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):
van Loon J, Dehghan A, Weihong T, Trompet S, McArdle WL, Asselbergs FF, Chen MH, Lopez LM, Huffman JE, Leebeek FW, Basu S, Stott DJ, Rumley A, Gansevoort RT, Davies G, Wilson JJ, Witteman JC, Cao X, de Craen AJ, Bakker SJ, Psaty BM, Starr JM, Hofman A, Wouter Jukema J, Deary IJ, Hayward C, van der Harst P, Lowe GD, Folsom AR, Strachan DP, Smith N, de Maat MP, O'Donnell C. Genome-wide association studies identify genetic loci for low von Willebrand factor levels. Eur J Hum Genet. 2015 Oct 21. doi: 10.1038/ejhg.2015.222. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Rich SS, Wang ZY, Sturcke A, Ziyabari L, Feolo M, O'Donnell CJ, Rice K, Bis JC, Psaty BM. Rapid evaluation of phenotypes, SNPs and results through the dbGaP CHARGE Summary Results site. Nat Genet. 2016;48(7):702-3. doi: 10.1038/ng.3582. PubMed
Blondon M, Harrington LB, Boehlen F, Robert-Ebadi H, Righini M, Smith NL. Pre-pregnancy BMI, delivery BMI, gestational weight gain and the risk of postpartum venous thrombosis. Thromb Res. 2016 Jun 24. pii: S0049-3848(16)30464-9. doi: 10.1016/j.thromres.2016.06.026. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Trégouët DA, Delluc A, Roche A, Derbois C, Olaso R, Germain M, de Andrade M, Tang W, Chasman DI, van Hylckama Vlieg A, Reitsma PH, Kabrhel C, Smith N, Morange PE. Is there still room for additional common susceptibility alleles for venous thromboembolism? J Thromb Haemost. 2016 Jun 21. doi: 10.1111/jth.13392. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Matteini AM, Tanaka T, Karasik D, Atzmon G, Chou WC, Eicher JD, Johnson AD, Arnold AM, Callisaya ML, Davies G, Evans DS, Holtfreter B, Lohman K, Lunetta KL, Mangino M, Smith AV, Smith JA, Teumer A, Yu L, Arking DE, Buchman AS, Chibinik LB, De Jager P+++. GWAS analysis of handgrip and lower body strength in older adults in the CHARGE consortium. LID - 10.1111/acel.12468 [doi] Aging Cell. 2016 Oct;15(5):792-800. doi: 10.1111/acel.12468. Epub 2016 Jun 21. PubMed
![]() 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 |
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