As a research center embedded within Kaiser Permanente’s large and dynamic health care system, our investigators have a unique opportunity to apply scientific expertise to real-world clinical problems, translate findings into practice, and share what we learn with the broader community.
Dr. Deborah Young is the senior director of the Division of Behavioral Research for the Department of Research & Evaluation. She is a recognized scholar in the conduct of community-based physical activity intervention trials for both adolescents and adults. She is particularly interested in interventions that reduce the risk factors for cardiovascular ...
Being active can lower your risk of getting seriously ill with COVID, regardless of your race or the chronic conditions you may have, according to research published last year in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
The Kaiser Permanente Southern California findings were important, impactful, and influential. As a result, the journal editors chose the research article, “Associations of Physical Inactivity and COVID-19 Outcomes Among Subgroups,” as the American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2023 Article of the Year.
An RSV vaccine continued to protect adults aged 60 and older against RSV-related hospitalization and emergency department visits for at least 3 seasons after vaccination, according to a new study by Kaiser Permanente in Southern California. RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is a common respiratory virus that can cause serious illness, hospitalization, and even death ...
Casey Luc, PhD, MPH, an epidemiologist with expertise in HIV epidemiology in underserved communities, is the fifth Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Epidemic Intelligence Service officer to train with Kaiser Permanente Southern California’s Department of Research & Evaluation. Before joining Kaiser Permanente, he served as a health scientist contractor in the Syndemic Infectious Diseases ...
Kevin Yu, PhD, is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Research & Evaluation at Kaiser Permanente Southern California. He earned his PhD in health informatics from Northwestern University, where his work focused on pharmacoepidemiology and health informatics. His research focuses on cardiovascular disease and dementia, with a particular interest in target trial emulation ...
Managing Type 2 diabetes can be challenging. Food choices matter, but healthy options aren’t always easy to afford or find. A Kaiser Permanente study found that adults with diabetes who were on Medicaid improved their blood sugar when they received healthy grocery deliveries at home. ...
For carefully selected patients, receiving advanced-level care at home after heart failure may be just as safe and effective as staying in the hospital, a new Kaiser Permanente Southern California study shows. The study, published on July 16, 2026, in JAMA Network Open, examined adults hospitalized for acute heart failure. Researchers compared patients who continued ...
From food deliveries that help people manage diabetes to vaccines that provide lasting protection, the latest issue of IMPACT highlights research making a real difference in people’s lives. In honor of National Postdoc Appreciation Week, the newsletter also introduces the department’s newest postdoctoral researcher and newest Epidemic Intelligence Service officer. The issue also features studies on advanced heart failure care delivered safely at home and showcases national media coverage of Kaiser Permanente research.
The Division of Clinician Research provides support and resources for researchers who maintain clinical practices while building their own research portfolios. Key goals include fostering collaboration among clinician researchers, expanding research education, and promoting research that has the potential to transform care and improve the health of our communities.
The division, which was established in 2023, provides administrative support to the Regional Research Committee and the Clinician Investigator Program and manages a team of biostatisticians dedicated to physician research. It co-leads the Care Improvement Research Team, a group that brings together clinicians and research scientists to answer questions with the potential to change practice.
The division actively engages with various collaborators throughout the organization and is working to establish an interconnected network of clinicians, scientists, educators, administrators, and leaders who will work together to drive clinically impactful change through research.