Americans are using more prescription drugs than ever. Consequently, they’re coping with more side effects, drug interactions, and costs, especially if they’re using multiple medications. Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) scientists are on the forefront of answering questions about these concerns. We’re studying the beneficial and harmful effects of medications in real-world settings, and innovating better ways to manage and monitor drug use.
The institute contributes to national initiatives to monitor medication safety as well as providing information to help doctors and patients weigh the risks and benefits of various prescription drugs.
Funders of KPWHRI medication use and patient safety research include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, and other sources. A few projects include:
Salz T, Lavery JA, Lipitz-Snyderman AN, Boudreau DM, Moryl N, Gillespie EF, Korenstein D. Trends in opioid use among older survivors of colorectal, lung, and breast cancers. J Clin Oncol. 2019 Feb 28:JCO1800938. doi: 10.1200/JCO.18.00938. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Pocobelli G, Yu O, Ziebell RA, Aiello Bowles EJ, Fujii MM, Sterrett AT, Boggs JM, Chen L, Boudreau DM, Ritzwoller DP, Hubbard RA, Chubak J. Use of antidepressants after colon cancer diagnosis and risk of recurrence. Psycho-oncology. 2019 Jan 31. doi: 10.1002/pon.5015. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Kline-Simon AH, Stumbo SP, Campbell CI, Binswanger IA, Weisner C, Haller IV, Hechter RC, Ahmedani BK, Lapham GT, Loree AM, Sterling SA, Yarborough BJH. Patient characteristics associated with treatment initiation and engagement among individuals diagnosed with alcohol and other drug use disorders in emergency department and primary care settings. Subst Abus. 2019;40(3):278-284. doi: 10.1080/08897077.2018.1547812. Epub 2019 Jan 31. PubMed
Masters ET, Ramaprasan A, Mardekian J, Palmer RE, Gross DE, Cronkite D, Von Korff M, Carrell DS. Natural language processing-identified problem opioid use and its associated health care costs. J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother. 2019 Jan 31:1-10. doi: 10.1080/15360288.2018.1488794. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Loree AM, Yeh HH, Satre DD, Kline-Simon AH, Jo H Yarborough B, Haller IV, Campbell CI, Lapham GT, Hechter RC, Binswanger IA, Weisner C, Ahmedani BK. Psychiatric comorbidity and Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measures of alcohol and other drug treatment initiation and engagement across 7 health care systems. Subst Abus. 2019;40(3):311-317. doi: 10.1080/08897077.2018.1545727. Epub 2019 Jan 25. PubMed
![]() Sascha Dublin, MD, PhDSenior Investigator |
![]() Jessica Chubak, PhDSenior Investigator |
![]() Andrea J. Cook, PhDSenior Biostatistics Investigator |
![]() Rita Mangione-Smith, MD, MPHExecutive Director and Senior Investigator, KPWHRI; Vice President for Research and Health Care Innovation, Kaiser Permanente Washington |
![]() Jennifer C. Nelson, PhDDirector, Biostatistics; Senior Investigator |
![]() David E. Arterburn, MD, MPHSenior Investigator |
![]() Susan M. Shortreed, PhDSenior Biostatistics Investigator |
![]() Lisa A. Jackson, MD, MPHSenior Investigator |
![]() Karen Wernli, PhDSenior Investigator |
![]() Onchee Yu, MSPrincipal Collaborative Biostatistician |
![]() Rod L. Walker, MSPrincipal Collaborative Biostatistician |
![]() Robert D. Wellman, MSPrincipal Collaborative Biostatistician |
![]() Gaia Pocobelli, PhDSenior Collaborative Scientist |
![]() David S. Carrell, PhDAssociate Investigator |
![]() Laura Harrington, PhD, MPHAssistant Investigator |
![]() Jennifer F. Bobb, PhDAssociate Biostatistics Investigator |
![]() Weiwei Zhu, MSSenior Collaborative Biostatistician |
![]() Paige D. Wartko, PhD, MPHSenior Collaborative Scientist |
![]() Maricela Cruz, PhDAssistant Biostatistics Investigator |
![]() Brian D. Williamson, PhDAssistant Biostatistics Investigator |
![]() Noorie Hyun, PhDAssociate Biostatistics Investigator |
![]() Laurel Hansell, MA, MPHCollaborative Scientist |
![]() Jess Mogk, MPHCollaborative Scientist |
![]() Annie Piccorelli, PhDSenior Collaborative Biostatistician |
Susan Heckbert, MD, PhD
University of Washington (UW) Department of Epidemiology; UW Cardiovascular Health Research Unit
David Siscovick, MD, MPH
UW Department of Medicine; UW Department of Epidemiology; UW Cardiovascular Health Research Unit
Leslie Spangler, PhD
Amgen