Our Research
Science to serve one goal: Better health
Scientists at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) have a rare advantage: We work within a system that provides both care and coverage. With a 360-degree view of people’s everyday health experience over time, we discover what works best to serve Kaiser Permanente's mission: better health.
We collaborate closely with Kaiser Permanente Washington's medical staff and other providers — gaining from their perspectives on practical approaches to health care’s toughest problems. Together, we create a learning health care system — a place where research strengthens practice and practice strengthen research.
Scientists
Working in the public interest
Our faculty work on interdisciplinary research teams, conducting about 300 studies at any given time. They partner with affiliate researchers and others from academic institutions and health systems and share findings in the public domain to serve the public good.
See our KPWHRI researcher directory.
2023 annual report
Research and innovation for better health
In 2023, KPWHRI conducted impactful studies on cancer screening, vaccine safety, suicide prevention, dementia care, and more.
Funding sources
A broad base of support
Most of our support comes from federal agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health. We also contract with biomedical companies and receive grants from private foundations. About 5 percent of our budget comes from Kaiser Permanente Washington.
See our list of funders.
Research
Changing sitting habits shows meaningful impact
A new trial highlights a promising intervention to improve blood pressure in older adults.
Recent publications
Schuttner L, Staloff J, Theis M, Ralston JD, Rosland AM, Nelson K, Coyle L, Hagan S, Schult T, Solt T, Ritchey K, Sayre G. Perceived connections between personal values and health in high-risk patients with multimorbidity: A qualitative study. J Gen Intern Med. 2025 Mar 4. doi: 10.1007/s11606-025-09448-z. Online ahead of print. PubMed
Kahrs JC, Nickel KB, Wood ME, Dublin S, Durkin MJ, Osmundson SS, Stwalley D, Suarez EA, Butler AM. Development of a pregnancy cohort in commercial insurance claims data: Evaluation of deliveries identified from inpatient versus outpatient claims. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2025 Mar;34(3):e70115. doi: 10.1002/pds.70115. PubMed
Frutos AM, Cleary S, Reeves EL, Ahmad HM, Price AM, Self WH, Zhu Y, Safdar B, Peltan ID, Gibbs KW, Exline MC, Lauring AS, Ball SW, DeSilva M, Tartof SY, Dascomb K, Irving SA, Klein NP, Dixon BE, Ong TC, Vaughn IA, House SL, Faryar KA, Nowalk MP, Gaglani M, Wernli KJ, Murugan V, Williams OL, Selvarangan R, Weinberg GA, Staat MA, Halasa NB, Sahni LC, Michaels MG, Englund JA, Kirby MK, Surie D, Dawood FS, Clopper BR, Moline HL, Link-Gelles R, Payne AB, Harker E, Wielgosz K, Weber ZA, Yang DH, Lewis NM, DeCuir J, Olson SM, Chung JR, Flannery B, Grohskopf LA, Reed C, Garg S, Ellington S; CDC Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Collaborators. Interim estimates of 2024-2025 seasonal influenza vaccine effectiveness - four vaccine effectiveness networks, United States, October 2024 - February 2025. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2025 Feb 27;74(6):83-90. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7406a2. PubMed
Garcia S, Mahmud A, Dumke K, Erkenbeck A, Chao C, Mun S, Brown M. Understanding, assessing, and improving social health resource referrals in healthcare organizations. Health Serv Res. 2025 Feb 26:e14466. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.14466. Online ahead of print. PubMed
Collaborate with us
KPWHRI oversees all research conducted at Kaiser Permanente Washington, ensuring that all studies involving Kaiser Permanente Washington members are aligned with the organization’s primary mission: to improve health. Researchers from outside Kaiser Permanente Washington can learn more about our processes for collaborating with KPWHRI faculty members.
Land Acknowledgment
Our Seattle offices sit on the occupied land of the Duwamish and by the shared waters of the Coast Salish people, who have been here thousands of years and remain. Learn about practicing land acknowledgment.