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):
Zakai NA, Lange L, Longstreth WT Jr, O’Meara ES, Kelley JL, Fornage M, Nickerson D, Cushman M, Reiner AP. Association of coagulation and inflammation related genes and factor VIIc levels with stroke: the Cardiovascular Health Study. J Thromb Haemost. 2011 Feb;9(2):267-74. doi: 10.1111/j.1538-7836.2010.04149.x. PubMed
Reinke LF, Slatore CG, Udris EM, Moss BR, Johnson EA, Au DH. The association of depression and preferences for life-sustaining treatments in veterans with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2011 Feb;41(2):402-11. Epub 2010 Dec 8. PubMed
Burgess CP, Bailie R, Connors C, Chenhall R, McDermott R, O’Dea K, Matthews H, Gunabarra C, Esterman A. Early identification and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease risk within a remote Australian Aboriginal primary health care service. BMC Health Serv Res. 2011 Jan 31;11:24. doi: 10.1186/1472-6963-11-24.
Zhang ZM, Prineas RJ, Case D, Psaty BM, Suzuki T, Burke GL. Gender differences between the Minnesota code and Novacode electrocardiographic prognostication of coronary heart disease in the cardiovascular health study. Am J Cardiol. 2011 Mar 15;107(6):817-820.e1. Epub 2011 Jan 19. PubMed
Linefsky J, Katz R, Budoff M, Probstfield J, Owens D, Takasu J, Shavelle D, Ouyang P, Psaty B, O'Brien KD. Stages of systemic hypertension and blood pressure as correlates of computed tomography-assessed aortic valve calcium (from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis). Am J Cardiol. 2011;107(1):47-51. 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