Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research history

In 1978, Thompson established the Committee on Prevention, which developed Group Health's first evidence-based clinical guidelines.

In 1983, the Group Health Board of Trustees established the Center for Health Studies (CHS), which was later named Group Health Research Institute.

In 1985, the Division opens a research clinic to support the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study — a longitudinal study of heart health and disparities that continues to this day and has resulted in more than 600 published papers.

CHS also provided collaborative leadership through its MacColl Institute for Healthcare Innovation (now called the MacColl Center), founded in 1992.

In 1993, Morris Collen, MD is honored by the American College of Medical Informatics (ACMI) as the first recipient of the highest honor it bestows, the Morris F. Collen, MD, Medal for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Medical Informatics.

In 1994, the Division is the founding member of the HMO Research Network (now the Health Care Systems Research Network), ushering in an era of large-scale collaborations seeking to integrate research and practice for the improvement of health and health care in diverse populations.

In 1996, CHS leaders catalyzed the formation of the Health Care Systems Research Network (HCSRN) (formerly HMORN), a 19-member consortium of health plans within integrated health care systems.

The Center for Research and Evaluation was established in 1998 and focuses on research projects and clinical trials that are aligned with the region’s strategic objectives.

Mid-Atlantic Permanente Research Institute was established in 2000 and is the research core for Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, P.C., in collaboration with Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States.

CHS welcomed a new director in 2002: Eric B. Larson, MD, MPH, previously the medical director of the UW Medical Center.

CHS changed its name to Group Health Research Institute (GHRI) in September 2009, a move intended to boost the organization’s visibility locally and nationally—and to further solidify Group Health's role as a leader in transforming health care.

In 2012, the Division celebrated its 50th anniversary with four of its five directors, scientists and staff, and leaders of Kaiser Permanente Northern California and The Permanente Medical Group.

Group Health signed an acquisition agreement with Kaiser Permanente in 2016 and began work to become the eighth region of this large, not-for-profit health plan.

In February 2017, it changed its name to Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute.

In August 2018, following Doctor Larson's decision to step away from his leadership role to concentrate on his own research projects, the organization began a nationwide search for his successor.

The information provided is current as of October 26, 2021, and is subject to updates on at least an annual basis and within 60 days of the institution's identification of a new financial conflict of interest.