Our Research
Science to serve one goal: Better health
Scientists at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) have a rare advantage: We work within a system that provides both care and coverage. With a 360-degree view of people’s everyday health experience over time, we discover what works best to serve Kaiser Permanente's mission: better health.
We collaborate closely with Kaiser Permanente Washington's medical staff and other providers — gaining from their perspectives on practical approaches to health care’s toughest problems. Together, we create a learning health care system — a place where research strengthens practice and practice strengthen research.
Scientists
Working in the public interest
Our faculty work on interdisciplinary research teams, conducting about 300 studies at any given time. They partner with affiliate researchers and others from academic institutions and health systems and share findings in the public domain to serve the public good.
See our KPWHRI researcher directory.
2023 annual report
Research and innovation for better health
In 2023, KPWHRI conducted impactful studies on cancer screening, vaccine safety, suicide prevention, dementia care, and more.
Funding sources
A broad base of support
Most of our support comes from federal agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health. We also contract with biomedical companies and receive grants from private foundations. About 5 percent of our budget comes from Kaiser Permanente Washington.
See our list of funders.
Research
Changing sitting habits shows meaningful impact
A new trial highlights a promising intervention to improve blood pressure in older adults.
Recent publications
Schwarze-Taufiq TA, Pranoto I, Hui K, Kinoshita C, Yu O, Crane PK, Gray SL, Young JE. Anticholinergic drugs and dementia risk: Using stem cell-based studies to complement pharmacoepidemiology in understanding mechanisms of risk. Alzheimers Dement (N Y). 2025 Feb 5;11(1):e70040. doi: 10.1002/trc2.70040. eCollection 2025 Jan-Mar. PubMed
Fong Y, Dang L, Zhang B, Fintzi J, Chen S, Wang J, Rouphael NG, Branche AR, Diemert DJ, Falsey AR, Losada C, Baden LR, Frey SE, Whitaker JA, Little SJ, Kamidani S, Walter EB, Novak RM, Rupp R, Jackson LA, Yu C, Magaret CA, Molitor C, Borate B, Babu TM, Kottkamp AC, Luetkemeyer AF, Immergluck LC, Presti RM, Bäcker M, Winokur PL, Mahgoub SM, Goepfert PA, Fusco DN, Atmar RL, Posavad CM, Mu J, Makowski M, Makhene MK, Nayak SU, Roberts PC, Follmann D, Gilbert PB; Coronavirus Variant Immunologic Landscape Trial (COVAIL) Study Team. Neutralizing antibody immune correlates for a recombinant protein vaccine in the COVAIL trial. Clin Infect Dis. 2025 Feb 5;80(1):223-227. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciae465. PubMed
Simonson DC, Gourash WF, Arterburn DE, Hu B, Kashyap SR, Cummings DE, Patti ME, Courcoulas AP, Vernon AH, Jakicic JM, Kirschling S, Aminian A, Schauer PR, Kirwan JP. Health-related quality of life and health utility after metabolic/bariatric surgery vs. medical/lifestyle intervention in patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity: The ARMMS-T2D study. Diabetes Care. 2025 Feb 4:dc242046. doi: 10.2337/dc24-2046. Online ahead of print. PubMed
Jones SW, Yi JC, Henrikson NB, Panattoni L, Shankaran V. Development of item banks to assess financial hardship in cancer survivors using item response theory. Front Cancer Control. 4 Feb, 2025. Vol. 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcacs.2025.1452970. PubMed
Collaborate with us
KPWHRI oversees all research conducted at Kaiser Permanente Washington, ensuring that all studies involving Kaiser Permanente Washington members are aligned with the organization’s primary mission: to improve health. Researchers from outside Kaiser Permanente Washington can learn more about our processes for collaborating with KPWHRI faculty members.
Land Acknowledgment
Our Seattle offices sit on the occupied land of the Duwamish and by the shared waters of the Coast Salish people, who have been here thousands of years and remain. Learn about practicing land acknowledgment.