News

Yearly News Archives: 2022

News Archives

  • More exercise linked to less-severe COVID-19 outcomes

    December 15, 2022

    Kaiser 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

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  • Prescription guidelines help decrease opioid use

    December 15, 2022

    A 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

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  • Smoking increases risk of bladder cancer recurrence

    December 1, 2022

    It’s well established – but not widely known – that smoking cigarettes increases the risk of bladder cancer. Now, new research shows that current and former smokers are also at higher risk of having their bladder cancer recur after treatment. The study, published November 30 in JAMA Network Open, analyzed data from the Be-Well Study,

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  • Study links youth firearm injuries to certain risk factors

    October 21, 2022

    A study of nearly 2 million pediatric Kaiser Permanente members reinforces known links between children’s chances of experiencing a firearm injury and certain risk factors — especially being an adolescent male. The study, which appeared recently in Academic Pediatrics, addresses a number of additional risk factors, providing a broad view of the risk of firearm

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  • Exposure to air pollution worsens COVID-19 outcomes, even among the fully vaccinated

    October 21, 2022

    COVID-19 is a respiratory illness, so it’s not surprising that exposure to poor air quality worsens patient outcomes. But how does air pollution affect people who are vaccinated? To answer that question, a team of researchers analyzed data from more than 50,000 Kaiser Permanente Southern California COVID-19 patients. By comparing publicly available air quality monitoring

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  • IMPACT newsletter survey

    October 21, 2022

    We would like to improve our IMPACT newsletter so it is more useful to you. Please complete this very short survey. Thank you!

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  • We have job openings

    October 21, 2022

    Are you looking for an opportunity to make a real difference in health? As a research program embedded within an integrated health care system, the Department of Research & Evaluation provides a rare career opportunity for those who want to use research to help solve real-world health care challenges. To learn more about career opportunities,

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  • Chronic metabolic conditions affect metastatic breast cancer survival rates

    October 6, 2022

    Early detection and screening of breast cancer has allowed most women to thrive long after their diagnosis. However, women of color persistently experience disparities in outcomes. Researchers at the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation have been working to find ways to reduce these disparities and improve the survival rates for all

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  • 5 questions for … Dr. Amrita Mukherjee

    September 21, 2022

    Amrita Mukherjee, PhD, MPH, is an epidemiologist in the first year of her postdoctoral program at the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation. Her research interests include human papillomavirus-associated cancers, gynecologic cancers, comorbidities in cancer patients and survivors, and development of risk prediction models using electronic health records and cancer registry data.

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  • 5 questions for … Dr. Nana Mensah

    September 19, 2022

    A maternal and child health epidemiologist, Nana Mensah, PhD, MPH, is in the first year of her postdoctoral program at the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation. Through her research working with the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Pregnancy Registry, she seeks to understand how clinical guidelines and practices shape birth outcomes in

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  • 5 questions for … Dr. Lewei Duan

    September 16, 2022

    A health economist, Lewei Duan, PhD, MS, is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation. She has special interests in improving health care delivery systems, specifically in maximizing health and well-being for older adults and underserved populations. Prior to her current position, Dr. Duan worked as a

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  • Remdesivir may reduce hospital readmissions for COVID-19 patients

    September 15, 2022

    A study of Kaiser Permanente Southern California members who were hospitalized for COVID-19 identifies key factors associated with lower chances of readmission — including treatment with the medication remdesivir and delaying discharge until 10 days have passed since COVID-19 symptoms began. “This study supports a continued role for remdesivir in treating COVID-19,” said the study’s

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  • Antidepressants linked to lower risk of prostate cancer recurrence

    September 9, 2022

    In a study of more than 10,000 Kaiser Permanente members diagnosed with both prostate cancer and depression, those who used antidepressants had a lower risk of cancer recurrence. These findings appeared September 9, 2022, in Cancer Causes & Control. “Our research highlights how important it is for patients with prostate cancer to be screened and

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  • Fewer hospitalizations for home-based cardiac rehabilitation patients

    August 25, 2022

    Patients who participated in in-home cardiac rehabilitation had fewer hospitalizations over 12 months than patients who participated in center-based cardiac rehabilitation, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published August 25, 2022, in JAMA Network Open. “The remarkable thing we found in this study of more than 2,500 diverse patients was that health advantages of home-based

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  • Increased health care use among patients after COVID-19

    August 12, 2022

    A study led by Kaiser Permanente in Southern California of patients from 8 health care organizations across the United States showed that COVID-19 was associated with a 4% increase in use of health care services over the 6 months after initial infection. The study was published August 12, 2022, in JAMA Network Open. Some people who

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  • COVID-19 boosters shown to be effective for adolescents

    August 3, 2022

    Adolescents who received 3 doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID vaccine were better protected against infection with SARS-CoV-2 — the virus that causes COVID-19 — than adolescents who received only 2 doses, according to a study of more than 3,000 Kaiser Permanente Southern California members ages 12 to 17 and published on August 3, 2022, in

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  • 5 questions for … Dr. Jennifer Ku

    July 28, 2022

    An infectious disease epidemiologist, Jennifer Ku, PhD, MPH, is in the first year of her postdoctoral program at the Department of Research & Evaluation. Her research includes vaccine safety and effectiveness projects on shingles and COVID-19 vaccines. Dr. Ku is also involved in other infectious diseases studies on influenza, SARS-CoV-2, and other respiratory viruses. Please

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  • Public policy can improve pandemic masking adherence

    July 25, 2022

    A year-long study of mask adherence and social distancing among more than 100,000 people in 126 U.S. cities found people were 3 times more likely to wear masks correctly in places where a mask mandate was in place. The study was published recently in the American Journal of Infection Control. “City, county, and state leaders

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  • 5 questions for … Dr. Rulin Hechter

    June 30, 2022

    Rulin Hechter, MD, PhD, is an infectious disease epidemiologist in the Department of Research & Evaluation who focuses on the prevention and treatment of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. She received her medical training from Suzhou Medical College and her master’s degree in epidemiology and biostatistics from Fudan University, both in China. She received

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  • Down syndrome linked to higher risk of severe COVID-19

    June 28, 2022

    Before COVID-19 vaccines became available, people with Down syndrome were less likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19 than people without the condition, according to a study of more than 12,000 Kaiser Permanente Southern California members published on June 24, 2022, in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. However, the study found that people with Down syndrome

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  • Dr. Anny Xiang honored with prestigious American Diabetes Association award

    June 27, 2022

    Anny Xiang, PhD, MS, scientific director of the Division of Biostatics Research at the Department of Research & Evaluation, received the American Diabetes Association’s 2022 Norbert Freinkel Award on June 4, 2022. The lecture award is the ADA’s highest award for outstanding contributions in the field of diabetes and pregnancy. “Dr. Xiang’s body of work

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  • COVID-related hospitalizations are rare after Paxlovid treatment

    June 21, 2022

    In December 2021, the Pfizer-BioNTech medication Paxlovid received emergency authorization as a treatment to prevent severe health problems from COVID-19 that could lead to hospitalization and death. But recently, small studies with less than a dozen people began to show up in the media linking the medication to a rebound in COVID-19 symptoms following recovery.

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  • Omicron variant infections less severe than delta

    June 13, 2022

    A study of patients at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California showed that when both the delta and omicron variants were circulating in December 2021, patients who had SARS-CoV-2 infections with the omicron variant had substantially less risk of severe illness and shorter hospital stays than those infected with the delta variant. The study was published

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  • New approach reduces colon cancer deaths

    June 13, 2022

    A study published June 6, 2022,  in The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety showed that a comprehensive approach to improving colon cancer care at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California resulted in a 24% decrease in mortality over 7 years. “If a new drug or surgical procedure reduced deaths this dramatically, it would

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  • Clinical research center opens at Los Angeles Medical Center

    May 31, 2022

    A new dedicated clinical research space at the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center provides researchers and staff with expanded opportunities to bring groundbreaking clinical research to Kaiser Permanente Southern California members. Located on the first floor of 1505 N. Edgemont on the medical center campus, the 1,400-square-foot Kaiser Permanente Clinical Research Center at Los

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  • 5 questions for … Dr. William Towner

    May 19, 2022

    William Towner, MD, FACP, FIDSA, is the regional physician director for the Division of Clinical Trials and leads the Clinician Investigator Program for the Southern California Permanente Medical Group. He also serves in a leadership role for HIV services at Kaiser Permanente Southern California. He was extensively involved in research on infectious diseases since 2000

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  • COVID-19 vaccine protection against hospitalization wanes for the most vulnerable

    April 25, 2022

    Research released in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine shows that a booster dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine provides strong protection, roughly 80% in the first few months against hospital admissions and emergency department visits caused by the delta and omicron variants. However, against omicron, this protection wanes over time for immunocompromised individuals — even after

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  • Heart attacks increased in days after 2020 election

    April 20, 2022

    A Kaiser Permanente study conducted in Southern and Northern California found hospitalizations for heart attack, stroke, and heart failure were 17% higher in the 5 days after the 2020 election than in the same 5 days 2 weeks before the election. The study was published April 20, 2022, in JAMA Network Open. “This study of

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  • Five questions for … Dr. “Charlie” Huang

    March 25, 2022

    Cheng-Wei “Charlie” Huang, MD, is a hospitalist at the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center who has spent recent years also focused on research that can improve care for patients. In addition to his research and clinical duties, Dr. Huang is the assistant program director of the  Los Angeles Medical Center’s internal medicine residency, where

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