Health is about more than health care. Where people live can have a profound influence on daily choices that can promote population health—or harm it. Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) scientists work to improve and sustain community conditions that support health and equity.
At KPWHRI’s Center for Community Health and Evaluation (CCHE) we are working with foundations, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies to evaluate their community health improvement initiatives. A few examples:
CCHE serves as the evaluation partner for Kaiser Permanente Washington’s (KPWA) Community Health and Benefit program, providing evaluation and strategic support for a wide range of regional initiatives, including built environment improvements in the community, school-based health centers, and healthy eating/active living programming for teachers. Beyond CCHE, other KPWHRI researchers are exploring opportunities to improve population health by creating healthier communities. Among these efforts are:
Answering questions about what makes a healthy environment gives policymakers, urban planners, and others the information they need to create healthier communities in the future.
Miller-Rosales C, McCloskey J, Uratsu CS, Ralston JD, Bayliss EA, Grant RW. Associations between different self-reported social risks and neighborhood-level resources in Medicaid patients. Med Care. 2022 Aug 1;60(8):563-569. doi: 10.1097/MLR.0000000000001735. Epub 2022 May 30. PubMed
Greenwood-Hickman MA, Walker R, Bellettiere J, LaCroix AZ, Kim B, Wing D, Richmire K, Crane PK, Larson EB, Rosenberg DE. Associations between perceived neighborhood walkability and device-based physical activity and sedentary behavior patterns in older adults. J Aging Phys Act. 2021 Aug 13:1-9. doi: 10.1123/japa.2020-0387. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Gupta S, Rose CM, Buszkiewicz J, Ko LK, Mou J, Cook A, Aggarwal A, Drewnowski A. Characterizing percent energy from ultra-processed foods by participant demographics, diet quality, and diet cost findings from the Seattle Obesity Study SOS III. Br J Nutr. 2020 Nov 23;1-29. doi: 10.1017/S0007114520004705. PubMed
Rosenberg D, Walker R, Greenwood-Hickman MA, Bellettiere J, Xiang Y, Richmire K, Higgins M, Wing D, Larson EB, Crane PK, LaCroix AZ. Device-assessed physical activity and sedentary behavior in a community-based cohort of older adults. BMC Public Health. 2020 Aug 18;20(1):1256. doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-09330-z. PubMed
Averill MM, Dillon-Sumner L, Stergachis A, Sconyers J, Summerside N, Brazg T, Errett N. Integrating public health students into interprofessional education. J Interprof Care. 2020 May-Jun;34(3):427-430. doi: 10.1080/13561820.2019.1690436. Epub 2019 Dec 21. PubMed
![]() Allen Cheadle, PhDSenior Investigator, KPWHRI; Senior Research Associate, CCHE |
![]() Clarissa Hsu, PhDAssociate Investigator |
![]() Dori E. Rosenberg, PhD, MPHAssociate Investigator |
![]() Maricela Cruz, PhDAssistant Biostatistics Investigator |
David Grembowski, PhD
Professor, Health Services and Oral Health Sciences
University of Washington