As the world’s population is aging, and U.S. baby boomers are entering their golden years, Kaiser Permanente Washington scientists are at the forefront of research to help older adults lead healthier lives.
“Research on aging cuts across virtually everything our institute does,” says Eric B. Larson, MD, MPH, a senior investigator who previously served as executive director of Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) and Kaiser Permanente Washington vice president for research and health care innovation.
This includes studies looking at brain health, physical activity and behavior change, unsafe and unnecessary treatment, cardiovascular health, and chronic disease management, among other research areas. Now, new funding for aging research — especially Alzheimer’s and related disorders — offers even greater opportunities for KPWHRI scientists and their colleagues who work in health care systems.
The institute has hosted several long-running cohort studies, including the Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) Study, a collaboration with the University of Washington, among other partners. For more than 30 years, ACT researchers, led by Dr. Larson, have focused on finding ways to delay or prevent Alzheimer’s disease, other dementias, and cognitive decline. Through ACT and related studies such as the Seattle Longitudinal Study, the institute has discovered clues to healthy aging that translate into guidance for safely staying active, avoiding injurious falls, and reducing cardiovascular risks. These and other changes have likely contributed to lowering of dementia rates in the United States and other countries.
More recently, ACT researchers have also been contributing to research on traumatic brain injury and on the genetic foundations of various diseases, including Alzheimer’s. ACT has established one of the world’s largest brain banks set in a community health care system and dedicated to the study of the aging brain, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia, with more than 880 brains donated from ACT volunteers.
In May 2021, the National Institute of Aging awarded ACT a new grant totaling $55.6 million — 3 times the amount of the study’s previous funding round. Under the 5-year grant, ACT partners are expanding the existing cohort of 2,000 Kaiser Permanente Washington members to 3,000 and implementing new strategies to recruit a more diverse population. Additionally, as part of the grant, the ACT team is making its data more accessible to researchers nationwide.
Scientists at KPWHRI are advancing age-related research in many other areas as well. Some highlights:
“We’re learning what our study participants value as they grow older,” Dr. Larson says. “And we hope to apply that to help them have a positive experience with aging — promoting their independence and providing them with skills to cope with any problems that may occur.”
Coley RY, Smith JJ, Karliner L, Idu AE, Lee SJ, Fuller S, Lam R, Barnes DE, Dublin S. External validation of the eRADAR risk score for detecting undiagnosed dementia in two real-world healthcare systems. J Gen Intern Med. 2022 Jul 29. doi: 10.1007/s11606-022-07736-6. Online ahead of print. PubMed
Crist K, Full KM, Linke S, Tuz-Zahra F, Bolling K, Lewars B, Liu C, Shi Y, Rosenberg D, Jankowska M, Benmarhnia T, Natarajan L. Health effects and cost-effectiveness of a multilevel physical activity intervention in low-income older adults; results from the PEP4PA cluster randomized controlled trial. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2022 Jun 27;19(1):75. doi: 10.1186/s12966-022-01309-w. PubMed
Abdulrahman H, van Dalen JW, den Brok M, Latimer CS, Larson EB, Richard E. Hypertension and Alzheimer's disease pathology at autopsy: A systematic review. LID - 10.1002/alz.12707 [doi] Alzheimers Dement. 2022 Jun 27. doi: 10.1002/alz.12707 [Epub ahead of print] PubMed
Nelson PT, Brayne C, Flanagan ME, Abner EL, Agrawal S, Attems J, Castellani RJ, Corrada MM, Cykowski MD, Di J, Dickson DW, Dugger BN, Ervin JF, Fleming J, Graff-Radford J, Grinberg LT, Hokkanen SRK, Hunter S, Kapasi A, Kawas CH, Keage HAD, Keene CD, Kero M, Knopman DS, Kouri N, Kovacs GG, Labuzan SA, Larson EB, Latimer CS, Leite REP, Matchett BJ, Matthews FE, Merrick R, Montine TJ, Murray ME, Myllykangas L, Nag S, Nelson RS, Neltner JH, Nguyen AT, Petersen RC, Polvikoski T, Reichard RR, Rodriguez RD, Suemoto CK, Wang SJ, Wharton SB, White L, Schneider JA. Frequency of LATE neuropathologic change across the spectrum of Alzheimer's disease neuropathology: combined data from 13 community-based or population-based autopsy cohorts. Acta Neuropathol. 2022 Jun 13. doi: 10.1007/s00401-022-02444-1. Online ahead of print. PubMed
Smith BM, Wiemken A, Hoffman EA, Keenan BT, Allen NB, Bertoni AG, Jacobs DR Jr, Michos ED, Watson KE, Redline S, Schwab RJ, Barr RG, Heckbert SR. Upper and lower airway dysanapsis and airflow obstruction among older adults. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2022 Jun 9. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202202-0353LE. Online ahead of print. PubMed
![]() Eric B. Larson, MD, MPH, MACPSenior Investigator and former Executive Director, KPWHRI; Former Vice President for Research and Health Care Innovation, KPWA |
![]() Sascha Dublin, MD, PhDSenior Investigator |
![]() Dori E. Rosenberg, PhD, MPHAssociate Investigator |
![]() Erin J. Bowles, MPHManager, Collaborative Science |
![]() Ellen O'Meara, PhDPrincipal Collaborative Scientist |
![]() Melissa L. Anderson, MSSenior Collaborative Biostatistician |
![]() Rod L. Walker, MSSenior Collaborative Biostatistician |
![]() Laura Harrington, PhD, MPHAssistant Investigator |
![]() Michael L. Parchman, MD, MPHSenior Investigator, ACT Center |
![]() Katie Coleman, MSPHDirector, Collaborative Science; Director, ACT Center |
![]() Robert Penfold, PhDSenior Investigator |
![]() Marlaine Gray, PhDAssistant Investigator |
![]() Ben Balderson, PhDSenior Collaborative Scientist |
![]() Jing Zhou, PhDSenior Collaborative Biostatistician |
![]() Jennifer C. Nelson, PhDDirector, Biostatistics; Senior Investigator |
![]() Onchee Yu, MSSenior Collaborative Biostatistician |
![]() Jessica Chubak, PhDSenior Investigator |
![]() Nora Henrikson, PhD, MPHAssociate Investigator |
![]() Yu-Ru Su, PhDAssistant Biostatistics Investigator |
![]() Julia J. Smith, MSSenior Collaborative Biostatistician |
![]() Chloe Krakauer, PhDCollaborative Biostatistician II |
![]() Karen Wernli, PhDAssociate Investigator |
![]() Mikael Anne Greenwood-Hickman, MPHCollaborative Scientist |
![]() Brian D. Williamson, PhDAssistant Biostatistics Investigator |
![]() Pamela A. Shaw, PhD, MSSenior Biostatistics Investigator |
James Bowen, MD
Neurologist
Swedish Medical Center
Paul Crane, MD, MPH
Professor, Internal Medicine
University of Washington
David R. Crosslin, PhD
Assistant Professor
Biomedical Informatics and Medical Education
Adjunct Faculty
Genome Sciences, Division of Medical Genetics
University of Washington
Kristen Dams-O'Connor, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine
Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai
James Floyd, MD, MS
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine
Shelly Gray, PharmD, MS, AGSF
Professor, Department of Pharmacy
University of Washington
Gail Jarvik, MD, PhD
Professor, Medical Genetics, Genome Sciences, Department of Medicine
University of Washington
Dirk Keene, MD, PhD
Department of Pathology
Harborview Medical Center
Zachary A. Marcum, PhD, PharmD
Assistant Professor, School of Pharmacy
University of Washington
Wayne McCormick, MD, MPH
Head of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine
UW Medicine
Sue McCurry, PhD
Research Professor, Psychosocial and Community Health
University of Washington
Elizabeth Phelan, MD, MS
Associate Professor, Medicine/Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine
Harborview Medical Center
Adjunct Associate Professor, Health Services
University of Washington
Janelle S. Taylor, PhD
Professor, Department of Anthropology
University of Toronto
Linda Teri, PhD
Professor, Psychosocial & Community Health
Director, Northwest Research Group on Aging, Psychosocial and Community Health
University of Washington
Oleg Zaslavsky, PhD, MHA, RN
Assistant Professor Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Systems Department
Associate Director of Research, de Tornyay Center for Health Aging
School of Nursing, University of Washington