Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research

What Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research does

Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research (CHR) is a nonprofit health services research institution founded in 1964 and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kaiser Permanente, with primary facilities in Portland, Oregon and Honolulu, Hawaii. The organization conducts multi-disciplinary research across clinical trials, epidemiology, comparative effectiveness, health economics, genomics, and implementation science, employing 41 senior research investigators and 243 support staff. Its core technical capabilities include an in-house Clinical Research and Trials Unit, Biostatistics core, Biospecimen Resources repository, Data and Analytics function drawing on KP electronic health records, an Evidence-based Practice Center supporting the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, and a Translational and Applied Genomics program.

CHR's research portfolio spans cancer prevention (including the NCI-sponsored Connect study targeting 200,000 participants), vaccine safety and effectiveness (including the CDC-funded CASCADIA study and Vaccine Safety Datalink), diabetes and women's health (GO MOMs, Sleep for Health), health disparities research focused on Hispanic, African American, and American Indian/Alaska Native communities, and chronic disease management. The center is the highest-enrolling site in Pfizer's CLOVER trial and a leading site in the BEETHOVEN C. diff vaccine trial.

Revenue is generated primarily through federal grant funding from NIH, CDC, AHRQ, PCORI, and NIMHD (documented active awards totaling approximately $22.4M across multi-year periods), supplemented by industry-sponsored clinical trial revenue (notably Pfizer), private foundation grants, and internal Kaiser Permanente operating support. CHR does not sell commercial products; research participation is voluntary and uncompensated. The organization distributes findings through peer-reviewed publications, the CHRonicle newsletter, the Saward Lecture series, earned media coverage in outlets such as Reuters and the New York Times, and integration of research results into KP clinical practice.

Name

Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research

Legal name

Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research

Website

https://research.kpchr.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research is a nonprofit health services research institution founded in 1964, conducting clinical trials, epidemiology, and implementation science for federal agencies, pharmaceutical sponsors, and Kaiser Permanente across sites in Portland and Honolulu.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Federal Grants: Majority of funding comes from federal agencies including National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
2. Private Foundations: Funding from private foundations for specific research initiatives
3. Industry Partnerships: Pharmaceutical companies sponsor clinical trials (e.g., Pfizer)
4. Kaiser Permanente: Internal funding from Kaiser Permanente for operational support and strategic research priorities

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research conducts multi-disciplinary health services research for Kaiser Permanente and external sponsors. It designs and runs large-scale observational studies, pragmatic clinical trials, vaccine effectiveness studies, community-based cancer screening interventions, and systematic evidence reviews, using its access to Kaiser Permanente's integrated electronic health records and member population to produce peer-reviewed evidence that informs clinical guidelines and public health policy.

Product overview

Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research is a nonprofit research institution dedicated to advancing knowledge to improve health through scientific research. Rather than a traditional product company, it operates a portfolio of research programs and clinical studies. Key offerings include large-scale observational studies like the Connect for Cancer Prevention Study, clinical trials such as the BEETHOVEN C. diff vaccine trial, vaccine effectiveness research including the CASCADIA study, culturally tailored cancer screening outreach programs, the KP Research Bank biobank resource, and various studies focused on diabetes, sleep, women's health, and other health conditions. The institution also maintains a recruitment registry to connect potential participants with research opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Connect for Cancer Prevention Study A long-term observational research program sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, designed to explore the causes of cancer and identify prevention strategies. CHR serves as one of nine participating healthcare systems, with Mark Schmidt, PhD as site principal investigator, recruiting adult participants including Kaiser Permanente members.
• BEETHOVEN Study A Phase 3 clinical trial sponsored by Pfizer testing a vaccine to protect adults age 65 and older against Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) infection. CHR is a leading recruitment site targeting approximately 900 patient enrollments in 18 months, building on its track record as the highest-enrolling site in Pfizer's prior CLOVER trial.
• CASCADIA Study A prospective community-based vaccine effectiveness study assessing SARS-CoV-2 vaccine effectiveness in children and adults using remote nasal swab collection and web-based surveys. Jointly led with the University of Washington School of Medicine and funded by the CDC.
• Colorectal Cancer Screening Outreach Programs Community-based, culturally tailored cancer screening research and outreach programs including Boot Camp Translation methodology, patient education materials, and community engagement programs. Designed to promote colorectal cancer screening in underserved populations including Hispanic, African American, and American Indian/Alaska Native communities, in partnership with AltaMed Health Services, the Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board, and the South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency.
• KP Research Bank A massive biobank repository of health data and biological samples (blood samples, surveys) launched in 2016 with a goal of enrolling 500,000 Kaiser Permanente members across all eight KP regions to support genetic and health services research.
• GO MOMs Study A research program examining the association between glycemic changes during pregnancy and newborn complications, funded by NIDDK and led by Erin S. LeBlanc as part of CHR's women's health research portfolio.
• Sleep for Health Study A randomized clinical trial examining the effects of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) on diabetes risk. Funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) from 2022 to 2028 with $3.5 million in support.
• CHR Recruitment Registry A registry of individuals interested in being contacted about upcoming research opportunities, enabling participation in clinical studies conducted by the Center for Health Research. Open to both Kaiser Permanente members and community members, with separate provisions for parents/guardians to register children for pediatric studies.

Quantifiable outcome

• COVID-19 vaccines reduced risk of emergency and urgent care visits by 76% for children 9 months to 4 years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• PfizercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025Pfizer sponsors the BEETHOVEN Phase 3 clinical trial testing a C. diff vaccine in adults 65+, with CHR as a leading recruitment site having enrolled over 50 participants. CHR was previously the highest enrolling site in Pfizer's CLOVER trial.
• National Cancer Institute (NCI)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2023CHR serves as one of nine healthcare systems participating in the NCI-sponsored Connect for Cancer Prevention Study, aiming to recruit 200,000 adults nationally to investigate cancer etiology and prevention. Mark Schmidt, PhD serves as the site principal investigator.
• OCHIN Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2023OCHIN provides technology support to community health centers serving low-income populations. CHR collaborated with OCHIN on a study testing technical assistance and coaching for social risk screening implementation across 31 clinics in 8 states.
• University of Washington School of MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023Joint leadership of the CASCADIA study, a CDC-funded prospective community-based study assessing SARS-CoV-2 vaccine effectiveness in children and adults using remote nasal swab collection and web-based surveys.
• Kaiser Permanente Northwest (KPNW)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerKPNW is the primary clinical delivery partner providing access to patient populations, electronic health records, and clinical operations for research studies conducted by CHR.
• AltaMed Health ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHR partnered with this federally qualified health center in Southern California to develop bilingual colorectal cancer screening materials for Hispanic patients, winning a SCOPY Award.
• Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board (GPTLHB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHR collaborated with GPTLHB representing 18 tribal communities in South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa to develop colorectal health messages for American Indian and Alaska Native populations.
• South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency (SPIPA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHR partnered with SPIPA serving five local Tribal Nations including Chehalis, Nisqually, Shoalwater Bay, Skokomish, and Squaxin Island to develop culturally tailored colorectal health messages.
• Seattle Children'sminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeattle Children's infectious disease specialists serve as co-investigators on the CASCADIA study, with Dr. Janet Englund leading research at the institution.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute: KPWHRI is the closest organizational analog to CHR: another Kaiser Permanente-affiliated nonprofit research institute conducting health services research, clinical trials, and implementation science within an integrated delivery system. Both share funding models (federal grants plus KP support), study portfolios (cancer prevention, vaccines, mental health), and the same federal sponsor relationships including NCI and PCORI.
• Kaiser Permanente Division of Research: KP DOR is the largest Kaiser Permanente-affiliated research enterprise, based in Northern California, conducting epidemiologic and clinical research across the same domains as CHR (cancer, cardiovascular, mental health). It competes with CHR for internal KP prioritization and federal mega-grants while offering a directly comparable integrated delivery-system research model.
• HealthPartners Institute: HealthPartners Institute is the research and education arm of an integrated health plan/delivery system, conducting clinical trials, health services research, and disparities work funded by NIH, AHRQ, and industry. It mirrors CHR's structure (embedded within a payer-provider), funding mix, and pragmatic trial focus, making it a near-direct peer.
• Regenstrief Institute: Regenstrief is an independent health services research institute affiliated with Indiana University and Eskenazi Health that operates one of the nation's most mature EHR-linked research infrastructures, comparable to CHR's KP data advantage. It shares CHR's focus on implementation science, clinical informatics, and pragmatic trials within an integrated delivery setting.
• RAND Health: RAND Health is an independent, nonprofit research organization conducting health services research, comparative effectiveness studies, and policy analyses funded by federal agencies and foundations. It competes with CHR for similar federal contracts (especially AHRQ evidence reviews and PCORI grants) and shares CHR's focus on real-world evidence and economic evaluation.
• Harvard Medical School Department of Population Medicine (formerly Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute): The Department of Population Medicine (formerly Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute) is embedded within a payer-provider system and conducts epidemiologic, comparative effectiveness, and pragmatic trial research for federal agencies including FDA, NIH, AHRQ, and CDC. Its mission, embedded system structure, and federal funding mix make it a highly analogous peer to CHR.
• Geisinger Center for Clinical Research: Geisinger's research arm operates within an integrated delivery system with deep EHR data, conducts pragmatic clinical trials, and pursues genomics-anchored translational research similar to CHR. It directly competes for pharma-sponsored trial site selection and federal implementation science grants alongside CHR.
• Intermountain Healthcare: Intermountain's research and learning health system programs (including the former Institute for Healthcare Delivery Research where CHR Director Lucy Savitz previously served) conduct pragmatic trials and delivery-system science inside an integrated delivery network. Its research model and leadership lineage make it a structurally similar peer to CHR.
• RTI International: RTI International is an independent nonprofit research institute that conducts health services research, clinical trials, and survey research funded by NIH, CDC, AHRQ, and industry. It competes with CHR for federal contract and grant dollars and shares CHR's multi-disciplinary capability profile in biostatistics, epidemiology, and implementation science.

Broad incumbents

• Mayo Clinic Center for Clinical and Translational Science: Mayo's translational science enterprise is a much larger academic research organization that conducts clinical trials, epidemiology, and genomics research on a national scale. While broader in scope and tertiary-care focused, it competes with CHR for NIH Clinical and Translational Science Awards and NCI multisite studies, with substantially larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/KPResearch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kpchr
• Xx.com/KPCHR

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research