Child & Adolescent Health

“Kids have so much potential. How can we optimize their health?”

Rita Mangione-Smith, MD, MPH
Vice President for Research and Health Care Innovation
Executive Director of Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute
Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute Senior Investigator

 

Research overview

Babies, children, and teens have specific health needs. Research and evaluation at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) covers family health from pregnancy through childhood and early adulthood.

KPWHRI research and evaluation topics in child and adolescent health include:

  • drug safety during pregnancy
  • pediatric care quality in health systems
  • quality of care for respiratory illnesses
  • care and transitions for hospitalized children
  • implementation of screening for adverse childhood experiences
  • quality of youth mental health care
  • programs to support trauma and resilience-informed care for youth
  • impact of social determinants of health
  • disease prevention through vaccines

“We’re working with families, helping them make healthy eating, exercise, and preventive care part of their busy daily lives,” says Paula Lozano, MD, MPH, Washington Permanente Medical Group associate medical director for research and translation, KPWHRI senior investigator, and Washington Permanente Medical Group pediatrician.​​​​​​

Recent publications on Child & Adolescent Health

Arthur KC, Mendez Sanchez A, Montero AT, Delgado P, Rosas Ramos O, Orlich F, Desai AD. Identifying adaptations for a mindfulness program for Spanish-speaking mothers of children with chronic conditions or disabilities. Health Educ Res. 2024 Jan 23;39(1):68-83. doi: 10.1093/her/cyad043. PubMed

Sangameswaran S, Laine M, Reid N, Xie SJ, Zampino L, Garrison MM, Rosenberg DE, Yip JC, Hartzler AL. Co-designing mind-body technologies for sleep with adolescents. AMIA Annu Symp Proc. 2024 Jan 11:2023:1257-1266. eCollection 2023. PubMed

Martinez RG, Weiner BJ, Meza RD, Dorsey S, Palazzo LG, Matson A, Bain C, Mettert KD, Pullmann MD, Lewis CC. Study protocol: Novel Methods for Implementing Measurement-Based Care with youth in Low-Resource Environments (NIMBLE).  Implement Sci Commun. 2023;4(1):152. doi: 10.1186/s43058-023-00526-z.  PubMed

Sneed NM, Heerman WJ, Shaw PA, Han K, Chen T, Bian A, Pugh S, Duda S, Lumley T, Shepherd BE. Associations Between Gestational Weight Gain, Gestational Diabetes, and Childhood Obesity Incidence. LID - 10.1007/s10995-023-03853-8 [doi]  Matern Child Health J. 2023 Nov 15. doi: 10.1007/s10995-023-03853-8 [Epub ahead of print] PubMed

Chubak J, Adler A, Bobb JF, Hawkes RJ, Ziebell RA, Pocobelli G, Ludman EJ, Zerr DM. A randomized controlled trial of animal-assisted activities for pediatric oncology patients: Psychosocial and microbial outcomes. J Pediatr Health Care. 2023 Nov 4:S0891-5245(23)00279-1. doi: 10.1016/j.pedhc.2023.09.010. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed

Researchers in Child & Adolescent Health

Paula Lozano, MD, MPH

Senior Investigator; Director, ACT Center
206-287-2113
Paula.Lozano@kp.org

Curriculum vitae (CV)

Lisa A. Jackson, MD, MPH

Senior Investigator
Lisa.A.Jackson@kp.org

Curriculum vitae (CV)

Sascha Dublin, MD, PhD

Senior Investigator
206-287-2870
Sascha.Dublin@kp.org

Curriculum vitae (CV)

Rita Mangione-Smith, MD, MPH

Executive Director and Senior Investigator, KPWHRI; Vice President for Research and Health Care Innovation, Kaiser Permanente Washington
206-287-2988
Rita.M.Mangione-Smith@kp.org

Curriculum vitae (CV)

Robert Penfold, PhD

Senior Investigator
206-287-2232
Robert.B.Penfold@kp.org

Curriculum vitae (CV)

Rosemary Meza, PhD, MS

Collaborative Scientist
Rosemary.X1.Meza@kp.org

Curriculum vitae (CV)

Annie Hoopes, MD, MPH

Acting Assistant Investigator
Andrea.J1.Hoopes@kp.org

Curriculum vitae (CV)



adjunct and Affiliate researchers

John Dunn, MD, MPH
Pediatrician
Washington Permanente Medical Group
Medical Director of Preventive Care
Kaiser Permanente Washington

Gina Sucato, MD, MPH
Director of Adolescent Health Services
Washington Permanente Medical Group

Doug Opel, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics 
University of Washington

Laura P. Richardson, MD, MPH
Adolescent Medicine
Seattle Children's Hospital
Professor, Department of Pediatrics
University of Washington