News Archives
Five questions for … Dr. Annette Langer-Gould
December 20, 2023Read more...Annette Langer-Gould, MD, PhD, is a translational neuroscientist with the Southern California Permanente Medical Group. She treats people with multiple sclerosis (MS) at the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center. Dr. Langer-Gould joined Kaiser Permanente in 2009. Her research aims to deepen understanding of MS while improving quality of care. Recently, she co-authored an
COVID bivalent booster protects well against hospitalization
December 4, 2023Read more...A Kaiser Permanente study shows the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 BA.4/5 bivalent mRNA vaccine helped protect against a range of COVID symptoms and was effective against the COVID XBB strain sublineages. The most substantial benefit of the bivalent vaccine booster was keeping people out of the hospital and keeping people from becoming critically ill. The study was
Kaiser Permanente Southern California to lead CDC-funded center to improve outbreak and disease prediction
October 18, 2023Read more...Kaiser Permanente Southern California has been tapped to lead an innovation center that will develop advanced modeling approaches to better predict disease outbreaks and prepare the United States for future public health emergencies. The center is 1 of 13 sites that will form the Outbreak Analytics and Disease Modeling Network, a national initiative funded
Diabetes increased among kids during pandemic
September 25, 2023Read more...A study of more than 1 million Kaiser Permanente members ages 19 and younger found that rates of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes increased among children during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for those ages 10 and older, male children, and children in specific racial and ethnic groups. The study was published September 21,
Kaiser Permanente cancer survival rates higher
September 25, 2023Read more...Kaiser Permanente had better 5-year survival rates among breast, colorectal, and lung cancer patients compared to the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) estimates, according to research published in September 2023 in The Permanente Journal. Researchers in all 8 Kaiser Permanente regions worked together on this study. They compared the occurrence of
Five questions for … Dr. Emily Rayens
September 18, 2023Read more...Emily Rayens, PhD, MPH, is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Division of Epidemiologic Research of the Department of Research & Evaluation. Her research interests include infectious diseases and vaccine efficacy and safety. She began her fellowship at Kaiser Permanente in 2023, but it is her third year as a postdoctoral fellow. She was previously
Five questions for … Dr. Titilola Labisi
September 18, 2023Read more...Titilola Labisi, PhD, MHA, MPH, is a public health researcher and a postdoctoral research fellow in the Division of Behavioral Research of the Department of Research & Evaluation. She joined the department in 2022. Her research interests include community-engaged research, health disparities, and health behaviors related to sex, diet, and physical activity. She previously worked
Five questions for … Dr. Nehaa Khadka
September 18, 2023Read more...Nehaa Khadka, PhD, MPH, is a maternal/child health epidemiologist and postdoctoral research fellow in the Division of Epidemiologic Research of the Department of Research & Evaluation. Her research interests include perinatal epidemiology, reproductive health, and health disparities. She began her fellowship in June 2023. While pursuing her doctorate degree at the UCLA Fielding School of
Five questions for … Dr. Rudy Patrick
September 18, 2023Read more...Rudy Patrick, PhD, MPH, is an epidemiologist with research expertise in HIV epidemiology and social network among sexual and gender minorities. He is the fourth Epidemic Intelligence Service officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to work at the Department of Research & Evaluation. Before joining Kaiser Permanente, Dr. Patrick was a supervisory
Interns make incredible contributions to research
September 15, 2023Read more...When Cheyne Hoke began in the Department of Research & Evaluation’s internship program in June 2023, she was a University of California, Berkeley MPH candidate focused on epidemiology and biostatistics. As an intern she spent her summer months working remotely with Kaiser Permanente researchers on what some might consider a “geeky” endeavor: SAS EG
Unveiling the Impact: Kaiser Permanente’s Annual Report 2022
August 2, 2023Read more...As we journeyed through 2022, the shadow of COVID-19 continued to loom large, with new variants creating new challenges. Yet, in the face of this, Kaiser Permanente Southern California remained steadfast in its commitment to research and discovery, both in researching COVID-19, but also addressing other health burdens faced by our Kaiser Permanente members including
Research helps determine what isn’t really helping
July 19, 2023Read more...Back in 1991, the American Academy of Pediatrics began recommending testing preterm infants before they left the hospital to check that their breathing ability was mature enough when in a car seat to be discharged safely. At the time, there were no studies that showed whether this screening — which takes 2 hours of NICU
Kaiser Permanente colon cancer patients fare better
June 12, 2023Read more...Kaiser Permanente Southern California members with colon cancer had a lower risk of premature death compared to insured patients diagnosed in other hospitals in Southern California, according to a study published this month in The American Surgeon. This benefit was most pronounced among people who were in the lowest socioeconomic group. Unlike the insured patients
Five questions for … Dr. Michael Aragones
April 24, 2023Read more...Kaiser Permanente Southern California has 2 Regional Reference Laboratories, which make up a sophisticated clinical laboratory management system that interfaces with medical centers and medical offices throughout the region. Michael Aragones, MD, is a Research & Evaluation research lab project manager at the Sherman Way and Chino Hills regional laboratories, which share responsibility for testing
Increasing vaccine equity in Southern California
March 29, 2023Read more...In addition to bringing isolation and illness to the world, the COVID-19 pandemic spotlighted the health disparities between Southern California communities. Getting COVID-19 vaccines to the neighborhoods where they were most needed was one of the greatest challenges health care providers experienced during the pandemic. At Kaiser Permanente in Southern California, people rallied to address
Atrial fibrillation may increase risk for dementia
March 27, 2023Read more...People who have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation are known to have an increased risk of developing other heart problems. A new Kaiser Permanente study suggests they may also be at increased risk for dementia. The researchers found that people with atrial fibrillation, the most common type of irregular heartbeat, had a 13% greater risk
Five questions for … Dr. Bechien Wu
March 27, 2023Read more...Dr. Bechien Wu is a gastroenterologist at the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center and chair of the Southern California Permanente Medical Group Regional Research Committee. He was recently appointed to be the physician director of Clinician Research. In his new role, Dr. Wu will provide scientific leadership to the new Division of Clinician Research within
Paxlovid associated with lower risk of hospital admission
March 16, 2023Read more...A Kaiser Permanente study confirms the benefit of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir, also known as Paxlovid, as an early-stage treatment to prevent hospitalization for people with mild to moderate COVID-19, regardless of prior immunity or age. The study was published March 15, 2023, in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. “Among Kaiser Permanente members in Southern California who tested positive
Extra pounds put kids at higher risk for hypertension
March 14, 2023Read more...A study of more than 800,000 young people between the ages of 3 and 17 showed that youth at the upper range of average weight had a 26% higher risk of developing hypertension than those closer to what is considered average weight. The study was published March 14, 2023, in JAMA Network Open. “Hypertension during
Kaiser Permanente Southern California selected for initiative aimed at improving patient outcomes
March 8, 2023Read more...The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) has selected Kaiser Permanente Southern California as one of 42 health systems nationwide to carry out a pioneering initiative aimed at improving patient outcomes. As a participant in PCORI’s Health Systems Implementation Initiative (HSII), Kaiser Permanente Southern California will bring its on-the-ground experience and expertise in health care innovation
Dr. William Towner named 2022 SCPMG Physician Researcher of the Year
February 1, 2023Read more...William J. Towner, MD, FACP, FIDSA, physician director of the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Clinical Trials Program, has been named the 2022 Southern California Permanente Medical Group Physician Researcher of the Year. The award has been given each year since 2007 to recognize a physician or surgeon for his or her outstanding contributions to the research
Original COVID-19 vaccine booster effect wanes against BA.4 and BA.5
January 24, 2023Read more...A Kaiser Permanente study published January 12, 2023, in Nature Communications shows that third and fourth doses of the monovalent Moderna mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine lose protection against infection with omicron subvariants after 3 months, but protection against hospitalization remains high in adults 18 years of age or older. “This study provides important data on the
5 questions for … Dr. Hung Fu Tseng
January 24, 2023Read more...Hung Fu Tseng, PhD, MPH, is a senior scientist in the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation and a professor at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine. His research focuses on generating real-world evidence to determine the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. His research has had a significant impact
Quality improvement reduces blood pressure control disparities
January 24, 2023Read more...A Kaiser Permanente Southern California quality improvement program, which harnessed clinical and culturally responsive care strategies, nearly halved the racial disparities previously seen in blood pressure control between Black and white adults. The results of the work were published in JAMA Network Open. “It is well known that Black adults with hypertension in the United
Immunocompromised people not getting recommended COVID shots
January 24, 2023Read more...A study of more than 40,000 immunocompromised Kaiser Permanente Southern California members shows that, by early August 2022, only 1% had received 5 doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines as was recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at the time. This finding appears in the journal JAMA Network Open. “Given Kaiser Permanente’s leadership