Vaccine program recruiting volunteers in Seattle area

Video produced by Melissa Parson

KPWHRI’s vaccine trial registry was the first to enroll participants in a clinical trial of a COVID-19 vaccine

The vaccine program at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) is welcoming new participants for their investigational vaccine trial registry. Registry participants include both adults and children who are interested in participating in future clinical trials to test vaccines for diseases like COVID-19, influenza, and malaria.

Researchers at KPWHRI regularly study the safety and efficacy of vaccines, a process that helps continually improve the vaccines that are available to the public to protect against infectious diseases. They also conduct trials to test new vaccines against emerging diseases. When COVID-19 began to spread, KPWHRI’s clinic was the first to launch a vaccine trial. 

“Our registry of volunteers has been really helpful,” said Lisa Jackson, MD, MPH, a senior investigator at KPWHRI who leads the institute’s vaccine research. “Having a list of people who we know are interested helps us keep our outreach targeted and gives us confidence that we will have enough participants to conduct these really important studies.”

Established in 2020, the registry was initially specific to the COVID-19 vaccine studies. Now, anyone interested in learning of upcoming vaccine trials can sign up if they meet basic eligibility requirements.

How to participate  

The vaccine registry is open to adults and children who are in good health, live in the greater Seattle area, and are able to travel to the KPWHRI research clinic in downtown Seattle. Volunteers do not have to be Kaiser Permanente members to join the registry or take part in a trial.

People who want to be part of the registry should visit the main signup page, which has more information on eligibility. Anyone who previously registered for the KPWHRI COVID-19 vaccine registry can re-enroll to be included on the list of potential participants for additional vaccine trials.

SIGN UP FOR REGISTRY

Past vaccine trial results

In addition to its COVID-19 research, the KPWHRI vaccine program has also included trials of vaccines against diseases such as malaria, schistosomiasis, mpox, and influenza. The institute also participates in research during flu season to help the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention understand the effectiveness of licensed flu vaccines for different age groups.

Other highlights from the past 3 decades of KPWHRI vaccine research include:

• An evaluation of the safety of the shingles vaccine in older adults across the Vaccine Safety Datalink network
• Clinical trials of investigational flu vaccines, including against bird flu, in adults
• The biggest retrospective study of the effectiveness of the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine in adults and the largest clinical trial on the safety of this vaccine

By Amelia Apfel​​​​​​