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
Do R, Stitziel NO, Won H, Jørgensen AB, Duga S, Angelica Merlini P, Kiezun A, Farrall M, Goel A, Zuk O, Guella I, Asselta R, Lange LA, Peloso GM, Auer PL; NHLBI Exome Sequencing Project, Girelli D, Martinelli N, Farlow DN, DePristo MA, Roberts R, Stewart AF, Saleheen D, Danesh J, Epstein SE, Sivapalaratnam S, Kees Hovingh G, Kastelein JJ, Samani NJ, Schunkert H, Erdmann J, Shah SH, Kraus WE, Davies R, Nikpay M, Johansen CT, Wang J, Hegele RA, Hechter E, Marz W, Kleber ME, Huang J, Johnson AD, Li M, Burke GL, Gross M, Liu Y, Assimes TL, Heiss G, Lange EM, Folsom AR, Taylor HA, Olivieri O, Hamsten A, Clarke R, Reilly DF, Yin W, Rivas MA, Donnelly P, Rossouw JE, Psaty BM, Herrington DM, Wilson JG, Rich SS, Bamshad MJ, Tracy RP, Adrienne Cupples L, Rader DJ, Reilly MP, Spertus JA, Cresci S, Hartiala J, Wilson Tang WH, Hazen SL, Allayee H, Reiner AP, Carlson CS, Kooperberg C, Jackson RD, Boerwinkle E, Lander ES, Schwartz SM, Siscovick DS, McPherson R, Tybjaerg-Hansen A, Abecasis GR, Watkins H, Nickerson DA, Ardissino D, Sunyaev SR, O'Donnell CJ, Altshuler D, Gabriel S, Kathiresan S. Exome sequencing identifies rare LDLR and APOA5 alleles conferring risk for myocardial infarction. Nature. 2015 Feb 5;518(7537):102-6. doi: 10.1038/nature13917. Epub 2014 Dec 10. PubMed
Rannikmäe K, Davies G, Thomson PA, Bevan S, Devan WJ, Falcone GJ, Traylor M, Anderson CD, Battey TW, Radmanesh F, Deka R, Woo JG, Martin LJ, Jimenez-Conde J, Selim M, Brown DL, Silliman SL, Kidwell CS, Montaner J, Langefeld CD, Slowik A, Hansen BM, Lindgren AG, Meschia JF, Fornage M, Bis JC, Debette S, Ikram MA, Longstreth WT, Schmidt R, Zhang CR, Yang Q, Sharma P, Kittner SJ, Mitchell BD, Holliday EG, Levi CR, Attia J, Rothwell PM, Poole DL, Boncoraglio GB, Psaty BM, Malik R, Rost N, Worrall BB, Dichgans M, Van Agtmael T, Woo D, Markus HS, Seshadri S, Rosand J, Sudlow CL; On behalf of the METASTROKE Consortium, the CHARGE WMH Group, the ISGC ICH GWAS Study Collaboration, the WMH in Ischemic Stroke GWAS Study Collaboration, and the International Stroke Genetics Consortium. Common variation in COL4A1/COL4A2 is associated with sporadic cerebral small vessel disease. Neurology. 2015 Feb 4. pii: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000001309. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Ahmedani BK, Solberg LI, Copeland LA, Fang-Hollingsworth Y, Stewart C, Hu J, Nerenz DR, Williams LK, Cassidy-Bushrow AE, Waxmonsky J, Lu CY, Waitzfelder BE, Owen-Smith AA, Coleman KJ, Lynch FL, Ahmed AT, Beck A, Rossom RC, Simon GE. Psychiatric comorbidity and 30-day readmissions after hospitalization for heart failure, AMI, and pneumonia. Psychiatr Serv. 2015;66(2):134-40. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.201300518. Epub 2014.Nov 1. PubMed
Mozaffarian D, Kabagambe EK, Johnson CO, Lemaitre RN, Manichaikul A, Sun Q, Foy M, Wang L, Wiener H, Irvin MR, Rich SS, Wu H, Jensen MK, Chasman DI, Chu AY, Fornage M, Steffen L, King IB, McKnight B, Psaty BM, Djoussé L, Chen IY, Wu JH, Siscovick DS, Ridker PM, Tsai MY, Rimm EB, Hu FB, Arnett DK. Genetic loci associated with circulating phospholipid trans fatty acids: a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies from the CHARGE Consortium. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015;101(2):398-406. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.114.094557. Epub 2014 Dec 10. PubMed
Smith CE, Follis JL, Nettleton JA, Foy M, Wu JH, Ma Y, Tanaka T, Manichakul AW, Wu H, Chu AY, Steffen LM, Fornage M, Mozaffarian D, Kabagambe EK, Ferruci L, Chen YI, Rich SS, Djoussé L, Ridker PM, Tang W, McKnight B, Tsai MY, Bandinelli S, Rotter JI, Hu FB, Chasman DI, Psaty BM, Arnett DK, King IB, Sun Q, Wang L, Lumley T, Chiuve SE, Siscovick DS, Ordovás JM, Lemaitre RN. Dietary fatty acids modulate associations between genetic variants and circulating fatty acids in plasma and erythrocyte membranes: meta-analysis of 9 studies in the CHARGE consortium. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2015 Jan 27. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201400734. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Researchers in Cardiovascular Health
 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 |
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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KPWHRI in the media
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AARP, June 3, 2024
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