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
Mell MW, Pettinger M, Proulx-Burns L, Heckbert SR, Allison MA, Criqui MH, Hlatky MA, Burwen DR; for the WHI PVD Writing Workgroup. Evaluation of Medicare claims data to ascertain peripheral vascular events in the Women's Health Initiative. J Vasc Surg. 2014 Jul;60(1):98-105. doi: 10.1016/j.jvs.2014.01.056. Epub 2014 Mar 11. PubMed
Chrispin J, Jain A, Soliman EZ, Guallar E, Alonso A, Heckbert SR, Bluemke DA, Lima JA, Nazarian S. Association of electrocardiographic and imaging surrogates of left ventricular hypertrophy with incident atrial fibrillation: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2014 May 20;63(19):2007-13. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2014.01.066. Epub 2014 Mar 19. PubMed
Moyer VA, US Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for lung cancer: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Ann Intern Med. 2014 Mar 4;160(5):330-8. doi: 10.7326/M13-2771.
Lin H, Sinner MF, Brody JA, Arking DE, Lunetta KL, Rienstra M, Lubitz SA, Magnani JW, Sotoodehnia N, McKnight B, McManus DD, Boerwinkle E, Psaty BM, Rotter JI, Bis JC, Gibbs RA, Muzny D, Kovar CL, Morrison AC, Gupta M, Folsom AR, Kääb S, Heckbert SR, Alonso A, Ellinor PT, Benjamin EJ; on behalf of the CHARGE Atrial Fibrillation Working Group. Targeted sequencing in candidate genes for atrial fibrillation: the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) targeted sequencing study. Heart Rhythm. 2014 Mar;11(3):452-7. doi: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2013.11.012. Epub 2013 Nov 14. PubMed
Lange LA, Hu Y, Zhang H, Xue C, Schmidt EM, Tang ZZ, Bizon C, Lange EM, Smith JD, Turner EH, Jun G, Kang HM, Peloso G, Auer P, Li KP, Flannick J, Zhang J, Fuchsberger C, Gaulton K, Lindgren C, Locke A, Manning A, Sim X, Rivas MA, Holmen OL, Gottesman O, Lu Y, Ruderfer D, Stahl EA, Duan Q, Li Y, Durda P, Jiao S, Isaacs A, Hofman A, Bis JC, Correa A, Griswold ME, Jakobsdottir J, Smith AV, Schreiner PJ, Feitosa MF, Zhang Q, Huffman JE, Crosby J, Wassel CL, Do R, Franceschini N, Martin LW, Robinson JG, Assimes TL, Crosslin DR, Rosenthal EA, Tsai M, Rieder MJ, Farlow DN, Folsom AR, Lumley T, Fox ER, Carlson CS, Peters U, Jackson RD, van Duijn CM, Uitterlinden AG, Levy D, Rotter JI, Taylor HA, Gudnason V Jr, Siscovick DS, Fornage M, Borecki IB, Hayward C, Rudan I, Chen YE, Bottinger EP, Loos RJ, Sætrom P, Hveem K, Boehnke M, Groop L, McCarthy M, Meitinger T, Ballantyne CM, Gabriel SB, O'Donnell CJ, Post WS, North KE, Reiner AP, Boerwinkle E, Psaty BM, Altshuler D, Kathiresan S, Lin DY, Jarvik GP, Cupples LA, Kooperberg C, Wilson JG, Nickerson DA, Abecasis GR, Rich SS, Tracy RP, Willer CJ; NHLBI Grand Opportunity Exome Sequencing Project. Whole-exome sequencing identifies rare and low-frequency coding variants associated with LDL cholesterol. Am J Hum Genet. 2014 Feb 6;94(2):233-45. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2014.01.010.
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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