News

The benefits of intensive blood pressure shown in the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) also helps patients with chronic kidney disease, according to new research led by Kaiser Permanente and Stanford University. The study was published in January 2025 in JAMA Network Open. The SPRINT clinical trial included adults with hypertension and elevated cardiovascular ...

Young people who frequently used electronic media, such as computers, television, and social media, had less physical activity, more stress, and modest cognitive challenges. The study was published in January 2025 in Preventive Medicine. “Our research found an association between electronic media use and a negative impact on youth,” said the study’s lead author,  Deborah Cohen, ...

A recent Kaiser Permanente study described the incidence of IgA nephropathy, an autoimmune kidney disease, nationally, as well as among people of different race and ethnicities. The study was published in the American Journal of Nephrology in November 2024. “IgA nephropathy is a rare disease. Attempts to determine its incidence in the United States have relied ...

A new study by Kaiser Permanente has shown that the ABRYSVO respiratory syncytial virus vaccine is very effective in reducing emergency room visits and hospital stays due to RSV among older adults. “This Kaiser Permanente research demonstrated the real-world effectiveness of RSV vaccination among those 60 and over,” said lead author Sara Y. Tartof, PhD, MPH, ...

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 other study findings, this current study has demonstrated that there ...

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 the Regional Research Committee. He is chief of the Department of Allergy and Immunology at the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center and ...

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 Control and Prevention. However, like most large surveillance systems, they had imperfections. Kaiser Permanente Southern California collaborated with the CDC and others to create a new system in April ...

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 prevention and treatment of hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. She also studies medication adherence, drug safety, and cardiovascular quality of care and outcomes. Dr. Reynolds has more than ...