Research Clinic

Facilities and equipment

Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute's clinic is located near downtown Seattle at the Metropolitan Park East Building. With nearly 5,500 square feet of space, it features:

• a large, comfortable waiting room, staffed by a receptionist;
• seven clinical exam rooms;
• seven interview rooms;
• a multipurpose exam room;
• a research-product preparation room with ventilated hood;
• a laboratory with two blood-draw stations;
• three centrifuges (two refrigerated; one room-temperature);
• four -70 degree freezers with CO2 back-up systems, continuous monitoring, and notification of temperature excursions;
• a -20 degree freezer;
• secure, continually monitored study-product refrigerators; and
• physical-assessment equipment including DINAMAP® blood pressure monitors, hospital-grade thermometers, an oxygen saturation monitor, otoscopes and ophthalmoscopes, and an electrocardiology (ECG) machine.

The clinic's facilities and capacity allow KPWHRI to perform trials of varying size and complexity—including complicated studies requiring safety oversight and special procedures. Its lab can collect, process, store, and prepare blood and urine samples for shipment. Certain Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-waived lab tests, such as urine pregnancy tests, are completed on site.

Clinic staff

The KPWHRI Research Clinic is staffed by a multidisciplinary team including doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, registered nurses, medical assistants, and research specialists. All staff members are centrally trained and certified for performing clinical procedures and interviewing. A clinical research manager, project managers, and research support specialists also serve clinic operations.