Featured Image of Top News Story: Study finds air pollution may increase risk of preterm birth

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 ...

  • Advancing treatments through clinical trials

    May 19, 2020
    Kaiser Permanente’s clinical trials program helps advance treatment for health conditions ranging from heart disease and cancer to infectious diseases, such as HIV and COVID-19. William Towner, MD, FACP, FIDSA, physician director for clinical trials at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, has seen firsthand how clinical trials can contribute to the development of more effective and safer ...
    Read more...
  • Stroke program integrates clinical trials

    May 17, 2020
    At Kaiser Permanente Southern California, physicians and researchers have been transforming stroke care, from simply treating the patients to also enrolling those not helped by the standard care into a clinical trials program, which expands the treatment options. “Our stroke program shows how Kaiser Permanente is invested in growing our clinical care through clinical trials,” said ...
    Read more...
  • English and non-English speakers get equal treatment in emergency departments

    May 17, 2020
    Kaiser Permanente Southern California researchers set out to understand the importance of emergency department patients and physicians speaking the same language by looking at the health outcomes and quality of care for patients with chest pain. They hypothesized that patients speaking a different language than their physician may have worse outcomes. They were happy to find ...
    Read more...
  • COVID-19 grant award for urgently needed cardiovascular research

    May 1, 2020
    Investigators from Kaiser Permanente Southern California, led by Jaejin An, PhD, are among 12 scientific teams selected by the American Heart Association to fast-track research on heart and brain health related to COVID-19. The team will study the risks associated with taking antihypertensive medications in patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection and high blood pressure. “In conversations with ...
    Read more...
  • New rapid-cycle research projects seek actionable insights on COVID-19

    April 30, 2020
    The Kaiser Permanente Southern California Regional Research Committee and the Care Improvement Research Team recently initiated 4 new rapid-cycle research projects that will help answer questions regarding prognosis for patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19
    Read more...
  • Declines in heart attacks greater among men than women

    February 18, 2020
    In a study published in the American Heart Association scientific journal Circulation, Kaiser Permanente research scientists report a steady decline in heart attacks for both men and women enrolled in the health system from 2000 to 2014, although that rate of decline slowed among women in the last 5 years of the study. “The study points ...
    Read more...
  • Resident research improves patient care

    January 29, 2020
    Over recent years, patient care at Kaiser Permanente Southern California has improved in many ways due to what might be considered an unlikely source: our residents’ research. In the Pediatrics Department at the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, resident research has led to better booking of follow-up appointments and fewer unexpected intubations among newborns. It ...
    Read more...
  • 5 questions for … Dr. Steven Jacobsen

    January 29, 2020
    As the senior director of research for Kaiser Permanente in Southern California, Steven Jacobsen, MD, PhD, leads dedicated scientists and clinicians who use information collected during doctor and hospital visits to determine what really works — and what doesn’t work — in health care. They then use those findings to improve health and health care ...
    Read more...
  • Meet our new clinician investigators

    January 29, 2020
    Three physicians recently joined Southern California Permanente Medical Group’s Clinician Investigator Program: urogynecologist Kimberly Ferrante, MD, MAS; pulmonologist Dennis Hwang, MD; and cardiologist Mingsum Lee, MD, PhD. The Clinician Investigator Program is a formal pathway that allows physicians to integrate research into their clinical careers. Physicians selected for the highly competitive program receive additional time to ...
    Read more...
  • Dr. Brian Lim named SCPMG Physician Researcher of the Year

    December 18, 2019
    Physicians and researchers gathered for a celebratory dinner in Pasadena on Thursday, December 12, to recognize Southern California Permanente Medical Group physician researchers. Capping off the evening was the presentation of the 2019 Physician Researcher of the Year award, which went to Brian Lim, MD, MS, MAS (Clinical Research), a gastroenterologist from the Riverside Medical ...
    Read more...