Cardiovascular Health
“One in four deaths in the United States is attributed to heart disease. Our researchers study how behavior, environment, and genetics affect heart health and how screening and treatment can reduce risk.”
Research overview
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):
- In 2016 Dr. Green, a senior investigator, launched the BP-CHECK study, which aims to find the easiest, most accurate way to diagnose high blood pressure. With a $2.8 million award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), the study compares blood pressure readings taken in clinic, at home, and at validated blood pressure kiosks to the 24-hour blood pressure test that is currently considered the gold standard for diagnosing hypertension.
- Dr. Dublin, a senior investigator, explores many different facets of cardiovascular disease in her work, including risk factors for atrial fibrillation, the effect of medications on cardiovascular disease, and the relationship between cardiovascular disease and other conditions, such as dementia. Managing cardiovascular risk factors in pregnancy — such as high blood pressure and diabetes — is a particular interest.
- Dr. Harrington, an assistant investigator, is a cardiovascular epidemiologist whose research aims to improve understanding of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors, particularly among older women. Currently, she is leading a study exploring the relationship between physical activity, sedentary behavior, and the risk of venous thromboembolism (blood clots that form predominantly in the veins of the legs or lungs). In addition to this work, Dr. Harrington conducts research in the areas of recurrent cardiovascular event risk, cardiovascular health in relation to cognitive decline and dementia risk in later life, and pharmacologic exposures in relation to cardiovascular event risk, with a particular focus on risk factors for venous thromboembolism.
- Senior Investigator Michael L. Parchman, MD, MPH, focuses on implementing evidence-based cardiovascular disease care into primary care settings. He led the 4-year Healthy Hearts Northwest trial, an EvidenceNOW initiative that helped smaller primary care practices in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho adopt evidence-based approaches to improving cardiovascular care outcomes. The trial continues to produce findings of importance.
- The work of Ellen O'Meara, PhD, a senior research associate, centers on the epidemiology of common and important health conditions in the United States, including cardiovascular disease. Her collaborative research has included studies exploring the risk factors and outcomes of heart disease and stroke. Recent work includes research on quality improvement aimed at controlling hypertension at small primary care practices.
Recent publications on Cardiovascular Health
Sabater-Lleal M, Huang J, Chasman D, Naitza S, Dehghan A, Johnson AD, Teumer A, Reiner AP, Folkersen L, Basu S, Rudnicka AR, Trompet S, Mälarstig A, Baumert J, Bis JC, Guo X, Hottenga JJ, Shin SY, Lopez LM, Lahti J, Tanaka T, Yanek LR, Oudot-Mellakh T, Wilson JF, Navarro P, Huffman JE, Zemunik T, Redline S, Mehra R, Pulanic D, Rudan I, Wright AF, Kolcic I, Polasek O, Wild SH, Campbell H, Curb JD, Wallace R, Liu S, Eaton CB, Becker DM, Becker LC, Bandinelli S, Räikkönen K, Widen E, Palotie A, Fornage M, Green D, Gross M, Davies G, Harris SE, Liewald DC, Starr JM, Williams FM, Grant PJ, Spector TD, Strawbridge RJ, Silveira A, Sennblad B, Rivadeneira F, Uitterlinden AG, Franco OH, Hofman A, van Dongen J, Willemsen G, Boomsma DI, Yao J, Swords Jenny N, Haritunians T, McKnight B, Lumley T, Taylor KD, Rotter JI, Psaty BM, Peters A, Gieger C, Illig T, Grotevendt A, Homuth G, Völzke H, Kocher T, Goel A, Franzosi MG, Seedorf U, Clarke R, Steri M, Tarasov KV, Sanna S, Schlessinger D, Stott DJ, Sattar N, Buckley BM, Rumley A, Lowe GD, McArdle WL, Chen MH, Tofler GH, Song J, Boerwinkle E, Folsom AR, Rose LM, Franco-Cereceda A, Teichert M, Ikram MA, Mosley TH, Bevan S, Dichgans M, Rothwell PM, Sudlow CL, Hopewell JC, Chambers JC, Saleheen D, Kooner JS, Danesh J, Nelson CP, Erdmann J, Reilly MP, Kathiresan S, Schunkert H, Morange PE, Ferrucci L, Eriksson JG, Jacobs D, Deary IJ, Soranzo N, Witteman JC, de Geus EJ, Tracy RP, Hayward C, Koenig W, Cucca F, Jukema JW, Eriksson P, Seshadri S, Markus HS, Watkins H, Samani NJ; VTE Consortium; STROKE Consortium; Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium 2 (WTCCC2); C4D Consortium; CARDIoGRAM Consortium, Wallaschofski H, Smith NL, Tregouet D, Ridker PM, Tang W, Strachan DP, Hamsten A, O'Donnell CJ. Multiethnic meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies in >100,000 subjects identifies 23 fibrinogen-associated loci but no strong evidence of a causal association between circulating fibrinogen and cardiovascular disease. Circulation. 2013;128(12):1310-24. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.113.002251. PubMed
Fishman PA, Cook AJ, Ralston JD, Anderson M, Catz SL, Carrell D, Carlson J, Larson EB, Green BB. Improving BP control through electronic communications: an economic evaluation. Am J Manag Care. 2013;19(9):709-16. PubMed
Robins LS, Jackson JE, Green BB, Korngiebel D, Force RW, Baldwin LM. Barriers and facilitators to evidence-based blood pressure control in community practice. J Am Board Fam Med. 2013 Sep-Oct;26(5):539-57. doi: 10.3122/jabfm.2013.05.130060. PubMed
Moyer VA, LeFevre ML, Siu AL, Baumann LC, Bibbins-Domingo K, Curry SJ, Ebell M, Flores G, García FA, Cantu AG, Grossman DC, Herzstein J, Nicholson WK, Owens DK, Phillips WR, Pignone MP, Wilt T. Screening for peripheral artery disease and cardiovascular disease risk assessment with the ankle-brachial index in adults: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Ann Intern Med. 2013 Sep 3;159(5):342-8. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-159-5-201309030-00008. PubMed
Franceschini N, Fox E, Zhang Z, Edwards TL, Nalls MA, Sung YJ, Tayo BO, Sun YV, Gottesman O, Adeyemo A, Johnson AD, Young JH, Rice K, Duan Q, Chen F, Li Y, Tang H, Fornage M, Keene KL, Andrews JS, Smith JA, Faul JD, Guangfa Z, Guo W, Liu Y, Murray SS, Musani SK, Srinivasan S, Velez Edwards DR, Wang H, Becker LC, Bovet P, Bochud M, Broeckel U, Burnier M, Carty C, Chasman DI, Ehret G, Chen WM, Chen G, Chen W, Ding J, Dreisbach AW, Evans MK, Guo X, Garcia ME, Jensen R, Keller MF, Lettre G, Lotay V, Martin LW, Moore JH, Morrison AC, Mosley TH, Ogunniyi A, Palmas W, Papanicolaou G, Penman A, Polak JF, Ridker PM, Salako B, Singleton AB, Shriner D, Taylor KD, Vasan R, Wiggins K, Williams SM, Yanek LR, Zhao W, Zonderman AB, Becker DM, Berenson G, Boerwinkle E, Bottinger E, Cushman M, Eaton C, Nyberg F, Heiss G, Hirschhron JN, Howard VJ, Karczewsk KJ, Lanktree MB, Liu K, Liu Y, Loos R, Margolis K, Snyder M; Asian Genetic Epidemiology Network Consortium, Psaty BM, Schork NJ, Weir DR, Rotimi CN, Sale MM, Harris T, Kardia SL, Hunt SC, Arnett D, Redline S, Cooper RS, Risch NJ, Rao DC, Rotter JI, Chakravarti A, Reiner AP, Levy D, Keating BJ, Zhu X. Genome-wide association analysis of blood-pressure traits in African-ancestry individuals reveals common associated genes in African and non-African populations. Am J Hum Genet. 2013;93(3):545-54. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2013.07.010. Epub 2013 Aug 22. PubMed
Researchers in Cardiovascular Health
 Sascha Dublin, MD, PhDSenior Investigator |
 Beverly B. Green, MD, MPHSenior Investigator |
 Laura Harrington, PhD, MPHAssociate Investigator |
 Ellen O'Meara, PhDPrincipal Collaborative Scientist |
 Nicole M. Gatto, PhD, MPHPrincipal Collaborative Scientist |
 Meagan C. Brown, PhD, MPHAssistant Investigator |
Affiliate researchers
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
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There’s no place like home … to track blood pressure
Research led by KPWHRI’s Beverly Green, MD, MPH, finds that patients prefer at-home monitoring of blood pressure.
Research
CVD risk calculation: Can smaller clinics break through?
KPWHRI researchers uncover obstacles faced by smaller practices when adding CVD risk calculators into primary care.
KPWHRI in the media
Understanding high blood pressure
Hypertension headache: Medical myth or true health concern?
AARP, June 3, 2024
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