Department of Research & Evaluation News

It’s fall conference season, and investigators and physicians from Kaiser Permanente Southern California have been sharing leading-edge research with researchers, clinicians, and other health care professionals across the United States.

Conferences where our researchers and physicians have presented so far this fall include the American Urogynecologic Society Annual Meeting, the American Heart Association’s Hypertension Scientific Sessions, and the ASCO Quality Care Symposium. Our investigators also will share their knowledge and latest research at upcoming conferences focused on public health, cardiovascular care, and improving women’s health during menopause.

Here are highlights of some of the important research our investigators are sharing this fall.

Recent urogynecology conference

The American Urogynecologic Society (AUGS) Annual Meeting is a leading gathering for health care professionals dedicated to advancing urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery. The meeting was held Oct. 4–7 in Denver.

• Shawn Menefee, MD, of the Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center, gave the prestigious Raymond Lee Lecture at the conference. He also presented findings from 2 studies: “Late-Breaking: Population-Scale Virtual Care Pathway for Urinary Incontinence” and “Urinary Incontinence and Injurious Falls in Older Adult Women.”
• Taylor R. Whitaker, MD, of the Kaiser Permanente South Bay Medical Center, presented a study comparing two approaches to treating overactive bladder.
• Janice Wong, MD, MS, a second-year fellow at the Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center, presented research about predictors of emergency department use after urinary tract infections, and predictors of hospitalization or sepsis after a urinary tract infection.
• You can find the studies using the conference search function.

Recent hypertension conference

Department of Research & Evaluation investigators Kevin (Jingzhi) Yu, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow, and Soonie Choi, MPP, MSc, a program manager, presented research at the American Heart Association’s Hypertension Scientific Sessions, held Oct. 7–11 in Arlington, Virginia. The scientific meeting brought together researchers, clinicians, and other health care professionals focused on advances in hypertension and cardiovascular and kidney health.

Their presentations explored important questions in hypertension treatment and outcomes, including:

• The cardiovascular benefits and potential harms of sustained antihypertensive treatment among young adults ages 18–39.
• Persistence with GLP-1 receptor agonists compared with antihypertensive medications among young adults with hypertension.
• Sex differences in cancer risk following treatment with two commonly used types of blood pressure medications.
• Comparing two commonly used types of blood pressure medications for dementia prevention.

Recent cancer care conference

Three KPSC investigators presented at this year’s American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Quality Care Symposium in Boston: Chun Chao, PhD, MS; Robert Cooper, MD; and Erin E. Hahn, PhD, MPH. The symposium, held Oct. 16–17, brought together peers committed to excellence in cancer care.

• Dr. Chao presented “Fertility counseling, preservation, and time to treatment in adolescents and young adults diagnosed with lymphoma.”
• Dr. Cooper presented “Adjusted analysis of racial and socioeconomic disparities in time to treatment initiation among insured patients with newly diagnosed cancer in southern California,” and “Survival among patients with colon cancer cared for in vertically integrated health care system in southern California.”
• Dr. Hahn presented “Cancer surveillance in survivors of adolescent and young adult (AYA)-onset breast and colon cancers from the VOICE study.”

Upcoming menopause conference

The Menopause Society’s 2026 Annual Meeting will host more than 2,000 health care professionals in San Diego from Oct. 20–24. Its comprehensive scientific program features presentations on the latest research and its clinical applications, including a presentation by Heidi Brown, MD, a clinician-researcher with the Department of Research & Evaluation.

Dr. Brown will share recent advances in treating overactive bladder, recurrent urinary tract infections, stress urinary incontinence, and pelvic organ prolapse, with an emphasis on personalized care, appropriate antibiotic use, and evolving surgical options.

Upcoming public health conference

The American Public Health Association Annual Meeting will be held in San Antonio, Texas, from Nov. 1–4. About 11,000 public health professionals and partners are expected to attend the conference with the theme of “Together We Thrive: Health Across the Lifespan.”

Among the presenters will be Chengyi Zheng, PhD, from the Department of Research & Evaluation. He will present his study on the risk of shoulder injury following COVID-19 vaccination compared with influenza vaccination.

Upcoming cardiovascular conference

Jaejin An, PhD, will present research at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, to be held Nov. 6–9 in Chicago. According to the conference website, the Scientific Sessions are intended to bring together “the brightest minds in cardiovascular medicine and science.” Dr. An’s presentation will focus on the risk of developing diabetes among young adults with high LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol who take statins over time.

Other contributors to the research:

KPSC co-authors on studies presented at the American Urogynecologic Society (AUGS) Annual Meeting were Annette L. Adams, PhD; Heidi W. Brown, MD, MAS; Liz Paxton, PhD; Ernest Shen, PhD; Jasmine Tan-Kim, MD; and Xing Wei, MPH.

Co-authors on studies presented at the American Heart Association’s Hypertension Scientific Sessions included Jaejin An, PhD, who was lead author on “Sex differences in cancer risk following treatment with two commonly used types of blood pressure medications”; Rachelle Juan, MPH; Katherine J. Pak; Cecilia Portugal; Kristi Reynolds, PhD, MPH; Diana I. Romero, MPH; Stanley Xu, PhD, MS; and Hui Zhou, PhD, MS, of the Department of Research & Evaluation.

Co-authors on studies presented at the ASCO Quality Care Symposium included Mark Duggan, MA; Deborah Ling Grant, PhD; Reina Haque, PhD, MPH; Eric C. Haupt, ScM; Jing Zhang, MStat; and Zimin Zhuang, MS, of the Department of Research & Evaluation.

Co-authors on research presented at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting include Dawn T. Asamura, MPH; Gabriella V. Goodwin, MS; Lei Qian, PhD; Denison S. Ryan, MPH; Lina S. Sy, MPH; Hung Fu Tseng, PhD; and Meiyu Yeh, MS, of the Department of Research & Evaluation. Other KPSC co-authors are Ronald A. Navarro, MD, of South Bay Medical Center, and Bruno J. Lewin, MD, of the Los Angeles Medical Center.

Co-authors on research at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions include Hui Zhou, PhD, MS; Rachelle Juan, MPH; Soonie Choi, MPP, MSc; Stanley Xu, PhD, MS; and Kristi Reynolds, PhD, MPH, of the Department of Research & Evaluation.

Photo: Department of Research & Evaluation investigators Dr. Yu, PhD, and Soonie Choi, MPP, MSc, presenting at the American Heart Association’s Hypertension Scientific Sessions.