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.”

Laura B. Harrington, PhD, MPH
Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute Assistant Investigator

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

Zhou J, Walker RL, Gray SL, Marcum ZA, Barthold D, Bowen JD, McCormick W, McCurry SM, Larson EB, Crane PK. Glucose-dementia association is consistent over blood pressure/antihypertensive groups. J Alzheimers Dis. 2021 Jan 30. doi: 10.3233/JAD-201138. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed

Angier H, Huguet N, Ezekiel-Herrera D, Marino M, Schmidt T, Green BB, DeVoe JE. New hypertension and diabetes diagnoses following the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion. Fam Med Community Health. 2020;8(4):e000607. doi: 10.1136/fmch-2020-000607.  PubMed

Wang RC, Miglioretti DL, Marlow EC, Kwan ML, Theis MK, Bowles EJA, Greenlee RT, Rahm AK, Stout NK, Weinmann S, Smith-Bindman R. Trends in imaging for suspected pulmonary embolism across U.S. health care systems, 2004 to 2016. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(11):e2026930. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.26930.  PubMed

Badon SE, Dublin S, Nance N, Hedderson MM, Neugebauer R, Easterling T, Cheetham TC, Chen L, Holt VL, Avalos LA. Gestational weight gain and adverse pregnancy outcomes by pre-pregnancy bmi category in women with chronic hypertension: a cohort study. Pregnancy Hypertens. 2021 Mar;23:27-33. doi: 10.1016/j.preghy.2020.10.009. Epub 2020 Oct 24. PubMed

Bick AG, Weinstock JS, Nandakumar SK, Fulco CP, Bao EL, Zekavat SM, Szeto MD, Liao X, Leventhal MJ, Nasser J, Chang K, Laurie C, Burugula BB, Gibson CJ, Lin AE, Taub MA, Aguet F, Ardlie K, Mitchell BD, Barnes KC, Moscati A, Fornage M, Redline S, Psaty BM, Silverman EK, Weiss ST, Palmer ND, Vasan RS, Burchard EG, Kardia SLR, He J, Kaplan RC, Smith NL, Arnett DK, Schwartz DA, Correa A, de Andrade M, Guo X, Konkle BA, Custer B, Peralta JM, Gui H, Meyers DA, McGarvey ST, Chen IY, Shoemaker MB, Peyser PA, Broome JG, Gogarten SM, Wang FF, Wong Q, Montasser ME, Daya M, Kenny EE, North KE, Launer LJ, Cade BE, Bis JC, Cho MH, Lasky-Su J, Bowden DW, Cupples LA, Mak ACY, Becker LC, Smith JA, Kelly TN, Aslibekyan S, Heckbert SR, Tiwari HK, Yang IV, Heit JA, Lubitz SA, Johnsen JM, Curran JE, Wenzel SE, Weeks DE, Rao DC, Darbar D, Moon JY, Tracy RP, Buth EJ, Rafaels N, Loos RJF, Durda P, Liu Y, Hou L, Lee J, Kachroo P, Freedman BI, Levy D, Bielak LF, Hixson JE, Floyd JS, Whitsel EA, Ellinor PT, Irvin MR, Fingerlin TE, Raffield LM, Armasu SM, Wheeler MM, Sabino EC, Blangero J, Williams LK, Levy BD, Sheu WH, Roden DM, Boerwinkle E, Manson JE, Mathias RA, Desai P, Taylor KD, Johnson AD; NHLBI Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine Consortium, Auer PL, Kooperberg C, Laurie CC, Blackwell TW, Smith AV, Zhao H, Lange E, Lange L, Rich SS, Rotter JI, Wilson JG, Scheet P, Kitzman JO, Lander ES, Engreitz JM, Ebert BL, Reiner AP, Jaiswal S, Abecasis G, Sankaran VG, Kathiresan S, Natarajan P. Inherited causes of clonal haematopoiesis in 97,691 whole genomes. Nature. 2020 Oct 14. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2819-2. Online ahead of print. PubMed

Researchers in Cardiovascular Health

Sascha Dublin, MD, PhD

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

Curriculum vitae (CV)

Beverly B. Green, MD, MPH

Senior Investigator
206-287-2997
Bev.B.Green@kp.org

Curriculum vitae (CV)

Laura Harrington, PhD, MPH

Assistant Investigator
206-287-2066
Laura.B.Harrington@kp.org

Curriculum vitae (CV)

Ellen O'Meara, PhD

Principal Collaborative Scientist
206-287-2938
Ellen.S.O'Meara@kp.org

Curriculum vitae (CV)

Nicole M. Gatto, PhD, MPH

Principal Collaborative Scientist
Nicole.M.Gatto@kp.org

Curriculum vitae (CV)

Meagan C. Brown, PhD, MPH

Assistant Investigator
Meagan.C.Brown@kp.org

Curriculum vitae (CV)

 

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