Department news | February 28, 2017
Studies consistently show suicide and suicidal behaviors are highly related to substance use disorders (SUDs). In fact, recent reviews find that the risk of suicide is 10-17 times higher for people using multiple drugs, injecting drugs, and for alcohol use disorders. Pilot testing of Preventing Addiction Related Suicide (PARS), a psychoeducational suicide prevention program developed […]
Department news | February 28, 2017
Debby Tsuang, MD, is site-PI of two recently funded consortium projects trying to identify biomarkers in Lewy Body Dementia (LBD). LBD is comprised of dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s disease dementia. The combination of cognitive and motor impairment makes these conditions difficult to treat. On neuropathological examination, LBD is associated with abnormal deposits of […]
Department news | January 31, 2017
Mark Reger, PhD, at VA Puget Sound Health Care System is the site-PI of a recently funded 5-year muti-site, randomized controlled trial of the Attempted Suicide Short Intervention program for Veterans (ASSIP-V). ASSIP is a brief patient-centered treatment that was found to reduce risk for a reattempt by 80% over two years in Swiss suicide […]
Department news | January 31, 2017
A substantial number of people develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following trauma exposure, and many also use marijuana to help manage their symptoms. The co-occurrence of PTSD and marijuana use in trauma survivors is predictive of poorer outcomes and increased drop out from PTSD treatment. A new study led by Michele Bedard-Gilligan, PhD, is evaluating if […]
Department news | January 31, 2017
Jennifer Villatte, PhD, is one of three early-career investigators to receive the ITHS KL2 Multidisciplinary Clinical Research Career Development Program. Dr. Villatte’s research is aimed at developing smart technologies that improve the quality and accessibility of evidence-based behavioral health interventions in routine care, as well as identifying factors that influence mHealth engagement and effectiveness. For […]
Department news | December 31, 2016
Jennifer Piel, JD, MD, and Edward Goldenberg, PhD, presented their work on mentoring in research and forensic mental health at the Learning Communities Institute Annual Conference held at the University of Washington on Veteran’s Day. Piel and Goldenberg created a unique curriculum focused on research skills and ethics for a course in psychiatry and the law […]
Department news | December 31, 2016
Amanda Wood, PhD, at the American Lake Division of the VA Puget Sound Health Care System was selected as the site-PI for an important study of pharmacogenetics testing for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder. This multi-site, randomized trial funded by the VA Office of Research and Development will enroll 2,000 patients to study the […]
Department news | December 31, 2016
David Atkins, PhD, and his team at the Behavioral Research in Technology and Engineering (BRiTE) Center received funding from CoMotion for their software that gives automated feedback to therapists delivering motivational interviewing.
Department news | October 31, 2016
Faculty and staff from our department served as research mentors on 22 projects presented at the 19th UW Undergraduate Research Symposium held in May. The symposium facilitates research experiences for undergraduates in all academic disciplines and is a chance for undergraduates to present what they have learned through their research experiences to a larger audience. […]
Department news | October 31, 2016
On October 17, a diverse group of stakeholders convened at the Smart on Youth Justice Conference to share their perspectives on how to improve outcomes for youth who are sentenced to the adult criminal justice system and who are currently serving sentences in juvenile or adult facilities. Legislators, judges, prosecutors, public defenders, child and family […]
