More than just a pretty space: What research tells us about parks
For many people, public parks are just a beautiful green space they drive by on their way to work. However, research has shown that parks play a crucial role in people’s physical activity, and the community’s health. By studying parks, researchers aim to understand how these public spaces enhance ...
Featured News
Five questions for Dr. Mingsum Lee
Mingsum Lee, MD, PhD, has been named as the 2025 Southern California Permanente Medical Group Physician Researcher of the Year. Commenting about her selection for the award, one nominator said Dr. Lee ...
Los Angeles wildfires increased virtual medical visits
In January 2025, when wildfires swept from the foothills above Los Angeles into the densely populated urban areas below, evacuations ensued and a thick layer of smoke spread across the region. Air quality ...
Predicting heart issues among breast cancer survivors
Researchers have developed a new risk calculation model to help predict the risks of heart problems for breast cancer survivors. Their research was published in JAMA Oncology in October 2025. “There ...
Transgender youth more often diagnosed with mental health conditions
April 16, 2018Transgender and gender-nonconforming youth are diagnosed with mental health conditions much more frequently than young people who identify with the gender they are assigned at birth, according to new Kaiser Permanente research published today in Pediatrics. While this subject has been analyzed in small, specialized, clinic-based studies that rely on self-reported behavior problems, this large cohort ...Read more...Taking a “drug holiday” to avoid bone injuries
March 30, 2018Annette L. Adams, PhD, MPH, is committed to helping women avoid bone injuries that limit their mobility, and in some cases, end their lives. During her eight years as a research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Department of Research & Evaluation, in Pasadena, California, Dr. Adams’s interest in osteoporosis has led her to investigate many aspects ...Read more...Some racial/ethnic groups have greater chance of developing high blood pressure regardless of weight or where they live
February 12, 2018PASADENA, Calif. — People who are African-American, American Indian/native Alaskan, Asian, or native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders have a significantly greater chance of developing hypertension than people who are white or Hispanic who are in the same weight category or live in neighborhoods with similar education levels. The Kaiser Permanente study, which included more than ...Read more...Research shows importance of second pediatric blood pressure screening
January 12, 2018PASADENA, Calif. — Nearly one-quarter of children and teens who had their blood pressure screened at a primary care appointment showed a reading in the hypertensive range, but less than half of those readings could be confirmed after the blood pressure was repeated, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study released today in The Journal ...Read more...