Our Research

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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.

Access researcher directory


Scientists

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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.

2022 Annual Report

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A commitment to improving health and health care for all

In 2022, KPWHRI continued to lead important research and collaborations to improve health and health care.

Funding sources

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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

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Is blood pressure reading better at home or clinic?

Home blood pressure monitoring shown to be an excellent alternative for making new diagnoses of hypertension.

Recent publications

Carter-Bawa L, Slaven JE Jr, Monahan PO, Brandzel S, Gao H, Wernli KJ, Lafata JE, Rawl SM. Unpacking the relationship between shared decision-making and decisional quality, decision to screen, and screening completion in lung cancer screening.  Patient Educ Couns. 2024;122:108143. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2024.108143. Epub 2024 Jan 11.  PubMed

Head M, Cohn B, Wernli KJ, Palazzo L, Ehrlich K, Matson A, Knerr S. Young women's perspectives on being screened for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer risk during routine primary care. Womens Health Issues. 2024 Mar 5:S1049-3867(24)00004-5. doi: 10.1016/j.whi.2024.01.004. PubMed

Kessler LG, Comstock B, Aiello Bowles EJ, Mou J, Nash MG, Bravo P, Fleckenstein LE, Pflugeisen C, Gao H, Winer RL, Ornelas IJ, Smith C, Neslund-Dudas C, Shetty P. Protocol to measure validity and reliability of colorectal, breast, cervical and lung cancer screening questions from the 2021 National Health Interview Survey: Methodology and design. PLoS One.. 2024 Mar 4;19(3):e0297773. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0297773. eCollection 2024. PubMed

Stefanik-Guizlo K, Allen C, Brush S, Mogk J, Canada S, Peck M, Ramos K, Volpe K, Lozano P. Sustaining connections: Feasibility and impact of long-term virtual patient engagement. Res Involv Engagem. 2024 Feb 24;10(1):28. doi: 10.1186/s40900-024-00558-2. 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.