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):
Hartman SJ, LaCroix AZ, Sears DD, Natarajan L, Zablocki RW, Chen R, Patterson JS, Dillon L, Sallis JF, Schenk S, Dunstan DW, Owen N, Rosenberg DE. Impacts of reducing sitting time or increasing sit-to-stand transitions on blood pressure and glucose regulation in postmenopausal women: Three-arm randomized controlled trial. Circulation. 2025 Aug 26;152(8):492-504. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.124.073385. Epub 2025 Jul 25. PubMed
Munsch G, Thibord F, Bezerra OC, Brody JA, van Hylckama Vlieg A, Gourhant L, Chen MH, Samaria F, Germain M, Caro I, Suchon P, Olaso R, Wiggins KL, Saut N, Besse C, Goumidi L, Bacq D, Harrington LB, Boland A, Emmerich J, Smadja DM, Lemarie CA, Danckwardt S, Debette S, Deleuze JF, Jacqmin-Gadda H, Rodger MA, Gagnon F, Rosendaal FR, Johnson AD, Smith NL, Couturaud F, Morange PE, Tregouet DA. Molecular determinants of thrombosis recurrence risk across venous thromboembolism subtypes. Blood. 2025 Aug 14:blood.2024027879. doi: 10.1182/blood.2024027879 [Epub ahead of print] PubMed
Abrahão R, Ruddy KJ, Laurent CA, Chubak J, Haupt EC, Brunson AM, Hahn EE, Chao CR, Moy LM, Wun T, Kushi LH, Keegan THM, Sauder CAM. Trastuzumab therapy and new-onset hypertension in adolescents and young adults with breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2025 Aug;213(1):81-92. doi: 10.1007/s10549-025-07760-0. Epub 2025 Jun 27. PubMed
Harrington LB, Cushing-Haugen KL, Nguyen S, Bellettiere J, LaMonte MJ, Eaton CB, Allison MA, Wallace RB, Manson JE, Jensen MK, Kabrhel C, Wellenius GA, Lee IM, Mukamal KJ, LaCroix AZ. Sedentary behaviors and venous thromboembolism risk among older women: The Objective Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health (OPACH) study. J Thromb Haemost. 2025 May;23(5):1636-1647. doi: 10.1016/j.jtha.2025.02.014. Epub 2025 Feb 20. PubMed
Sterling MR, Ferranti EP, Green BB, Moise N, Foraker R, Nam S, Juraschek SP, Anderson CAM, St Laurent P, Sussman J. The role of primary care in achieving life's essential 8: A scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2024;17(12):e000134. doi: 10.1161/HCQ.0000000000000134. Epub 2024 Nov 13. PubMed
![]() Sascha Dublin, MD, PhDSenior Investigator |
![]() Beverly B. Green, MD, MPHSenior Investigator |
![]() Laura Harrington, PhD, MPHAssociate Investigator |
![]() Nicole M. Gatto, PhD, MPHPrincipal Collaborative Scientist |
![]() Meagan C. Brown, PhD, MPHAssistant Investigator |
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