RSV vaccine protects older adults against severe illness
A new study by Kaiser Permanente has shown that the ABRYSVO respiratory syncytial virus vaccine is very effective in reducing emergency room visits and hospital stays due to RSV among older adults. “This Kaiser Permanente research demonstrated the real-world effectiveness of RSV vaccination among ...
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Study finds air pollution may increase risk of preterm birth
Exposure to a specific kind of air pollution, fine particulate matter, during pregnancy may significantly increase the risk of spontaneous preterm birth, which can be dangerous for both the mother and ...
5 questions for … Dr. Javed Sheikh
Javed Sheikh, MD, was recently named 2024 Physician Researcher of the Year by the Southern California Permanente Medical Group. Dr. Sheikh is the vice area research chair for the Los Angeles area on ...
Kaiser Permanente’s vaccine side-effect monitor bolsters safety
After COVID-19 vaccines became available in December 2020, several smartphone-based reporting systems were developed to monitor vaccine side effects. They included V-safe from the Centers for Disease ...
Five questions for … Dr. Rudy Patrick
September 18, 2023Rudy Patrick, PhD, MPH, is an epidemiologist with research expertise in HIV epidemiology and social network among sexual and gender minorities. He is the fourth Epidemic Intelligence Service officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to work at the Department of Research & Evaluation. Before joining Kaiser Permanente, Dr. Patrick was a supervisory epidemiologist ...Read more...Interns make incredible contributions to research
September 15, 2023When Cheyne Hoke began in the Department of Research & Evaluation’s internship program in June 2023, she was a University of California, Berkeley MPH candidate focused on epidemiology and biostatistics. As an intern she spent her summer months working remotely with Kaiser Permanente researchers on what some might consider a “geeky” endeavor: SAS EG extracting, ...Read more...Unveiling the Impact: Kaiser Permanente’s Annual Report 2022
August 2, 2023As we journeyed through 2022, the shadow of COVID-19 continued to loom large, with new variants creating new challenges. Yet, in the face of this, Kaiser Permanente Southern California remained steadfast in its commitment to research and discovery, both in researching COVID-19, but also addressing other health burdens faced by our Kaiser Permanente members including ...Read more...Research helps determine what isn’t really helping
July 19, 2023Back in 1991, the American Academy of Pediatrics began recommending testing preterm infants before they left the hospital to check that their breathing ability was mature enough when in a car seat to be discharged safely. At the time, there were no studies that showed whether this screening — which takes 2 hours of NICU ...Read more...Kaiser Permanente colon cancer patients fare better
June 12, 2023Kaiser Permanente Southern California members with colon cancer had a lower risk of premature death compared to insured patients diagnosed in other hospitals in Southern California, according to a study published this month in The American Surgeon. This benefit was most pronounced among people who were in the lowest socioeconomic group. Unlike the insured patients ...Read more...Five questions for … Dr. Michael Aragones
April 24, 2023Kaiser Permanente Southern California has 2 Regional Reference Laboratories, which make up a sophisticated clinical laboratory management system that interfaces with medical centers and medical offices throughout the region. Michael Aragones, MD, is a Research & Evaluation research lab project manager at the Sherman Way and Chino Hills regional laboratories, which share responsibility for testing ...Read more...Increasing vaccine equity in Southern California
March 29, 2023In addition to bringing isolation and illness to the world, the COVID-19 pandemic spotlighted the health disparities between Southern California communities. Getting COVID-19 vaccines to the neighborhoods where they were most needed was one of the greatest challenges health care providers experienced during the pandemic. At Kaiser Permanente in Southern California, people rallied to address the ...Read more...Atrial fibrillation may increase risk for dementia
March 27, 2023People who have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation are known to have an increased risk of developing other heart problems. A new Kaiser Permanente study suggests they may also be at increased risk for dementia. The researchers found that people with atrial fibrillation, the most common type of irregular heartbeat, had a 13% greater risk of ...Read more...Five questions for … Dr. Bechien Wu
March 27, 2023Dr. Bechien Wu is a gastroenterologist at the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center and chair of the Southern California Permanente Medical Group Regional Research Committee. He was recently appointed to be the physician director of Clinician Research. In his new role, Dr. Wu will provide scientific leadership to the new Division of Clinician Research within ...Read more...Paxlovid associated with lower risk of hospital admission
March 16, 2023A Kaiser Permanente study confirms the benefit of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir, also known as Paxlovid, as an early-stage treatment to prevent hospitalization for people with mild to moderate COVID-19, regardless of prior immunity or age. The study was published March 15, 2023, in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. “Among Kaiser Permanente members in Southern California who tested positive for ...Read more...