When uncontrolled wildfires moved from the foothills above Los Angeles into the densely populated urban areas below in January 2025, evacuation ensued and a thick layer of toxic smoke spread across the region. Air quality plummeted. Research sheds new light on how the Los Angeles fires affected people’s health, and how people navigated the health care system during an emergency. In the study, published Nov. 26 in JAMA Health Forum, researchers analyzed the health records of 3.7 million Kaiser Permanente members of all ages living in the Southern California region. They found that health care visits did rise above normal levels, especially virtual services.

The story was published in News Medical and other outlets.

Fewer than half of young adults with severely high low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), or “bad” cholesterol, levels start taking a statin within 5 years of first high LDL-C measurement. The study was published in JACC, the flagship journal of the American College of Cardiology, and presented at the American Heart Association’s 2025 Scientific Sessions.

Among the publications to pick up the story was Pharmacy Times.

A Kaiser Permanente study of members 50 years old and older showed that 2 doses of recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) significantly reduced the risk of shingles associated with the eye, known as herpes zoster ophthalmicus. The vaccine also was associated with a lower risk of hospitalized heart attack and hospitalized stroke. Researchers said the findings suggest the benefits of RZV may extend beyond preventing shingles and postherpetic neuralgia.

The study was published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

The study was picked up by MedPage Today, HealthDay, Infectious Disease Advisor, and others.

In its first year of use in the United States, the overall estimated effectiveness of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine against respiratory illness and severe disease in adults aged 60 years and older was 92%. The study was published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. 

The story ran in CIDRAP and other publications.

A study published in JAMA Network Open highlights the effectiveness of the ‘Zero Suicide Model’ in reducing suicides and suicide attempts within health systems, including Kaiser Permanente. The model, which originated at Henry Ford Health, focuses on patient screening, safety planning, and mental health counseling. Kaiser Permanente adopted the program from 2012 to 2019 across 4 locations, resulting in reduced suicides and attempts in 3 locations, while the fourth maintained low rates.

Among more than 125 media outlets that reported on the study was AP.

Nearly 20% of urinary tract infections (UTIs) are linked to contaminated meat, with poorer neighborhoods at higher risk, a study published in mBio showed. To conduct the study, researchers sampled meat from grocery stores and analyzed UTI cases in Southern California. Meat contaminated with E. coli can cause infections starting in the bladder and potentially leading to more severe health issues. The findings suggest a universal risk across the U.S. due to widespread meat distribution practices.

The story was covered by the Los Angeles Times,  NBC News  and others.

A preliminary study presented at the American Academy of Neurology in April 2025 suggested a treatment algorithm may reduce disparities for Black and Latino individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). The study included 1,741 Latino, 978 Black, and 3,400 white individuals and relied on clinical and social factors, excluding race and ethnicity, to guide disease‑modifying treatment decisions. The study suggests that algorithmic approaches can improve health care outcomes and reduce disparities in MS treatment.

The study was published in April 2025 in Neurology. The study was covered in Real Health, Medscape, and others.

Breast cancer survivors are about 5 times more likely to develop depression than their peers without a cancer history, with an almost 10-fold increase for those with insomnia, research showed. Research authors emphasized the importance of screening for insomnia as part of survivorship care.

The study was published in the journal SLEEP, and covered in Medscape among other publications.

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and heart failure are more likely to begin dialysis in inpatient settings compared to those without heart failure. The study, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, revealed that 18.5% of CKD patients with heart failure-initiated dialysis inpatient, versus 9.6% without heart failure. The study highlights that CKD patients with heart failure face increased risks associated with inpatient dialysis initiation and central venous catheter use, emphasizing the need for careful management in this population.

The study was covered by HealthDay and others.

California’s excise taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages have shown only modest effects on body mass index (BMI). The study, published in JAMA Network Open, included over a million participants from 4 California cities. It found a slight BMI reduction primarily among young adults, women, and white individuals. Despite the limited overall impact, the city of Berkeley showed the most significant BMI decline, attributed to longer implementation and allocation of tax revenue to health-promoting projects.

Media that covered the story included  News Medical, American Council for Science and Health, and others.

Cardiovascular benefits of intensive blood pressure control, as demonstrated in the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT), can be replicated in real-world settings, a study published in JAMA Network Open showed. This was particularly true among people with chronic kidney disease. The research analyzed data from the Veterans Health Administration and Kaiser Permanente Southern California electronic health records. Findings suggest that intensive blood pressure management reduces major cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality among people with chronic kidney disease.

The study was reported on in Medical Xpress, MDedge, and  HCPLive among others.

Dr. Bobeck Modjtahedi discussed the increased risk of intraocular hemorrhages with antithrombotic use, and how these hemorrhages are associated with varying degrees of vision loss in an article in MedPage Today. He also noted the importance of antithrombotics for reducing morbidity and mortality. This was one of several studies for which Dr. Modjtahedi was contacted by the media this year to provide expert commentary.

Dr. Brian Mittman was identified as a key figure in the development of implementation science in an article in PNAS News.  Implementation science is a field that strives to tackle the difficulty of moving new research advances and evidence-based medicine from the lab to patients. In the article, Dr. Mittman is quoted extensively about how the field developed and its future.