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.
A study reviewing 16 years of patient data found nearly double the rate of dementia among people with HIV compared with those without HIV. The rate of dementia decreased over time for both groups but remained higher for those with HIV, reported research published in the journal AIDS.
The Kaiser Permanente Division of Research postdoctoral research program drew one of its largest-ever classes of fellows this year, building the strength of DOR's research portfolio. Seven fellows cover fields from diet to dementia, cancer to clinical informatics, to women's and children's health, and more.
A long-term study that has produced important insights into menopause and women’s health at midlife is starting its 27th year with new federal funding from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at 7 sites including the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland.
The potential for statins — a widely prescribed class of cholesterol-lowering medication — to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias will be explored in a 4-year study led by Division of Research investigator Catherine Schaefer, PhD.
Kaiser Permanente Division of Research staff scientist Paola Gilsanz, ScD, is exploring the reasons for the unequal distribution of dementia risk among genders and ethnic groups.
As people with type 1 diabetes age, new research from Kaiser Permanente shows how traumatic brain injury could be a risk factor for their developing dementia.
Two studies presented by Kaiser Permanente researchers Rachel Whitmer, PhD, and Paola Gilsanz, ScD, at an Alzheimer’s conference in July found that early life adversity and birthplace contribute to racial disparities in dementia rates, and that these disparities persist even among the oldest of the elderly.
By Ann Wallace, Senior Communications Specialist, Division of Research A new, $100 million, four-year study will determine the clinical usefulness and value in diagnosing Alzheimer’s and other dementias through a brain positron emission tomography (PET) scan that detects amyloid plaques,…
Depression in patients with diabetes is associated with a substantively increased risk of development of dementia compared to those with diabetes alone, according to Andrew Karter, PhD and Rachel Whitmer, PhD. The researchers collaborated with the University of Washington on…
The first study to look at the long-term effects of heavy smoking on dementia risk found that heavy smoking – two packs or more a day — in midlife more than doubles the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or vascular…
