5 Questions for…Drew Ambrosy
"To this day, my research interests and clinical practice remain intimately linked, and I firmly believe patient care drives the scientific process, and vice versa."
Kaiser Permanente
Division of Research Spotlight
The Kaiser Permanente Division of Research conducts, publishes, and disseminates epidemiologic and health services research to improve the health and medical care of Kaiser Permanente members and society at large. We seek to understand the determinants of illness and well-being, and to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of health care. Currently, DOR’s 550-plus staff is working on more than 350 epidemiological and health services research projects.
Kaiser Permanente program reduces opioid use for women delivering by C-section
Taking less pain medication, along with moving around sooner after the surgery, can allow women to recover more quickly and care for their newborns.
Kaiser Permanente research shows mastectomy patients recover safely at home
A study in Annals of Surgical Oncology finds that the rate of home recovery after mastectomy increased from 23% regionwide to 61% in the 6 months after the program started, with no significant changes in emergency-department visits, reoperations, or readmissions.
Body composition linked to cardiovascular risk in breast cancer survivors
Body composition, especially excess central adiposity or intra-abdominal fat, can result in an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in normal-weight breast cancer survivors, a large new Kaiser Permanente study shows.
Use of CT scans during pregnancy increased in U.S. and Canada over 2 decades
A large, multicenter study of advanced medical imaging in pregnancy, published in JAMA Network Open and co-led by Marilyn Kwan, PhD, found that CT scans were performed in 0.8% of pregnancies in the United States and 0.4% in Ontario in 2016; these rates increased nearly fourfold in the United States and doubled in Ontario over the 21 years.
More women using cannabis daily before and during pregnancy, Kaiser Permanente research finds
The number of women using cannabis in the year before they get pregnant and early in their pregnancies is increasing, and their frequency of use is also rising, according to new data from Kaiser Permanente.
New study finds both components of blood pressure predict heart attack, stroke risk
“This research brings a large amount of data to bear on a basic question, and it gives such a clear answer,” said lead author Alexander C. Flint, MD, PhD, Kaiser Permanente stroke specialist and adjunct researcher with the Division of Research. “Every way you slice the data, the systolic and diastolic pressures are both important.”
Kaiser Permanente machine learning analysis of sepsis illustrates condition’s complexity
A new machine learning algorithm developed by Kaiser Permanente researchers reveals the complexity of sepsis by sorting patients into recognizable treatment subgroups.
Prediction tool could identify more patients at risk of getting HIV
Kaiser Permanente researchers have developed a new analytical tool that identifies people at risk of contracting HIV so they may be referred for preventive medication.
Lower surgical opioid dosage leads to less long-term use, Kaiser Permanente research finds
Surgical patients given less opioids and more alternative methods of pain control were less likely to continue using opioids 6 months to a year later, an analysis by Kaiser Permanente Northern California researchers finds.
