Mpox study reveals hidden infections may fuel spread
A Kaiser Permanente study of nearly 8,000 men shows that in mid- to late 2024, mpox was far more common among men who have sex with men than previously thought. Individuals without symptoms accounted for most infections and likely played a prominent role in transmission, contrary to prior assumptions ...
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DoxyPEP protects against some STIs, but effectiveness against gonorrhea diminishes
Taking doxycycline after sex helped prevent chlamydia and syphilis, but its ability to prevent gonorrhea faded over time as drug‑resistant strains became more common, according to new research. The ...
Education-focused diabetes care linked to better blood sugar control
A large study conducted within Kaiser Permanente Southern California found that people with type 2 diabetes who primarily received diabetes self-management education and support were more likely to ...
Nurses in research: Beatriz Alviso advances patient-centered science
This week, Nurses Week (May 6-12, 2026), we honor all the nurses who work within the Department of Research & Evaluation, who are a vital part of our research. Here we highlight Beatriz Alviso, ...
3 doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine highly effective against hospitalization from omicron or delta.
February 21, 2022Kaiser Permanente research published Feb. 21, 2022, in Nature Medicine shows that while Moderna COVID-19 vaccine protection is strong against coronavirus infection by the delta variant, it is not as strong against infection from the omicron variant. Three doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine were highly effective against hospitalization caused by infection from either the omicron ...Read more...Vaccine study looks to prevent E. coli sepsis
February 21, 2022Kaiser Permanente Southern California is participating in a clinical trial of a novel vaccine against invasive E. coli infections in older adults. William Towner, MD, the principal investigator for Kaiser Permanente Southern California, said, “I’m enthusiastic about this cutting-edge research because it has the potential, if successful, to reduce morbidity and mortality from a very common ...Read more...3 doses of Pfizer–BioNTech COVID vaccine better than 2
February 14, 2022A Kaiser Permanente study published February 14, 2022, in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas found that 1 month after a third dose, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness is higher for preventing infection and hospitalization than 2 doses of the vaccine after 1 month. “When we looked at the effectiveness of the 2 doses of Pfizer–BioNTech ...Read more...Five questions for … Dr. Amandeep Sahota
January 31, 2022Amandeep Sahota, MD, directs the Department of Hepatology at the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center. She is also assistant medical director of Transplant Services for Kaiser Permanente Southern California. In this role, she promotes clinical quality programs, implementation of virtual medicine, and data analytics on chronic diseases outcomes. Her efforts have improved patient access ...Read more...Hospitalized or not, COVID-19 patients put high demands on health system
January 7, 2022A study of Kaiser Permanente Southern California members diagnosed with COVID-19 found that they had frequent health care visits during the month after their diagnosis—whether or not they stayed overnight in the hospital. As reported in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, the average number of visits over 30 days was nearly 7 for patients who ...Read more...Depression screening improves care for patients with cancer
January 4, 2022Kaiser Permanente research published January 4, 2022, in JAMA showed depression screening for patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer was highly effective at identifying patients in need of behavioral health care, and the new screening initiative was subsequently and successfully built into the patient care and daily workflow of medical oncology teams at Kaiser Permanente in Southern ...Read more...Shingles vaccine linked to lower risk of COVID-19
December 28, 2021People who were vaccinated for shingles had a lower risk of COVID-19 diagnosis or hospitalization, according to a Kaiser Permanente study of people ages 50 and older. The research was published December 28 in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. “Our findings add to a compelling body of evidence that some vaccines may provide some protection against ...Read more...Dr. Nguyen named 2021 Physician Researcher of the Year
December 28, 2021John K. Nguyen, MD, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center, has been named the 2021 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 community. Dr. Nguyen is the ...Read more...Moderna COVID-19 vaccine effective against virus variants
December 16, 2021Kaiser Permanente research published on December 15, 2021 in The British Medical Journal showed 2 doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine were highly effective against all SARS-CoV-2 variants. However, vaccine effectiveness against the delta variant moderately declined with increasing time after vaccination. “We conducted a previous study that showed the high effectiveness of the 2-dose Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, ...Read more...Five questions for … Dr. Matthew Mefford
December 16, 2021Matthew Mefford, PhD, is a cardiovascular disease epidemiologist and research scientist in the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation. His research interests include heart failure, cardiovascular disease disparities, risk factors and outcomes, and the intersection of chronic disease and infectious diseases. He also maintains a broad focus on applying epidemiologic methods to ...Read more...