccine safety, suicide prevention, dementia care, and more.
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
Barnes DE, Balderson BH, Shulman L, Rosenberg DE, Matson TE, Mettert KD, Delaney K, King D, Adams K, Fleckenstein L, Peltz CB, Idu A, Larson EB, Yaffe K, Dublin S. The Systematic Multi-domain Alzheimer's Risk Reduction Trial (SMARRT) intervention: A personalized approach to dementia risk reduction. J Alzheimers Dis. 2024 Dec 3:13872877241296161. doi: 10.1177/13872877241296161. PubMed
Penfold RB, Yoo HI, Richards JE, Crossnohere NL, Johnson E, Pabiniak CJ, Renz AD, Campoamor NB, Simon GE, Bridges JFP. Acceptability of linking individual credit, financial, and public records data to healthcare records for suicide risk machine learning models. JAMIA Open. 2024 Oct 21;7(4):ooae113. doi: 10.1093/jamiaopen/ooae113. eCollection 2024. PubMed
Petrik AF, Henrikson NB, Coronado GD, Keast E, Banegas MP. A roadmap for improving representation in clinical trials. Contemp Clin Trials Commun. 2024 Sep 23;42:101374. doi: 10.1016/j.conctc.2024.101374. eCollection 2024. PubMed
Weinstein ZM, Yu O, Wartko PD, Samet JH, Bobb JF, Braciszewski JM, Arnsten JH, Murphy MT, Horigian VE, Stotts AL, Beers D, Bradley K. Does implementation of office based addiction treatment by a nurse care manager increase the duration of OUD treatment in primary care? A secondary analysis of the PROUD randomized control trial. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2024 Dec 1:265:112497. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2024.112497. Epub 2024 Nov 10. 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.