ResearchCollaborate with CHRResearch Response Team

Research Response Team

Have an Idea or a Research Question?

Our first step will be a brief conference call to determine whether your project qualifies as human-subject research. If so, it will require approval of the KPNW Institutional Review Board. Key research personnel must complete several trainings before conducting human-subject research at KPNW. You will need to identify someone who can submit a complete IRB application in collaboration with the RRT.

We will also ask you to provide a brief protocol summary, including the objectives or aims of the project, a description of the population of interest, and key outcome measures.

How to Write a Protocol Summary

A Research Protocol Summary will need to address the following areas:

Objectives or aims of the study
Study mentorship (if relevant): if a scientific mentor is needed, who will this be?
Population inclusion criteria
Population identification: How will population be identified (e.g., electronically)?
Key outcome measures and primary predictor (independent) variables
Measure abstraction: How will key study measures be identified (e.g., chart review)?
Data transfer: Will data need to be transferred to an external site? How will this happen? Who will receive the information?
What statistical analysis will be conducted, and who will perform it?
Dissemination of results: What are the plans for dissemination (where and how)?

Research Response Team having a meeting

The Research Response Team (RRT) contributes to process improvement efforts in the KP delivery system by supporting non-funded research by KP Northwest clinicians and teams. The RRT works with its regional partners to tap into Kaiser Permanente's vast stores of clinical data and investigate research questions that originate in the actual practice experience of the people who care for KP members.

Located at the Center for Health Research–Northwest on the Interstate campus, the Research Response Team provides the following services:

Guidance and consultation regarding Institutional Review Board application and compliance
Limited consultation on research design and study development
Construction of limited datasets for chart review for data analysis by principal investigators
Assistance with budget development for projects that have funding
Facilitating connections among investigators at Kaiser Permanente Northwest and affiliated research networks

Meet Our Team

David Mosen, PhD, MPH

Director, Research Response Team
Affiliate Investigator, Senior Program Evaluation Consultant

David has more than 15 years of experience conducting applied program evaluation research within health delivery systems. He is an expert partner to Kaiser Permanente Northwest doctors and clinicians who want to conduct health services research and quality improvement studies. He also works closely with KP Northwest leadership to develop and implement quality improvement and program evaluation studies.

Cheryl McGinley, RN, CCRC

Manager, Clinical Research Support Services

As the manager of the Clinical Research Support Services department, Cheryl has an excellent understanding of the KPNW delivery system. She has extensive experience in research administration, implementation, and coordination of clinical trials conducted at Kaiser Permanente Northwest.

Britta Torgrimson-Ojerio, PhD, RN

Clinical Research Coordinator, Clinical Research Support Services

Britta oversees the KP Clinical Research Unit (KPCRU) and coordinates clinical services and study activities at KPNW clinical settings. She earned her PhD in human physiology from the University of Oregon, with a focus on women’s health. In addition, she is a credentialed RN and was certified as a trauma nurse.

Lisa Waiwaiole, MS

Project Director

Lisa has a diverse research background in practice-based settings including ambulatory, hospital, and dental. She is well versed in study protocols, IRB requirements, and compliance issues surrounding data sharing. She has been at the Center for Health Research for almost ten years, working on both large NIH-funded clinical trials and smaller, clinician-initiated unfunded projects.

Stacy Harsh, BSN, RN

Project Manager

Stacy is a registered nurse with a research background in medical device trials. She joined the Center for Health Research in 2011 and brings experience managing data-only studies and doing medical chart abstraction covering a broad range of topics, including cancer, hepatitis, and vaccine safety.

Data-Only Studies

Given the complexity of projects that include primary data collection (consenting, human subjects protections, etc.), data-only research projects can be a simple and efficient means of achieving continuous process improvement. Recent examples of data-only studies conducted in partnership with the RRT include:

Stool Calprotectin in the Diagnostic Workup for Abdominal Pain in Children Ramya Ramraj, MD, Pediatric Gastroenterology
Examined the correlation between elevations in stool calprotectin (increasingly used by pediatricians) and gut inflammation.

Pediatric Post-Tonsillectomy Pain Management Anna Grosz, MD, Otolaryngology Examined restricting the use of opioids in tonsillectomy patients younger than 7 years old, as it related to patient outcomes and physician prescribing practices.

Clinical Decision Support to Improve Appropriate Screening for Vitamin D Andy Felcher, MD, Hospital Medicine Investigating whether three clinical decision aids specific to vitamin D levels decrease the number of unnecessary vitamin D screenings and improve the ratio of guideline-appropriate testing at KPNW.

Peer-Reviewed Articles from RRT Collaborations

Lauren J. Luk, MD, David Mosen, PhD, MPH, Carol J. MacArthur, MD, Anna H. Grosz, MD. Implementation of a Pediatric Posttonsillectomy Pain Protocol in a Large Group Practice. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, 2016, Vol. 154(4) 720–724.

Mosen DM, Mularski KS, Mularski RA, Hill AK, Shuster E. Pharmacist glycemic control team associated with improved perioperative glycemic and utilization outcomes. Am J Pharm Benefits. 2015;7(5):e127-e134.

Wysham NG, Mularski RA, Schmidt DM, Nord SC, Louis DL, Shuster E, Curtis JR, Mosen DM. Long-term persistence of quality improvements for an intensive care unit communication initiative using the VALUE strategy. J Crit Care. 2014 Jun;29(3):450-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jcrc.2013.12.006. Epub 2013 Dec 21. PubMed PMID: 24456811

Mularski KS, Yeh CP, Bains JK, Mosen DM, Hill AK, Mularski RA. Pharmacist glycemic control team improves quality of glycemic control in surgical patients with perioperative dysglycemia. Perm J. 2012 Winter;16(1):28-33. PubMed PMID: 22529756; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3327108

Felcher AH, Mularski RA, Mosen DM, Kimes TM, DeLoughery TG, Laxson SE. Incidence and risk factors for venous thromboembolic disease in podiatric surgery. Chest. 2009 Apr;135(4):917-22. doi: 10.1378/chest.08-1631. Epub 2008 Nov 18. Erratum in: Chest. 2009 Aug;136(2):653. PubMed PMID: 19017868