Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) covers many fields, but much of what we do is health services research. That means we’re studying what really works — and what doesn't — in health care, with a focus on achieving aims including better population health, improved patient experience, and lower health care costs.
It all starts with Kaiser Permanente Washington’s learning health system, where research and practice work side by side to inform and improve each other. Researchers benefit from Kaiser Permanente Washington’s comprehensive capture of rich information about patients’ health, use of health care, and costs. Clinical leaders benefit from rigorous evaluations of novel innovations in care delivery and provider reimbursement.
“Together, we are learning what it takes to quickly translate what works into our health system — and track the long-term effects on outcomes that matter to patients, clinicians, and policymakers,” said David Arterburn, MD, MPH, a senior investigator. Here are just a few examples:
The impact of our health services research is extensive. Being part of the Kaiser Permanente system, along with our membership in the Health Care Systems Research Network, the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium, and other national and international collaborations increases the size and diversity of our study populations. These connections also help KPWHRI shape care and policy beyond the Kaiser Permanente Washington system.
Tuzzio L, Meyers CM, Dember LM, Grudzen CR, Melnick ER, Staman KL, Huang SS, Richards J, DeBar L, Vazquez MA, Green BB, Coronado GD, Jarvik JG, Braciszewski J, Ho M, Wells BL, James K, Toto R, D'Onofrio G, Volandes A, Kuklinski MR, Catalano RF, Sterling SA, Morse EF, Curtis L, Larson EB. Accounting for quality improvement during the conduct of embedded pragmatic clinical trials within healthcare systems: NIH collaboratory case studies. Healthc (Amst). 2021 Jun;8 Suppl 1:100432. doi: 10.1016/j.hjdsi.2020.100432. Epub 2021 Jun 23. PubMed
Henrikson NB, Blasi P, Figueroa Gray M, Tiffany BT, Scrol A, Ralston JD, Fullerton SM, Lim CY, Ewing J, Leppig KA. Patient and family preferences on health system-led direct contact for cascade screening. J Pers Med. 2021;11(6):538. doi: 10.3390/jpm11060538. PubMed
Brouwer E, Yeung K, Barthold D, Hansen R. Characterizing patient assistance program use and patient responsiveness to specialty drug price for multiple sclerosis in a mid-size integrated health system. J Manag Care Spec Pharm. 2021;27(6):732-742. doi: 10.18553/jmcp.2021.27.6.732. PubMed
Damschroder LJ, Knighton AJ, Griese E, Greene SM, Lozano P, Kilbourne AM, Buist DSM, Crotty K, Elwy AR, Fleisher LA, Gonzales R, Huebschmann AG, Limper HM, Ramalingam NS, Wilemon K, Ho PM, Helfrichfcr CD. Recommendations for strengthening the role of embedded researchers to accelerate implementation in health systems: findings from a state-of-the-art (SOTA) conference workgroup. Healthc (Amst). 2021;8 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):100455. doi: 10.1016/j.hjdsi.2020.100455. PubMed
Dickson K, Glass JE, Stadnick N, Graham A, Powell BJ, Barnett M. Value of peer mentoring for early career professional, research, and personal development: a case study of implementation scientists. J Clin Transl Sci. 2021 Apr 8;5(1):e112. doi: 10.1017/cts.2021.776. PubMed
![]() Michael L. Parchman, MD, MPHSenior Investigator, ACT Center |
![]() David E. Arterburn, MD, MPHSenior Investigator |
![]() Rita Mangione-Smith, MD, MPHExecutive Director and Senior Investigator, KPWHRI; Vice President for Research and Health Care Innovation, Kaiser Permanente Washington |
![]() Robert Penfold, PhDSenior Investigator |
![]() James D. Ralston, MD, MPHSenior Investigator |
![]() Katie Coleman, MSPHDirector, Collaborative Science; Director, ACT Center |
![]() Katharine A. Bradley, MD, MPHSenior Investigator |
![]() Paula Lozano, MD, MPHSenior Investigator |
![]() Jessica Chubak, PhDSenior Investigator |
![]() Karen Wernli, PhDSenior Scientific Investigator |
![]() Erin J. Bowles, MPHManager, Collaborative Science |
![]() Nora Henrikson, PhD, MPHAssociate Investigator |
![]() Aruna Kamineni, PhD, MPHAssistant Investigator |
![]() Gwen Lapham, PhD, MPH, MSWAssistant Investigator |
![]() Melissa L. Anderson, MSPrincipal Collaborative Biostatistician |
![]() Eric Johnson, MSSenior Collaborative Biostatistician |
![]() Lorella Palazzo, PhDCollaborative Scientist |
![]() Paula R. Blasi, MPHCollaborative Scientist |
![]() Cara C. Lewis, PhDSenior Investigator |
![]() Yates Coley, PhDAssociate Biostatistics Investigator |
![]() Joseph E. Glass, PhD, MSWAssociate Investigator |
![]() Paige D. Wartko, PhD, MPHCollaborative Scientist |
![]() Leah K. Hamilton, PhDSenior Collaborative Scientist |
![]() Chloe Krakauer, PhDCollaborative Biostatistician II |
![]() Ruben Martinez, PhDCollaborative Scientist |
![]() Claire Allen, MPHManager, Collaborative Science |
![]() Theresa E. Matson, PhD, MPHCollaborative Scientist |
Douglas A. Conrad, PhD, MBA, MHA
Health Services and Dental Public Health Sciences
Center for Health Management Research
Finance and Business Economics
University of Washington (UW)
David Grembowski, PhD
Health Services and Dental Public Health Sciences
Adjunct Professor, Sociology, UW
Larry Kessler, ScD
UW Department of Health Services
Emily Williams, PhD, MPH
UW Department of Health Services; VA Health Services Research & Development Center of Excellence