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Three Pilot Studies Advance Community Health

Three CHR investigators received community benefit funding from Kaiser Permanente Northwest last year to conduct pilot research projects. Here’s a wrap-up of what these studies did and what they found.

July 11, 2019

Featured Story

Addressing racial disparities in health care

CHR Investigator Gloria Coronado joined Oregon Health Forum discussion on how to remove barriers and address issues of health equity for the populations we serve

June 24, 2019

Story

Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research ranked 4th in Oregon for federal health research money

According to a recent survey in the Portland Business Journal, CHR received 17 grants from the NIH in 2018 for a total of $11,933,644, or just over 3.3 percent of the $357.8 million in funding awarded to Oregon researchers.

May 14, 2019

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New Study Finds Preventing Youth Depression Is Cost-Effective

A new paper by Frances Lynch, PhD, Senior Investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, found that a program to prevent depression among at-risk adolescents is cost-effective.

Feb 25, 2019

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CHR Director Lucy Savitz attends grand opening of Meals on Wheels People’s latest venture: The Diner Vancouver

In addition to the typical diner fare of burgers, salads, and pies, food security and intergenerational dining were on the menu at the grand opening of The Diner Vancouver on February 19, 2019, the latest venture by the local non-profit Meals on Wheels People, which provides meals to homebound seniors in the Portland metropolitan area.

Feb 22, 2019

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CHR and Community Health Workers Building a “Bridge to Health” for Underserved Diabetes Patients

According to the Centers for Disease Control and prevention, approximately 40% of American adults are living with diabetes or prediabetes, and many with diabetes aren’t properly managing their chronic disease. Now, work at Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research (CHR) aims to assess interventions that might help patients in need better manage their type 2 diabetes.

Feb 14, 2019

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Research Team Ends Three-Decade Study with Publication on Older Women and Long-Term Weight Loss

Launched in 1987, the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures became the longest-running study in the 54-year history of the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research.

Oct 29, 2018

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Engaging with Patients to Boost Colorectal Cancer Screening and Reduce Disparities

A team from the Center for Health Research visited AltaMed Health Services in Los Angeles as part of a community-based participatory research project designed to increase colorectal cancer screening rates in underserved populations.

Oct 26, 2018

Stories

Center for Health Research and OHSU Receive Major Grant to Pursue Learning Health System Science

The nearly $4 million award, from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, will fund a new Center of Excellence for collaborative health care research.

Oct 25 2018

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Robert Sapolsky Delivers CHR’s 28th Annual Saward Lecture

With rich scientific content and plenty of humor, author and biologist Robert Sapolsky illuminated the causes and health impact of stress at the 2018 Saward Lecture.

Oct 18, 2018

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CHR Investigator Stephanie Fitzpatrick Lauded for Health Care Innovation

At its annual Health Care of the Future event, the Portland Business Journal honored early-career researcher Stephanie Fitzpatrick with a “Health Care Five Under Forty” award.

Sep 27, 2018

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Five Key Takeaways from “Mind the Gap: Putting Evidence into Practice in the Era of Learning Health Systems”

Three experts in the field of Learning Health Systems—including Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research Director Lucy Savitz—propose a new strategy for bridging the gap between health research and clinical practice.

Aug 30, 2018

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Weighing the Alternatives: Complementary and Integrative Medicine Services at Kaiser Permanente Northwest

Kaiser Permanente Northwest covers a range of complementary services—and the Center for Health Research plays a key role in understanding how well they work, how cost-effective they are, and what patients and doctors are saying about them.

Aug 30 2018

Press Release

A Shot in the Arm — CHR Team Gives Vaccine Safety Research a ‘Boost’

Vaccination plays a major role in maintaining public health locally and across the globe. Many families in the United States immunize their children according to medical guidelines, and many adults stay on top of their own vaccinations, but public opinion on vaccine safety ranges from all-out approval to the belief that vaccines lead to severe medical issues. Available data suggest we have a lot of room to improve vaccination rates for both adults and children.

Aug 15 2018

Press Release

One Year In, CHR Director Lucy Savitz Is Focused on the Future

In May 2017, for only the third time in its 53-year history, the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research (CHR) welcomed a new director. In the year since, Lucy A. Savitz, PhD, MBA, has both familiarized herself with CHR’s long history and set a course for the future with a new three-year strategic plan.

Jul 24 2018

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Soaring Cost of Cancer Care Prompts New Research and Dialogue

Health systems are under significant pressure to improve patient outcomes while also controlling costs.

Jun 29 2018

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A Perilous 2020 U.S. Census: Why the Count Counts

Proposed changes to the collection of census data may have troubling implications, argues CHR Director Lucy Savitz in a blog for the Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Policy.

Jun 21 2018