Health Research

Sep 5 2008

Podcast Details Next Phase of Groundbreaking Kaiser Permanente Genetic Research Program

Kaiser Permanente launched its Research Program on Genes, Environment and Health to members in 2007 to create a program with a research database large enough and diverse enough for scientists to study a wide range of health conditions. The project, created and led by Kaiser Permanente's Division of Research in Oakland, Calif., may lead to new ways of detecting, treating, and even preventing some common diseases.

Catherine Schaefer, Ph.D., is a DOR research scientist and is director of the RPGEH. Schaefer talks about the RPGEH's progress and potential in this 14-minute podcast .

To date, more than 400,000 Kaiser Permanente Northern California members have completed the RPGEH health survey that was mailed last year. The next step of the project is now in progress. All members who completed a survey will be invited to continue in the research.

Participating members will be asked to give a small sample of saliva, or blood. Scientists will use DNA from any samples to obtain information about a member's genes and environmental exposures.

This information will be joined together with information from the member's medical record and responses to their health survey in a new computer database that when joined will be called a "databank."

Scientists will use information from the databank to study how people's lifestyle, environment, and genes all work together to affect their health, the kind of diseases they develop, and how they react to medicines.

Participation in this research is completely voluntary and will not affect a member's health care or membership in Kaiser Permanente. Members who volunteer to give a blood and/or saliva sample for the RPGEH will agree to let their medical data, health surveys, environmental and genetic information be used by scientists for a variety of studies for an indefinite period of time. Members will have the right to withdraw from the program at any time.

All saliva and blood samples will be stored in a secure Kaiser Permanente laboratory and all data will be stored on a secure computer system at Kaiser Permanente. Only authorized research staff will have access to RPGEH samples and data.

(Members with questions about the RPGEH can call the DOR toll free at 866-369-2157, or visit the DOR's Web site at www.dor.kaiser.org. )

Previous Kaiser Permanente News Center podcasts have covered everything from groundbreaking research to organic produce. For up-to-the-minute news on Kaiser Permanente research, subscribe to the News Center's RSS feed for health research.