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. Heidi Fischer is a collaborative biostatistician research scientist for the Division of Epidemiologic Research in the Department of Research & Evaluation. Her research interests include multilevel models, functional data analysis, Bayesian statistics, time series analysis, and bias assessment for observational data. She has extensive experience in health care research and conducting complex statistical analyses using electronic health record data.
At Kaiser Permanente, Dr. Fischer ...
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.
*Final in a series highlighting research nurses during Nurses Week 2025* Michael Fechter, LVN, was an emergency medical technician, working to become a paramedic and firefighter. On one emergency call, a critical care transport nurse suggested something that changed the direction of his career. “She told me that I needed to be where I could ...
*Fourth in a series highlighting research nurses during Nurses Week 2025* Ruchy Maini, LVN, is a research nurse working at the Antelope Valley Medical Offices in Lancaster. She has worked with patients in clinical trials with the Department of Research & Evaluation since 2019. While she has worked in home health and skilled nursing facility ...
*Third in a series highlighting research nurses during Nurses Week 2025* Noli Raz, RN, works at the Kaiser Permanente Irvine Medical Center with the CCTAP (Cancer Clinical Trials Access Program) team. He began his health care career more than 30 years ago as a phlebotomist at the Kaiser Permanente Anaheim Medical Center, where he worked ...
*Second in a series highlighting research nurses during Nurses Week 2025* Kari Kayser, RN, works at the Kaiser Permanente South Bay Medical Center with the CCTAP (Cancer Clinical Trials Access Program) team. Her choice to dress as a nurse on career day as a kindergartener showed an early passion for a vocation that she now ...
*First in a series highlighting research nurses during Nurses Week 2025* Michelle Jurado, MSN, RN, PHN, didn’t intend to become a nurse. She was good with numbers, so she went into finance in the aerospace industry. It was going really well. But then one night at a party, her mom missed a step, fell, and ...
The latest IMPACT newsletter, which focuses on research from Kaiser Permanente Southern California, is now available! It features 11 stories on our groundbreaking research, links to over a dozen media stories, and a Q&A with a health economics investigator.
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.