R&E investigator wins prestigious award
Jaejin An, PhD, was awarded the Early Career Investigator of the Year award at this year’s Health Care Systems Research Network conference held this month in St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. An is a pharmacoepidemiologist and cardiovascular outcomes researcher for the Kaiser Permanente Southern California ...
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Study identifies who is most at risk of tuberculosis
People born in countries with a high burden of tuberculosis (TB) and living in the United States have higher rates of TB disease, and may need more focused screening, according to new Kaiser Permanente ...
Doctors assess glaucoma risk among younger adults
Eye specialists at Kaiser Permanente Southern California studied whether using a standardized testing criteria among younger adults could improve care, reduce unnecessary testing, and potentially reduce ...
Five questions for … Dr. Aniket Kawatkar
Aniket Kawatkar, PhD, MS, is a research scientist who is interested in understanding the drivers of health care utilization and their associated economic, clinical, and patient-reported outcomes. Dr. ...
Paxlovid associated with lower risk of hospital admission
March 16, 2023A Kaiser Permanente study confirms the benefit of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir, also known as Paxlovid, as an early-stage treatment to prevent hospitalization for people with mild to moderate COVID-19, regardless of prior immunity or age. The study was published March 15, 2023, in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. “Among Kaiser Permanente members in Southern California who tested positive for ...Read more...Extra pounds put kids at higher risk for hypertension
March 14, 2023A study of more than 800,000 young people between the ages of 3 and 17 showed that youth at the upper range of average weight had a 26% higher risk of developing hypertension than those closer to what is considered average weight. The study was published March 14, 2023, in JAMA Network Open. “Hypertension during youth ...Read more...Kaiser Permanente Southern California selected for initiative aimed at improving patient outcomes
March 8, 2023The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) has selected Kaiser Permanente Southern California as one of 42 health systems nationwide to carry out a pioneering initiative aimed at improving patient outcomes. As a participant in PCORI’s Health Systems Implementation Initiative (HSII), Kaiser Permanente Southern California will bring its on-the-ground experience and expertise in health care innovation to ...Read more...Dr. William Towner named 2022 SCPMG Physician Researcher of the Year
February 1, 2023William J. Towner, MD, FACP, FIDSA, physician director of the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Clinical Trials Program, has been named the 2022 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 ...Read more...Original COVID-19 vaccine booster effect wanes against BA.4 and BA.5
January 24, 2023A Kaiser Permanente study published January 12, 2023, in Nature Communications shows that third and fourth doses of the monovalent Moderna mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine lose protection against infection with omicron subvariants after 3 months, but protection against hospitalization remains high in adults 18 years of age or older. “This study provides important data on the effectiveness ...Read more...5 questions for … Dr. Hung Fu Tseng
January 24, 2023Hung Fu Tseng, PhD, MPH, is a senior scientist in the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation and a professor at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine. His research focuses on generating real-world evidence to determine the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. His research has had a significant impact ...Read more...Quality improvement reduces blood pressure control disparities
January 24, 2023A Kaiser Permanente Southern California quality improvement program, which harnessed clinical and culturally responsive care strategies, nearly halved the racial disparities previously seen in blood pressure control between Black and white adults. The results of the work were published in JAMA Network Open. “It is well known that Black adults with hypertension in the United States are ...Read more...Immunocompromised people not getting recommended COVID shots
January 24, 2023A study of more than 40,000 immunocompromised Kaiser Permanente Southern California members shows that, by early August 2022, only 1% had received 5 doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines as was recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at the time. This finding appears in the journal JAMA Network Open. “Given Kaiser Permanente’s leadership in ...Read more...More exercise linked to less-severe COVID-19 outcomes
December 15, 2022Kaiser Permanente members who were more physically active prior to being diagnosed with COVID-19 had a lower risk of severe outcomes, according to research published Dec. 15, 2022, in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The study of nearly 200,000 adults showed an association between physical activity and improved COVID-19 outcomes across major demographic groups regardless ...Read more...Prescription guidelines help decrease opioid use
December 15, 2022A Kaiser Permanente Southern California study to evaluate trends in chronic and high-dose use of opioids has determined that national and regional prescribing guidelines help decrease patient use. Results of the study were published Dec. 15, 2022, in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The study was led by Rulin Hechter, MD, PhD, of the Kaiser ...Read more...