About Our Program

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.

Featured Scientist

Dr. Shawn Menefee headshot
Shawn A. Menefee, MD
Principal Investigator
San Diego
Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery
Clinical.Trials@kp.org

Dr. Shawn Menefee is director of the Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery at the Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center. He serves as area research chair for San Diego on the Southern California Permanente Medical Group’s Regional Research Committee.

As co-director of the joint University of California, San Diego, and Kaiser Permanente Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship, he had the opportunity to educate and supervise residents ...

Featured Video

Research showing value of exercise before COVID-19 diagnosis earns special recognition

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.

News

Featured Image of News Story Titled: Five questions for … Dr. Michael Kanter

Five questions for … Dr. Michael Kanter

Dr. Michael Kanter is an associate investigator with the Department of Research & Evaluation and the chair of Clinical Science and a professor for the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine. He has been a quality care leader for Kaiser Permanente at both the regional and national levels for many years and was responsible for ...

Eating raw vegetables may improve bladder cancer outcomes

Non-muscle invasive bladder cancer patients whose treatment included the immunotherapy Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) after surgery were less likely to have their cancer recur if their diet included raw cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, a new Kaiser Permanente study found. The research, published in the Journal of Urology, analyzed data from patients enrolled in the Bladder Cancer ...

Research showing value of exercise before a COVID-19 diagnosis earns special recognition

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 ...

Some patients take 2nd at-home fecal test to delay colonoscopy

A study of 316,443 patients shows that 7.4% of patients repeated fecal testing rather than proceeding directly to colonoscopy as guidelines recommend, and of those who repeated home tests, over half did not have a colonoscopy within one year. Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer-related cause of death in the United States, but ...

Five questions for … Dr. Huong Nguyen

A nurse and health services researcher, Huong Q. Nguyen, PhD, RN, focuses her research on the care of older adults with chronic and serious illnesses. She is the co-lead of the Care Improvement Research Team and interim director of the Division of Health Services Research & Implementation for the Department of Research & Evaluation. She ...

Events

Featured Division

Health Services Research & Implementation Science

Our health services researchers bring together scientific and clinical expertise to find better ways to improve care.

Investigators with the Division of Health Services Research & Implementation Science study how care is delivered, identify opportunities for care improvement, and implement new approaches for organizing and delivering health services. The division brings together scientists with diverse expertise and training, including emergency medicine, epidemiology, health services research, implementation science, internal medicine, nursing, pharmaceutical economics, and pulmonology.

The division co-leads the Care Improvement Research Team, a research team embedded within Kaiser Permanente Southern California’s quality improvement ecosystem. The team works closely with clinical and operational partners at Kaiser Permanente Southern California to identify, prioritize, and solve problems related to quality and affordability. Its goal is to reduce unnecessary practice variation, improve affordability, and transform care.