Aging & Geriatrics

Research overview

As the world’s population is aging, and U.S. baby boomers are entering their golden years, it’s only fitting that research at Kaiser Permanente Washington contributes to helping seniors to lead healthier lives.

“Research on aging cuts across virtually everything our institute does,” says Eric B. Larson, MD, MPH, the senior investigator and 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 of older women’s health, mental health issues in the elderly, and controlling cancers and chronic illnesses that become more common with age. The widely cited Chronic Care Model, developed at KPWHRI’s MacColl Center for Health Care Innovation, is now the leading care-design model for everyone, including older people, with chronic disease. Now, funding for aging research, especially Alzheimer’s and related disorders, offers even great opportunities for embedded scientists and their teams.

The institute has hosted  several long-running cohort studies, including the Seattle Longitudinal Study, begun in the early 1950s, and the Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) study, a collaboration with the University of Washington. 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, 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 some first-world 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.

In addition, the institute’s drug safety research contributes to better understanding of how certain common medications affect seniors’ well-being, including avoiding unsafe medications. Meanwhile, our investigators are also seeking ways to help seniors stay physically active, avoid unnecessary hospitalizations, and receive late-life care that best reflects their values and preferences.

“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.”

Affiliate researchers

Paul Crane, MD, MPH
Professor, Internal Medicine
University of Washington

Sue McCurry, PhD
Research Professor, Psychosocial and Community Health
University of Washington

Linda Teri, PhD
Professor, Psychosocial & Community Health
Director, Northwest Research Group on Aging, Psychosocial and Community Health
University of Washington

Shelly Gray, PharmD, MS, AGSF
Professor, Department of Pharmacy
University of Washington

Zachary A. Marcum, PhD, PharmD
Assistant Professor, School of Pharmacy
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

Janelle S. Taylor, PhD
Professor, Department of Anthropology
University of Toronto

Elizabeth Phelan, MD, MS
Associate Professor, Medicine/Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine
Harborview Medical Center
Adjunct Associate Professor, Health Services
University of Washington

Gail Jarvik, MD, PhD
Professor, Medical Genetics, Genome Sciences, Department of Medicine
University of Washington

James Floyd, MD, MS
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine