Americans are using more prescription drugs than ever. Consequently, they’re coping with more side effects, drug interactions, and costs, especially if they’re using multiple medications. Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) scientists are on the forefront of answering questions about these concerns. We’re studying the beneficial and harmful effects of medications in real-world settings, and innovating better ways to manage and monitor drug use.
The institute contributes to national initiatives to monitor medication safety as well as providing information to help doctors and patients weigh the risks and benefits of various prescription drugs.
Funders of KPWHRI medication use and patient safety research include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, and other sources. A few projects include:
Xu S, Zeng C, Newcomer S, Nelson JC, Glanz J. Use of fixed effects models to analyze self-controlled case series data in vaccine safety studies. J Biom Biostat. 2012 Apr 19;Suppl 7:006. PubMed
Floyd JS, Kaspera R, Marciante KD, Weiss NS, Heckbert SR, Lumley T, Wiggins KL, Tamraz B, Kwok PY, Totah RA, Psaty BM. A screening study of drug-drug interactions in cerivastatin users: an adverse effect of clopidogrel. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2012 May;91(5):896-904. doi: 10.1038/clpt.2011.295. Epub 2012 Mar 14. PubMed
Psaty BM. Conducting comparative effectiveness research on medications: the views of a practicing epidemiologist from the other Washington. Value Health. 2012;15(2):394-6. Epub 2011 Nov 9. PubMed
Nelson JC, Cook AJ, Yu O, Dominguez C, Zhao S, Greene SK, Fireman BH, Jacobsen SJ, Weintraub ES, Jackson LA. Challenges in the design and analysis of sequentially monitored postmarket safety surveillance evaluations using electronic observational health care data. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2012 Jan;21 Suppl 1:62-71. doi: 10.1002/pds.2324. PubMed
Cook AJ, Tiwari RC, Wellman RD, Heckbert SR, Li L, Heagerty P, Marsh T, Nelson JC. Statistical approaches to group sequential monitoring of postmarket safety surveillance data: current state of the art for use in the Mini-Sentinel pilot. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2012;21 Suppl 1:72-81. doi: 10.1002/pds.2320. PubMed
![]() Sascha Dublin, MD, PhDSenior Investigator |
![]() Jessica Chubak, PhDSenior Investigator |
![]() Andrea J. Cook, PhDSenior Biostatistics Investigator |
![]() Rita Mangione-Smith, MD, MPHExecutive Director and Senior Investigator, KPWHRI; Vice President for Research and Health Care Innovation, Kaiser Permanente Washington |
![]() Jennifer C. Nelson, PhDDirector, Biostatistics; Senior Investigator |
![]() David E. Arterburn, MD, MPHSenior Investigator |
![]() Susan M. Shortreed, PhDSenior Biostatistics Investigator |
![]() Lisa A. Jackson, MD, MPHSenior Investigator |
![]() Karen Wernli, PhDSenior Investigator |
![]() Onchee Yu, MSPrincipal Collaborative Biostatistician |
![]() Rod L. Walker, MSPrincipal Collaborative Biostatistician |
![]() Robert D. Wellman, MSPrincipal Collaborative Biostatistician |
![]() Gaia Pocobelli, PhDSenior Collaborative Scientist |
![]() Laura Harrington, PhD, MPHAssociate Investigator |
![]() Jennifer F. Bobb, PhDAssociate Biostatistics Investigator |
![]() Weiwei Zhu, MSSenior Collaborative Biostatistician |
![]() Paige D. Wartko, PhD, MPHSenior Collaborative Scientist |
![]() Maricela Cruz, PhDAssistant Biostatistics Investigator |
![]() Brian D. Williamson, PhDAssistant Biostatistics Investigator |
![]() Noorie Hyun, PhDAssociate Biostatistics Investigator |
![]() Laurel Hansell, MA, MPHCollaborative Scientist |
![]() Jess Mogk, MPHCollaborative Scientist |
Susan Heckbert, MD, PhD
University of Washington (UW) Department of Epidemiology; UW Cardiovascular Health Research Unit
David Siscovick, MD, MPH
UW Department of Medicine; UW Department of Epidemiology; UW Cardiovascular Health Research Unit
Leslie Spangler, PhD
Amgen