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 ...
Featured News
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. Amandeep Sahota
January 31, 2022Amandeep Sahota, MD, directs the Department of Hepatology at the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center. She is also assistant medical director of Transplant Services for Kaiser Permanente Southern California. In this role, she promotes clinical quality programs, implementation of virtual medicine, and data analytics on chronic diseases outcomes. Her efforts have improved patient access ...Read more...Hospitalized or not, COVID-19 patients put high demands on health system
January 7, 2022A study of Kaiser Permanente Southern California members diagnosed with COVID-19 found that they had frequent health care visits during the month after their diagnosis—whether or not they stayed overnight in the hospital. As reported in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, the average number of visits over 30 days was nearly 7 for patients who ...Read more...Depression screening improves care for patients with cancer
January 4, 2022Kaiser Permanente research published January 4, 2022, in JAMA showed depression screening for patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer was highly effective at identifying patients in need of behavioral health care, and the new screening initiative was subsequently and successfully built into the patient care and daily workflow of medical oncology teams at Kaiser Permanente in Southern ...Read more...Shingles vaccine linked to lower risk of COVID-19
December 28, 2021People who were vaccinated for shingles had a lower risk of COVID-19 diagnosis or hospitalization, according to a Kaiser Permanente study of people ages 50 and older. The research was published December 28 in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. “Our findings add to a compelling body of evidence that some vaccines may provide some protection against ...Read more...Dr. Nguyen named 2021 Physician Researcher of the Year
December 28, 2021John K. Nguyen, MD, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center, has been named the 2021 Southern California Permanente Medical Group Physician Researcher of the Year. The award has been given each year since 2007 to recognize a physician or surgeon for his or her outstanding contributions to the research community. Dr. Nguyen is the ...Read more...Moderna COVID-19 vaccine effective against virus variants
December 16, 2021Kaiser Permanente research published on December 15, 2021 in The British Medical Journal showed 2 doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine were highly effective against all SARS-CoV-2 variants. However, vaccine effectiveness against the delta variant moderately declined with increasing time after vaccination. “We conducted a previous study that showed the high effectiveness of the 2-dose Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, ...Read more...Five questions for … Dr. Matthew Mefford
December 16, 2021Matthew Mefford, PhD, is a cardiovascular disease epidemiologist and research scientist in the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation. His research interests include heart failure, cardiovascular disease disparities, risk factors and outcomes, and the intersection of chronic disease and infectious diseases. He also maintains a broad focus on applying epidemiologic methods to ...Read more...Heart attack patients may have delayed care over COVID-19 concerns
December 14, 2021A study of Kaiser Permanente Southern California members shows that rates of hospital admissions or emergency department visits for heart attacks dropped significantly after stay-at-home orders for the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. These findings, published in The Permanente Journal on December 13, 2021, suggest that people may have delayed seeking care out of concern ...Read more...New Virtual Research Office enables physician research
December 14, 2021Kaiser Permanente Southern California has launched a new Virtual Research Office portal to make it easier for physicians to conduct clinical research that can have a direct impact on the quality of care provided to Kaiser Permanente members. The new portal, developed and housed by the Department of Research & Evaluation, provides a single point of ...Read more...People with HIV are at increased risk for heart failure
December 13, 2021People with HIV are at higher risk of developing heart failure than people without HIV, a new study found. The research, published Dec. 13, 2021, in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, is one of the largest studies to investigate heart failure risk in people with HIV and how that risk varies by age, gender, race, and ethnicity. “Cardiovascular ...Read more...