Heart disease is the leading cause of death for Americans. Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) scientists are working to understand how to reduce our risk of heart attacks, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases throughout life.
Addressing risk factors, improving diagnosis, and exploring how medications, genes, and everyday life affect our cardiovascular health at different ages and stages are central to this work — as is translating research findings into practical, personalized care.
“We’ve found that helping patients and health care teams work together on personalized care plans is the best path to lifelong heart health,” says Beverly Green, MD, MPH, whose recent work has focused on improving the diagnosis of high blood pressure.
Additional focus areas for KPWHRI scientists include exploring the impact of cardiovascular diseases on other health conditions — and vice versa. Recently, this has led researchers Sascha Dublin, MD, PhD, and Laura B. Harrington, PhD, MPH, to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular health.
Below are other research highlights from KPWHRI’s cardiovascular health scientists (please visit their bios to learn more):
Qi Zhang DD, Eisenberg MJ, Grandi SM, Joseph L, O'Laughlin J, Paradis G, Lozano P, Filion KB. Bupropion, smoking cessation, and health-related quality of life following an acute myocardial infarction. J Popul Ther Clin Pharmacol. 2014;21(3):e346-56. Epub 2014 Oct 8. PubMed
Alonso A, Yin X, Roetker NS, Magnani JW, Kronmal RA, Ellinor PT, Chen LY, Lubitz SA, McClelland RL, McManus DD, Soliman EZ, Huxley RR, Nazarian S, Szklo M, Heckbert SR, Benjamin EJ. Blood lipids and the incidence of atrial fibrillation: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and the Framingham Heart Study. J Am Heart Assoc. 2014 Oct 7;3(5). pii: e001211. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.114.001211. PubMed
Smith NL, Blondon M, Wiggins KL, Harrington LB, Van Hylckama Vlieg A, Floyd JS, Hwang M, Bis JC, McKnight B, Rice KM, Lumley T, Rosendaal FR, Heckbert SR, Psaty BM. Lower risk of cardiovascular events in postmenopausal women taking oral estradiol compared with oral conjugated equine estrogens. JAMA Intern Med. 2014 Jan;174(1):25-31. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.11074. Erratum in: JAMA Intern Med. 2014 Sep;174(9):1523. Epub 2013 Sep 30. PubMed
Ganesh SK, Arnett DK, Assimes TL, Basson CT, Chakravarti A, Ellinor PT, Engler MB, Goldmuntz E, Herrington DM, Hershberger RE, Hong Y, Johnson JA, Kittner SJ, McDermott DA, Meschia JF, Mestroni L, O'Donnell CJ, Psaty BM, Vasan RS, Ruel M, Shen WK, Terzic A, Waldman SA; on behalf of the American Heart Association Council on Functional Genomics and Translational Biology, Council on Epidemiology and Prevention, Council on Basic Cardiovascular Sciences, Council on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young, Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia, Council on Clinical Cardiology, Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing, and Stroke Council. Genetics and genomics for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease: update: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2013 Dec 24;128(25):2813-51. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.0000437913.98912.1d. Epub 2013 Dec 2. PubMed
Dewland TA, Vittinghoff E, Mandyam MC, Heckbert SR, Siscovick DS, Stein PK, Psaty BM, Sotoodehnia N, Gottdiener JS, Marcus GM. Atrial ectopy as a predictor of incident atrial fibrillation: a cohort study. Ann Intern Med. 2013;159(11):721-8. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-159-11-201312030-00004. PubMed
Sascha Dublin, MD, PhDSenior Investigator |
Beverly B. Green, MD, MPHSenior Investigator |
Laura Harrington, PhD, MPHAssistant Investigator |
Ellen O'Meara, PhDPrincipal Collaborative Scientist |
Nicole M. Gatto, PhD, MPHPrincipal Collaborative Scientist |
Meagan C. Brown, PhD, MPHAssistant Investigator |
James Floyd, MD, MS
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology
University of Washington
Susan Heckbert, MD, PhD
University of Washington (UW) Department of Epidemiology; UW Cardiovascular Health Research Unit
Nicholas L. Smith, PhD, MPH
UW Professor, Epidemiology, Cardiovascular Health Research Unit
Director, Seattle Epidemiology and Information Resource Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System