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:
Dawwas GK, Hennessy S, Brensinger CM, Acton EK, Bilker WB, Chung S, Dublin S, Horn JR, Manis MM, Miano TA, Oslin DW, Pham Nguyen TP, Soprano SE, Wiebe DJ, Leonard CE. Signals of muscle relaxant drug interactions associated with unintentional traumatic injury: a population-based screening study. CNS Drugs. 2022 Mar 6. doi: 10.1007/s40263-022-00909-1. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Yeung K, Ulloa E. Incentivizing prescription drug switching to reduce patient and health plan spending: a microsimulation model. Value Health. 2022;25(3):427-434. doi: 10.1016/j.jval.2021.08.012. Epub 2021 Oct 1. PubMed
Klein TA, Graves JM, Panther S. Trazodone prescribing for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder on Medicaid in Oregon. J Pediatr Pharmacol Ther. 2022;27(2):132-140. doi: 10.5863/1551-6776-27.2.132. Epub 2022 Feb 9. PubMed
Carrell DS, Cronkite DJ, Shea M, Oliver M, Luce C, Matson TE, Bobb JF, Hsu C, Binswanger IA, Browne KC, Saxon AJ, McCormack J, Jelstrom E, Ghitza UE, Campbell CI, Bradley KA, Lapham GT. Clinical documentation of patient-reported medical cannabis use in primary care: toward scalable extraction using natural language processing methods. Subst Abus. 2022;43(1):917-924. doi: 10.1080/08897077.2021.1986767. PubMed
Hart LA, Walker R, Phelan EA, Marcum ZA, Schwartz NRM, Crane PK, Larson EB, Gray SL. Change in central nervous system-active medication use following fall-related injury in older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2021 Oct 19. doi: 10.1111/jgs.17508. Online ahead of print. PubMed
![]() Sascha Dublin, MD, PhDSenior Investigator |
![]() Jessica Chubak, PhD, MBHLSenior Investigator |
![]() Andrea J. Cook, PhDSenior Biostatistics Investigator |
![]() Rita Mangione-Smith, MD, MPHVice President for Research and Health Care Innovation, Kaiser Permanente Washington; Executive Director and Senior Investigator, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute |
![]() Eric B. Larson, MD, MPH, MACPSenior Investigator and former Executive Director, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute; Former Vice President for Research and Health Care Innovation, Kaiser Permanente Washington |
![]() Jennifer C. Nelson, PhDDirector of Biostatistics, Senior Investigator |
![]() David E. Arterburn, MD, MPHSenior Investigator, KPWHRI; Physician, Washington Permanente Medical Group, Internal Medicine |
![]() Susan M. Shortreed, PhDSenior Biostatistics Investigator |
![]() Lisa A. Jackson, MD, MPHSenior Investigator |
![]() Karen Wernli, PhDAssociate Investigator |
![]() Onchee Yu, MSSenior Collaborative Biostatistician |
![]() Rod L. Walker, MSSenior Collaborative Biostatistician |
![]() Robert D. Wellman,Senior Collaborative Biostatistician |
![]() Gaia Pocobelli, PhDResearch Associate |
![]() David S. Carrell, PhDAssociate Investigator |
![]() Laura Harrington, PhD, MPHAssistant Investigator |
![]() Jennifer F. Bobb, PhDAssociate Biostatistics Investigator |
![]() Weiwei Zhu, MSSenior Collaborative Biostatistician |
![]() Paige D. Wartko, PhD, MPHResearch Associate |
![]() Maricela Cruz, PhDAssistant Biostatistics Investigator |
![]() Brian D. Williamson, PhDAssistant Biostatistics Investigator |
![]() Noorie Hyun, PhDAssistant Biostatistics Investigator |
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