Department news | June 30, 2021
With generous support from the Archstone Foundation, department faculty under the leadership of Jürgen Unützer MD, MPH, MA, have named four partnerships to participate in a learning collaborative to improve depression care for older adults and reduce mental health disparities. Each partnership, consisting of a primary care clinic and a community-based organization (CBOs), will receive a […]
Department news | March 31, 2021
For the past decade, researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine, Washington State University, and the VA Puget Sound Health Care System have conducted studies on harm reduction in Seattle homeless shelters and have successfully helped people reduce their drinking, even when they did not want to stop. Their second randomized clinical trial […]
Department news | February 28, 2021
According to Altmetric, a measure of online attention via social networks, media mentions and blogs, a paper authored by Dror Ben-Zeev, PhD, and colleagues on a texting intervention was Psychiatric Services’ most talked about article in 2020! The study, Augmenting Evidence-Based Care With a Texting Mobile Interventionist: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial, aimed to evaluate the feasibility […]
Department news | February 28, 2021
ADAI has changed its name from the Alcohol & Drug Abuse Institute to the Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute (ADAI). The name change was driven by the Institute’s desire to remove the stigmatizing term “abuse.” Research has found that stigma against those who use substances is a major barrier to seeking and receiving medical or behavioral […]
Department news | January 31, 2021
On January 13, more than one hundred and twenty people attended the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences first ever virtual Research Retreat. The goal of the retreat is to foster collaboration and community among our researchers, support promising new ideas, and share knowledge and expertise, all in service of improving the health of the public. Without […]
Department news | March 31, 2020
A recent paper published in BMC Health Services Research shows that Collaborative Care is as effective for American Indian /Alaska Native patients as for patients from other groups. This is the largest study of depression treatment outcomes for AI/AN patients published to date and makes a significant contribution to our understanding of treatment for this underserved population. […]
Department news | March 31, 2020
A newly-formed interdisciplinary community-academic-policy partnership is examining mobility challenges and opportunities among people living and working in South Beacon Hill. With funding from the UW Population Health Initiative, Katherine Hoerster, PhD, and colleagues are partnering with the Seattle Department of Transportation to improve the three-mile multi-use Beacon Hill Trail (BHT). The team will use participatory research […]
Department news | February 29, 2020
Findings from a recent study and the subsequent Publication Brief and caught the attention of the VA Central Office. Authors Tracy Simpson, PhD, John Fortney, PhD, Jessica Chen, PhD, and Keren Lehavot, PhD,showed that among Veterans – and unlike civilians – racial/ethnic minorities did not differ from whites in the time it took to initiate treatment for PTSD and depression, and showed there […]
Department news | February 29, 2020
Connectivity research using functional MRI (fMRI) has mapped the large-scale neural networks subserving cognition and behavior and is revolutionizing our understanding of human brain function, development and the alternate developmental trajectories characterizing disorders such as autism and mental illness. However, people with developmental differences like severe autism have largely been omitted from these advances since […]
Department news | February 29, 2020
In January 8, more than one hundred people attended the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Research Retreat at UW Medicine South Lake Union. The day was a mix of presentations, breakout sessions and Idea Development Workshops (IDWs) followed by our first-ever Research Retreat Reception. The goal of the retreat is to foster collaboration and community among […]
