Kaiser Permanente Southern California has conducted medical research since the founding of the Southern California Permanente Medical Group in the early 1950s. What started as individual physicians conducting research on their own, with little to no funding or support, has grown into a large and innovative program of hundreds of clinicians, scientists, and staff conducting vital studies that help improve care for our members and the larger community.
1950s
SCPMG Executive Medical Director Ray Kay, MD, creates the Research Committee.
This is the first official step to bring all research efforts by individual physicians together under a central umbrella. Jack Cooper, MD, a urologist at the Los Angeles Medical Center, is named committee chair.
The committee, later renamed the Regional Research Committee, celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2024.
1960s
Irving Rasgon, MD, publishes early research on the importance of screening to detect colorectal cancer.
Dr. Rasgon continues to advance knowledge about cancer prevention over a career spanning several decades.
Decades later, his son, Scott Rasgon, MD, follows in his footsteps as a physician and researcher with the Southern California Permanente Medical Group.
1970s
Samuel O. Sapin, MD, is appointed regional director of Department of Education and Research.
SCPMG’s first pediatric cardiologist and early research pioneer, Dr. Sapin conducts and publishes many cardiac-related studies during his 50-year-plus career.
His work includes early research on using vector cardiography and electrocardiography to study heart defects in children and in adults.
1980s
The research program moves into its own department: the Department of Research & Evaluation.
This move enables SCPMG to expand the research program and attract and accept external funding.
Kaiser Permanente Southern California’s earliest HIV clinical trials are conducted in the late 1980s.
Trials included studies on AZT (Retrovir), the first medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of HIV.
1990s
The Vaccine Safety Datalink partnership is established.
Kaiser Permanente Southern California joins Group Health Cooperative and Kaiser Permanente Northern California and Northwest regions in the new partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The original CDC-KPSC Adverse Childhood Experiences study, led by Vincent Felitti, MD, is published.
The first findings from the ACES study are published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The study leads to many studies over the next several decades on various effects of childhood experiences on future physical and mental health.
2000s
Kaiser Permanente Southern California joins the HAPO study.
It is 1 of 15 sites in the world selected for the original Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes study.
The HAPO Follow-Up study recruits patients from 2013 to 2016, and the third phase begins in 2023 to assess cardiovascular health in children of mothers with diabetes.
Kaiser Permanente joins the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study.
The SEARCH study is designed to estimate the prevalence of diabetes and develop approaches to diabetes classification in 5 million children.
Steven Jacobsen, MD, PhD, is appointed senior director of Research.
Dr. Jacobsen comes to Kaiser Permanente from Mayo Clinic, where he served as chair of epidemiology. He will lead a period of rapid growth over the next 15 years, from 5 research scientists to a faculty of 30 and a staff almost 400.
2010s
The Care Improvement Team is formed.
CIRT is an innovative partnership that introduces a unique model of clinicians and scientists collaborating to implement innovative interventions into clinical practice and to reduce or eliminate the use of practices that do not provide value in improving care.
Research & Evaluation opens a dedicated clinical research center in its offices in Pasadena.
The center’s purpose is to increase researchers’ capacity to perform various study functions and make it more convenient for Kaiser Permanente members to participate in research.
2020s
SCPMG clinicians and researchers launch a groundbreaking trial of COVID-19 treatment remdesivir in 8 days.
The FDA authorizes remdesivir for emergency use less than 2 months later.
Research & Evaluation opens a new clinical research center at the Los Angeles Medical Center.
This marks the second dedicated research center in the region and the first based at a Kaiser Permanente Southern California medical center.
Research & Evaluation establishes the Division of Clinician Research.
Bechien Wu, MD, MPH, a Los Angeles Medical Center gastroenterologist and Regional Research Committee chair, is named physician director.
It will address the unique needs of clinicians who conduct research and drive improve-
ments in clinical practice and operations.