Diabetes medications vary in ability to reduce heart attacks and strokes
A new study led by Kaiser Permanente researchers compared how well 4 different types of glucose-lowering medications reduced the risk of heart attack and stroke for patients with type 2 diabetes, providing important new information for these patients and their physicians. The study, published in JAMA ...
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Insomnia increases depression risk for breast cancer survivors
Breast cancer survivors face a high risk of major depressive disorder, also known as clinical depression, particularly if they also have insomnia, according to findings from a new study of Kaiser Permanente ...
Some UTIs may be caused by contaminated meat
Nearly 1 in 5 urinary tract infections (UTIs) in Southern California could be due to E. coli strains transmitted through contaminated meat, according to a new study of Kaiser Permanente Southern California ...
Physicians develop program to better control patient blood sugars
After COVID-19 hit in 2020, some physicians within Kaiser Permanente grew concerned that their patients with diabetes weren’t achieving healthy blood sugar control. Even when they came into the office ...
Patient advisors revolutionize research
June 29, 2020Fifteen years ago when Matt Owen was a freshman psychology major in college, he had a “psychotic break from reality.” “I started having hallucinations that altered my mind in a way that dealing with everyday life became challenging,” he said. “It changed the course of my life.” Times were rocky for a while, including more than a ...Read more...Resident research improves patient care
June 29, 2020At the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, pediatric resident Jacqueline Nguyen, MD, wanted to know how flu shots affected young patients with asthma. With help from her resident research advisor, she dug into data from electronic health records and found that flu vaccination reduced hospitalization rates for respiratory issues by 25% over the 6-year ...Read more...5 questions for … Dr. Jean Lawrence
June 28, 2020Department of Research & Evaluation Senior Research Scientist Jean M. Lawrence, ScD, MPH, MSSA, studies diabetes among women, children, and young adults. Why did you choose to devote your career to researching ways women and children can live better, healthier lives? I’ve always been interested in women’s and children’s health and started my career working as a ...Read more...EIS officer makes a difference here and abroad
June 23, 2020As an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Lisa Oakley, PhD, MPH, knew she would have an excellent training experience using electronic health records to find answers to important clinical and public health questions when she reported to the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation in ...Read more...Living longer and better after cancer
June 12, 2020Clinical trials play a vital role in advancing cancer treatment at Kaiser Permanente, improving patients’ survival and quality of life. “Until the day that cancer is cured, there’s always room for improvement,” said Helen Moon, MD, a hematologist and oncologist at the Kaiser Permanente Riverside Medical Center. Helping to achieve that improvement is Dr. Moon’s role as ...Read more...5 questions for … Dr. Deborah Cohen
May 20, 2020Deborah A. Cohen, MD, MPH, an international expert on the health benefit of parks, is the newest scientist at the Department of Research & Evaluation. She began working in the department’s Division of Behavioral Research in January. She previously worked as a senior physician policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. She has served on panels for ...Read more...Launching a multisite clinical trial in the midst of a pandemic
May 19, 2020In early March 2020, as it became clear the novel coronavirus was closing in on Southern California, clinical trials leaders from the Department of Research & Evaluation began assessing options for an investigational treatment that could be studied through clinical trials. With no approved medications to fight COVID-19, the need for an investigational option to ...Read more...Advancing treatments through clinical trials
May 19, 2020Kaiser Permanente’s clinical trials program helps advance treatment for health conditions ranging from heart disease and cancer to infectious diseases, such as HIV and COVID-19. William Towner, MD, FACP, FIDSA, physician director for clinical trials at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, has seen firsthand how clinical trials can contribute to the development of more effective and safer ...Read more...Stroke program integrates clinical trials
May 17, 2020At Kaiser Permanente Southern California, physicians and researchers have been transforming stroke care, from simply treating the patients to also enrolling those not helped by the standard care into a clinical trials program, which expands the treatment options. “Our stroke program shows how Kaiser Permanente is invested in growing our clinical care through clinical trials,” said ...Read more...English and non-English speakers get equal treatment in emergency departments
May 17, 2020Kaiser Permanente Southern California researchers set out to understand the importance of emergency department patients and physicians speaking the same language by looking at the health outcomes and quality of care for patients with chest pain. They hypothesized that patients speaking a different language than their physician may have worse outcomes. They were happy to find ...Read more...