Cardiovascular Health
“One in four deaths in the United States is attributed to heart disease. Our researchers study how behavior, environment, and genetics affect heart health and how screening and treatment can reduce risk.”
Research overview
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for Americans. Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) scientists are working to understand how to reduce our risk of heart attacks, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases throughout life.
Addressing risk factors, improving diagnosis, and exploring how medications, genes, and everyday life affect our cardiovascular health at different ages and stages are central to this work — as is translating research findings into practical, personalized care.
“We’ve found that helping patients and health care teams work together on personalized care plans is the best path to lifelong heart health,” says Beverly Green, MD, MPH, whose recent work has focused on improving the diagnosis of high blood pressure.
Additional focus areas for KPWHRI scientists include exploring the impact of cardiovascular diseases on other health conditions — and vice versa. Recently, this has led researchers Sascha Dublin, MD, PhD, and Laura B. Harrington, PhD, MPH, to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular health.
Below are other research highlights from KPWHRI’s cardiovascular health scientists (please visit their bios to learn more):
- In 2016 Dr. Green, a senior investigator, launched the BP-CHECK study, which aims to find the easiest, most accurate way to diagnose high blood pressure. With a $2.8 million award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), the study compares blood pressure readings taken in clinic, at home, and at validated blood pressure kiosks to the 24-hour blood pressure test that is currently considered the gold standard for diagnosing hypertension.
- Dr. Dublin, a senior investigator, explores many different facets of cardiovascular disease in her work, including risk factors for atrial fibrillation, the effect of medications on cardiovascular disease, and the relationship between cardiovascular disease and other conditions, such as dementia. Managing cardiovascular risk factors in pregnancy — such as high blood pressure and diabetes — is a particular interest.
- Dr. Harrington, an assistant investigator, is a cardiovascular epidemiologist whose research aims to improve understanding of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors, particularly among older women. Currently, she is leading a study exploring the relationship between physical activity, sedentary behavior, and the risk of venous thromboembolism (blood clots that form predominantly in the veins of the legs or lungs). In addition to this work, Dr. Harrington conducts research in the areas of recurrent cardiovascular event risk, cardiovascular health in relation to cognitive decline and dementia risk in later life, and pharmacologic exposures in relation to cardiovascular event risk, with a particular focus on risk factors for venous thromboembolism.
- Senior Investigator Michael L. Parchman, MD, MPH, focuses on implementing evidence-based cardiovascular disease care into primary care settings. He led the 4-year Healthy Hearts Northwest trial, an EvidenceNOW initiative that helped smaller primary care practices in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho adopt evidence-based approaches to improving cardiovascular care outcomes. The trial continues to produce findings of importance.
- The work of Ellen O'Meara, PhD, a senior research associate, centers on the epidemiology of common and important health conditions in the United States, including cardiovascular disease. Her collaborative research has included studies exploring the risk factors and outcomes of heart disease and stroke. Recent work includes research on quality improvement aimed at controlling hypertension at small primary care practices.
Recent publications on Cardiovascular Health
Olson NC, Doyle MF, Jenny NS, Huber SA, Psaty BM, Kronmal RA, Tracy RP. Decreased naive and increased memory CD4(+) T cells are associated with subclinical atherosclerosis: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. PLoS One. 2013 Aug 23;8(8):e71498. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0071498. PubMed
Smith JG, Avery CL, Evans DS, Nalls MA, Meng YA, Smith EN, Palmer C, Tanaka T, Mehra R, Butler AM, Young T, Buxbaum SG, Kerr KF, Berenson GS, Schnabel RB, Li G, Ellinor PT, Magnani JW, Chen W, Bis JC, Curb JD, Hsueh WC, Rotter JI, Liu Y, Newman AB, Limacher MC, North KE, Reiner AP, Quibrera PM, Schork NJ, Singleton AB, Psaty BM, Soliman EZ, Solomon AJ, Srinivasan SR, Alonso A, Wallace R, Redline S, Zhang ZM, Post WS, Zonderman AB, Taylor HA, Murray SS, Ferrucci L, Arking DE, Evans MK, Fox ER, Sotoodehnia N, Heckbert SR, Whitsel EA, Newton-Cheh C; on behalf of the CARe and COGENT consortia. Impact of ancestry and common genetic variants on QT interval in African Americans. Circ Cardiovasc Genet. 2012;5(6):647-55. Epub 2012 Nov 19. PubMed
Hancock DB, Artigas MS, Gharib SA, Henry A, Manichaikul A, Ramasamy A, Loth DW, Imboden M, Koch B, McArdle WL, Smith AV, Smolonska J, Sood A, Tang W, Wilk JB, Zhai G, Zhao JH, Aschard H, Burkart KM, Curjuric I, Eijgelsheim M, Elliott P, Gu X, Harris TB, Janson C, Homuth G, Hysi PG, Liu JZ, Loehr LR, Lohman K, Loos RJ, Manning AK, Marciante KD, Obeidat M, Postma DS, Aldrich MC, Brusselle GG, Chen TH, Eiriksdottir G, Franceschini N, Heinrich J, Rotter JI, Wijmenga C, Williams OD, Bentley AR, Hofman A, Laurie CC, Lumley T, Morrison AC, Joubert BR, Rivadeneira F, Couper DJ, Kritchevsky SB, Liu Y, Wjst M, Wain LV, Vonk JM, Uitterlinden AG, Rochat T, Rich SS, Psaty BM, O'Connor GT, North KE, Mirel DB, Meibohm B, Launer LJ, Khaw KT, Hartikainen AL, Hammond CJ, Gläser S, Marchini J, Kraft P, Wareham NJ, Völzke H, Stricker BH, Spector TD, Probst-Hensch NM, Jarvis D, Jarvelin MR, Heckbert SR, Gudnason V, Boezen HM, Barr RG, Cassano PA, Strachan DP, Fornage M, Hall IP, Dupuis J, Tobin MD, London SJ. Genome-wide joint meta-analysis of SNP and SNP-by-smoking interaction identifies novel loci for pulmonary function. PLoS Genet. 2012;8(12):e1003098. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003098. PubMed
Levin GP, Robinson-Cohen C, de Boer IH, Houston DK, Lohman K, Liu Y, Kritchevsky SB, Cauley JA, Tanaka T, Ferrucci L, Bandinelli S, Patel KV, Hagstrom E, Michaelsson K, Melhus H, Wang T, Wolf M, Psaty BM, Siscovick D, Kestenbaum B. Genetic variants and associations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations with major clinical outcomes. JAMA. 2012;308(18):1898-905. doi: 10.1001/jama.2012.17304. PubMed
Butler AM, Yin X, Evans DS, Nalls MA, Smith EN, Tanaka T, Li G, Buxbaum SG, Whitsel EA, Alonso A, Arking DE, Benjamin EJ, Berenson GS, Bis JC, Chen W, Deo R, Ellinor PT, Heckbert SR, Heiss G, Hsueh WC, Keating BJ, Kerr KF, Li Y, Limacher MC, Liu Y, Lubitz SA, Marciante KD, Mehra R, Meng YA, Newman AB, Newton-Cheh C, North KE, Palmer CD, Psaty BM, Quibrera PM, Redline S, Reiner AP, Rotter JI, Schnabel RB, Schork NJ, Singleton AB, Smith JG, Soliman EZ, Srinivasan SR, Zhang ZM, Zonderman AB, Ferrucci L, Murray SS, Evans MK, Sotoodehnia N, Magnani JW, Avery CL. Novel loci associated with PR interval in a genome-wide association study of ten African American cohorts. Circ Cardiovasc Genet. 2012 Dec 1;5(6):639-46. doi: 10.1161/CIRCGENETICS.112.963991. Epub 2012 Nov 8. PubMed
Researchers in Cardiovascular Health
 Sascha Dublin, MD, PhDSenior Investigator |
 Beverly B. Green, MD, MPHSenior Investigator |
 Laura Harrington, PhD, MPHAssistant Investigator |
 Ellen O'Meara, PhDPrincipal Collaborative Scientist |
 Nicole M. Gatto, PhD, MPHPrincipal Collaborative Scientist |
 Meagan C. Brown, PhD, MPHAssistant Investigator |
Affiliate researchers
James Floyd, MD, MS
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology
University of Washington
Susan Heckbert, MD, PhD
University of Washington (UW) Department of Epidemiology; UW Cardiovascular Health Research Unit
Nicholas L. Smith, PhD, MPH
UW Professor, Epidemiology, Cardiovascular Health Research Unit
Director, Seattle Epidemiology and Information Resource Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System
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There’s no place like home … to track blood pressure
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CVD risk calculation: Can smaller clinics break through?
KPWHRI researchers uncover obstacles faced by smaller practices when adding CVD risk calculators into primary care.
KPWHRI in the media
Understanding high blood pressure
Hypertension headache: Medical myth or true health concern?
AARP, June 3, 2024
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