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):
Sinner MF, Stepas KA, Moser CB, Krijthe BP, Aspelund T, Sotoodehnia N, Fontes JD, Janssens AC, Kronmal RA, Magnani JW, Witteman JC, Chamberlain AM, Lubitz SA, Schnabel RB, Vasan RS, Wang TJ, Agarwal SK, McManus DD, Franco OH, Yin X, Larson MG, Burke GL, Launer LJ, Hofman A, Levy D, Gottdiener JS, Kääb S, Couper D, Harris TB, Astor BC, Ballantyne CM, Hoogeveen RC, Arai AE, Soliman EZ, Ellinor PT, Stricker BH, Gudnason V, Heckbert SR, Pencina MJ, Benjamin EJ, Alonso A. B-type natriuretic peptide and C-reactive protein in the prediction of atrial fibrillation risk: the CHARGE-AF consortium of community-based cohort studies. Europace. 2014 Oct;16(10):1426-33. doi: 10.1093/europace/euu175. Epub 2014 Jul 18. PubMed
Kilarski LL, Achterberg S, Devan WJ, Traylor M, Malik R, Lindgren A, Pare G, Sharma P, Slowik A, Thijs V, Walters M, Worrall BB, Sale MM, Algra A, Kappelle LJ, Wijmenga C, Norrving B, Sandling JK, Rönnblom L, Goris A, Franke A, Sudlow C, Rothwell PM, Levi C, Holliday EG, Fornage M, Psaty B, Gretarsdottir S, Thorsteinsdottir U, Seshadri S, Mitchell BD, Kittner S, Clarke R, Hopewell JC, Bis JC, Boncoraglio GB, Meschia J, Ikram MA, Hansen BM, Montaner J, Thorleifsson G, Stefanson K, Rosand J, de Bakker PI, Farrall M, Dichgans M, Markus HS, Bevan S; On behalf of the GARNET Collaborative Research Group, Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium 2, Australian Stroke Genetic Collaborative, the METASTROKE Consortium, and the International Stroke Genetics Consortium. Meta-analysis in more than 17,900 cases of ischemic stroke reveals a novel association at 12q24.12. Neurology. 2014 Aug 19;83(8):678-85. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000000707. Epub 2014 Jul 16. PubMed
Rosenberg MA, Kaplan RC, Siscovick DS, Psaty BM, Heckbert SR, Newton-Cheh C, Mukamal KJ. Genetic variants related to height and risk of atrial fibrillation: the Cardiovascular Health Study. Am J Epidemiol. 2014;180(2):215-22. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwu126. Epub 2014 Jun 18. PubMed
Folsom AR, Roetker NS, Rosamond WD, Heckbert SR, Basu S, Cushman M, Lutsey PL. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and risk of venous thromboembolism: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. J Thromb Haemost. 2014 Sep;12(9):1455-60. doi: 10.1111/jth.12665. Epub 2014 Aug 11. PubMed
Imai M, Venkatesh BA, Samiei S, Donekal S, Habibi M, Armstrong AC, Heckbert SR, Wu CO, Bluemke DA, Lima JA. Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis: association between left atrial function using tissue tracking from cine MR imaging and myocardial fibrosis. Radiology. 2014 Dec;273(3):703-13. doi: 10.1148/radiol.14131971. Epub 2014 Jul 14. 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