Study finds air pollution may increase risk of preterm birth
Exposure to a specific kind of air pollution, fine particulate matter, during pregnancy may significantly increase the risk of spontaneous preterm birth, which can be dangerous for both the mother and the baby, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published in JAMA Network Open. “Consistent with ...
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5 questions for … Dr. Javed Sheikh
Javed Sheikh, MD, was recently named 2024 Physician Researcher of the Year by the Southern California Permanente Medical Group. Dr. Sheikh is the vice area research chair for the Los Angeles area on ...
Kaiser Permanente’s vaccine side-effect monitor bolsters safety
After COVID-19 vaccines became available in December 2020, several smartphone-based reporting systems were developed to monitor vaccine side effects. They included V-safe from the Centers for Disease ...
Five questions for … Dr. Kristi Reynolds
Kristi Reynolds, PhD, MPH, is a chronic disease epidemiologist and the director of the Division of Epidemiologic Research for the Department of Research & Evaluation. Her research focuses on the ...
People invited to be observers in mask adherence study
October 12, 2020A research team from Kaiser Permanente is inviting scientists, academics, and the public to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 by observing who is masking and physical distancing in outdoor public spaces. The research is part of an ongoing series of studies called SOMAD (Systematic Observation of Mask Adherence and Distancing.) The project is spearheaded by ...Read more...Five questions for … Jeff Slezak
September 28, 2020Jeff Slezak, MS, is a collaborative biostatistician research scientist for the Division of Epidemiologic Research in the Department of Research & Evaluation. He is focused on the application of statistics to improve knowledge and patient care. He has more than 25 years of experience as a statistician, including work on numerous prostate cancer research studies. Can ...Read more...Increasing physical activity, and health, through policy change
September 14, 2020While physical activity is vital for the health and well-being of children and adults, people aren’t doing enough of it, said Deborah Rohm Young, PhD, MBA, of the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation. One way Dr. Young sought to change that was to lead an effort to create a policy statement for ...Read more...First of several Kaiser Permanente mask adherence studies released in Philadelphia
September 14, 2020Fewer than half of the people observed outdoors in Philadelphia were wearing masks correctly, according to research spearheaded by Deborah Cohen, MD, MPH, of Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation and Philadelphia-based Studio Ludo—a nonprofit focused on building better play through research, design, and advocacy. The study found that 51% of people on ...Read more...5 questions for… Dr. Jaejin An
September 2, 2020Jaejin An, PhD, is a research scientist in the Division of Epidemiologic Research and a pharmacoepidemiologist whose work focuses on understanding medication utilization, medication adherence, and disease management patterns.Read more...Physicians can influence people to try to lose weight
September 1, 2020People who were overweight were less likely to have tried to lose weight if their primary care provider had not talked with them about weight loss, a Kaiser Permanente study found. “By delivering factual information on weight status, primary care providers may motivate their patients to consider weight management strategies,” said Deborah Rohm Young, PhD, the ...Read more...Atypical femur fractures rise with longer bisphosphonate use
August 20, 2020In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Kaiser Permanente Southern California research scientists report that while atypical femur fracture risk is rare, it does increase with longer use of bisphosphonate to treat osteoporosis, especially after 5 years. Asian women had approximately 5 times the risk of these fractures with prolonged bisphosphonate ...Read more...Obesity increases risk of death from COVID-19, particularly for men and young people
August 14, 2020In a study published in Annals of Internal Medicine, Kaiser Permanente research shows that obesity was associated with a substantial increased risk of death from COVID-19. However, it also found that the risk of death from COVID-19 associated with obesity is not uniform among those who are obese, but instead disproportionately affects men and people ...Read more...Kaiser Permanente joins late-stage COVID-19 vaccine study
August 12, 2020Today, Kaiser Permanente began participating in a phase 3 clinical trial to test an investigational vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing the current COVID-19 global pandemic. Kaiser Permanente plans to enroll approximately 1,400 participants at 4 sites in California and Oregon. The goal for this trial is to enroll up to 30,000 participants at more ...Read more...Improving care through research
July 21, 2020The Care Improvement Research Team is a groundbreaking partnership in Kaiser Permanente Southern California, bringing researchers and clinicians together to improve health care quality and affordability for Kaiser Permanente members and people throughout the world. Through CIRT, research scientists team up with frontline clinicians to identify research questions that are important to patients and the doctors ...Read more...