As a research center embedded within Kaiser Permanente’s large and dynamic health care system, our investigators have a unique opportunity to apply scientific expertise to real-world clinical problems, translate findings into practice, and share what we learn with the broader community.
Dr. Cheng-Wei “Charlie” Huang is a hospitalist and clinical researcher at the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center and an assistant clinical professor at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine. He is also a fellow of the American College of Physicians.
Dr. Huang began a 2-year appointment in the Southern California Permanente Medical Group Clinician Investigator Program in 2024. His research in the program aims to evaluate whether guideline-directed ...
Being active can lower your risk of getting seriously ill with COVID, regardless of your race or the chronic conditions you may have, according to research published last year in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
The Kaiser Permanente Southern California findings were important, impactful, and influential. As a result, the journal editors chose the research article, “Associations of Physical Inactivity and COVID-19 Outcomes Among Subgroups,” as the American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2023 Article of the Year.
After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued opioid prescribing guidelines in 2016, the national opioid dispensing rates steadily declined. However, while reducing opioid prescriptions is critically important, abruptly stopping opioids for pain has been shown to possibly raise the risk of overdose for patients. Against this backdrop, Kaiser Permanente was among the first ...
Talar Habeshian, PhD, MPH, was appointed as a postdoctoral research fellow in the Division of Epidemiologic Research at the Department of Research & Evaluation in August. She will focus on cancer research initiatives. Prior to her postdoctoral appointment, Dr. Habeshian worked as a research associate in the Division of Health Services Research & Implementation Science ...
New Kaiser Permanente research shows that the COVID-19 vaccine does not increase the risk of developing tinnitus, which is a ringing in the ears. “Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, some people complained about hearing some sound after being vaccinated, but it wasn’t actually an external sound, it was tinnitus, which is the perception of ...
A new Kaiser Permanente study showed that fewer breast cancer survivors received recommended annual breast cancer imaging in the time after the COVID-19 pandemic period compared to before the pandemic. The study was published in JAMA Oncology in July 2025. Little has been known previously about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on post-treatment surveillance ...
A diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes typically means a future of blood sugar monitoring and glucose-lowering medications. But interest is growing in identifying which people with diabetes might be able to stop taking their medications and control their disease with diet and exercise alone. A new Kaiser Permanente study, published in Diabetes Care, sheds light ...
The latest IMPACT newsletter, which focuses on research from Kaiser Permanente Southern California, is now available! It features stories on improving MS treatment and how to reduce risks for breast cancer survivors and young cancer survivors. We also have a Q&A with Dr. Taynara Formagini (pictured), a first-generation college student who discovered that by conducting research she could combine her passion for helping underserved communities with the rigor of science.
The Division of Clinical Trials Research advances medical innovation by supporting evaluation of new drugs, therapies, and devices to prevent and treat health problems. Our physician investigators work with cooperative groups and industry sponsors to conduct clinical trials for investigational drugs, biologics, and devices. In addition, the division develops pragmatic trials that help answer questions about care delivery.
The region has clinical trials programs in oncology (adult, gynecologic, pediatric, and surgical/radiation oncology), urology, gynecology, neurology, dermatology, metabolic diseases, nephrology, ophthalmology, infectious disease, cardiology, hepatology, vascular surgery, and rheumatology. Clinical trials staff support trials at medical centers and medical office buildings throughout the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Region.