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
Pennells L, Kaptoge S, Wood A, Sweeting M, Zhao X, White I, Burgess S, Willeit P, Bolton T, Moons KGM, van der Schouw YT, Selmer R, Khaw KT, Gudnason V, Assmann G, Amouyel P, Salomaa V, Kivimaki M, Nordestgaard BG, Blaha MJ, Kuller LH, Brenner H, Gillum RF, Meisinger C, Ford I, Knuiman MW, Rosengren A, Lawlor DA, Völzke H, Cooper C, Marín Ibañez A, Casiglia E, Kauhanen J, Cooper JA, Rodriguez B, Sundström J, Barrett-Connor E, Dankner R, Nietert PJ, Davidson KW, Wallace RB, Blazer DG, Björkelund C, Donfrancesco C, Krumholz HM, Nissinen A, Davis BR, Coady S, Whincup PH, Jørgensen T, Ducimetiere P, Trevisan M, Engström G, Crespo CJ, Meade TW, Visser M, Kromhout D, Kiechl S, Daimon M, Price JF, Gómez de la Cámara A, Wouter Jukema J, Lamarche B, Onat A, Simons LA, Kavousi M, Ben-Shlomo Y, Gallacher J, Dekker JM, Arima H, Shara N, Tipping RW, Roussel R, Brunner EJ, Koenig W, Sakurai M, Pavlovic J, Gansevoort RT, Nagel D, Goldbourt U, Barr ELM, Palmieri L, Njølstad I, Sato S, Monique Verschuren WM, Varghese CV, Graham I, Onuma O, Greenland P, Woodward M, Ezzati M, Psaty BM, Sattar N, Jackson R, Ridker PM, Cook NR, D'Agostino RB Sr, Thompson SG, Danesh J, Di Angelantonio E; Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration. Equalization of four cardiovascular risk algorithms after systematic recalibration: individual-participant meta-analysis of 86 prospective studies. Eur Heart J. 2018 Nov 22. pii: 5198769. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehy653. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Sabater-Lleal M, Huffman JE, de Vries PS, Marten J, Mastrangelo MA, Song C, Pankratz N, Ward-Caviness CK, Yanek LR, Trompet S, Delgado GE, Guo X, Bartz TM, Martinez-Perez A, Germain M, de Haan HG, Ozel AB, Polasek O, Smith AV, Eicher JD, Reiner AP, Tang W, Davies NM, Stott DJ, Rotter JI, Tofler GH, Boerwinkle E, de Maat MPM, Kleber ME, Welsh P, Brody JA, Chen MH, Vaidya D, Soria JM, Suchon P, van Hylckama Vlieg A, Desch KC, Kolcic I, Joshi PK, Launer LJ, Harris TB, Campbell H, Rudan I, Becker DM, Li JZ, Rivadeneira F, Uitterlinden AG, Hofman A, Franco OH, Cushman M, Psaty BM, Morange PE, McKnight B, Chong MR, Fernandez-Cadenas I, Rosand J, Lindgren A, Gudnason V, Wilson JF, Hayward C, Ginsburg D, Fornage M, Rosendaal FR, Souto JC, Becker LC, Jenny NS, März W, Jukema JW, Dehghan A, Trégouët DA, Morrison AC, Johnson AD, O'Donnell CJ, Strachan DP, Lowenstein CJ, Smith NL; INVENT Consortium; MEGASTROKE consortium of the International Stroke Genetics Consortium (ISGC). Genome-wide association trans-ethnic meta-analyses identifies novel associations regulating coagulation factor viii and von Willebrand factor plasma levels. Circulation. 2019 Jan 29;139(5):620-635. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.118.034532. PubMed
Khera AV, Chaffin M, Zekavat SM, Collins RL, Roselli C, Natarajan P, Lichtman JH, D'Onofrio G, Mattera JA, Dreyer RP, Spertus JA, Taylor KD, Psaty BM, Rich SS, Post WS, Gupta N, Gabriel S, Lander E, Chen YI, Talkowski ME, Rotter JI, Krumholz HM, Kathiresan S. Whole genome sequencing to characterize monogenic and polygenic contributions in patients hospitalized with early-onset myocardial infarction. Circulation. 2018 Nov 11. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.118.035658. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Odden MC, Koh WJH, Arnold AM, Rawlings AM, Psaty BM, Newman AB. Trajectories of nonagenarian health: gender, age, and period effects. Am J Epidemiol. 2019 Feb 1;188(2):382-388. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwy241. PubMed
Lemaitre RN, McKnight B, Sotoodehnia N, Fretts AM, Qureshi WT, Song X, King IB, Sitlani CM, Siscovick DS, Psaty BM, Mozaffarian D. Circulating very long-chain saturated fatty acids and heart failure: the Cardiovascular Health Study. J Am Heart Assoc. 2018;7(21):e010019. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.118.010019. 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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KPWHRI in the media
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