Jürgen Unützer, MD, MPH, MA
Personal Statement
My work focuses on the integration of mental health services and general medical care and on translating research on evidence-based mental health interventions into effective clinical and public health practice. I have published over 300 scientific papers and I am the recipient of numerous federal and foundation grants and awards for my research on integrated behavioral health care. I work with national and international organizations dedicated to improving behavioral health care for diverse populations. I have served as Senior Scientific Advisor to the World Health Organization and as an advisor to the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health.
Education
Primary Care Psychiatry, University of Washington School of Medicine, 1994-1996
MPH, Health Services, University of Washington School of Public Health, 1994-1996
Geriatric Psychiatry, UCLA School of Medicine - Neuropsychiatric Institute, 1993-1994
Chief Resident in Psychiatry, UCLA School of Medicine - Neuropsychiatric Institute, 1993-1994
Residency in Psychiatry, UCLA School of Medicine - Neuropsychiatric Institute, 1991-1993
Internship in Psychiatry, UCLA School of Medicine - Neuropsychiatric Institute, 1990-1991
M.A., Public Policy Studies, University of Chicago, 1986-1988
MD, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, 1984-1990
B.S., Iowa State University, 1982-1983
Department Affiliations
Centers/Programs
Training Programs
Scholarly Expertise
- Access to health care
- Adult Psychiatry/Psychology
- Collaborative Care / Integrated Care
- Consult psychiatry/psychology
- Depression
- Evidence-based practice
- Geriatric psychiatry/psychology
- Global mental health
- Health services and health policy
- Implementation science
- Measurement-based care
- Pragmatic clinical trials
- Primary care
- Psychiatric problems
- Psychiatric specialties
- Quality Improvement (QI)
- Randomized controlled trial
- Research methods
- Rural mental health
- Settings
- Telepsychiatry/telepsychology
- Treatment approaches
Current Projects
- Behavioral Health Support Specialist (BHSS)
- MOVE!+UP: Testing a tailored weight management program for Veterans with PTSD
- Care Partners: bridging families, clinics, and communities to advance late-life depression care
- Collaborating to Heal Addiction and Mental Health in Primary Care (CHAMP)
- Study to Promote Innovation in Rural Integrated Telepsychiatry (SPIRIT)
- Maternal-Infant Dyad Implementation (MInD-I)
Recent Publications
(2025 Mar 26)
JAMA Psychiatry
Schillok H, Gensichen J, Panagioti M, Gunn J, Junker L, Lukaschek K, Jung-Sievers C, Sterner P, Kaupe L, Dreischulte T, Ali MK, Aragonès E, Bekelman DB, Herbeck Belnap B, Carney RM, Chwastiak LA, Coventry PA, Davidson KW, Ekstrand ML, Flehr A, Fletcher S, Hölzel LP, Huijbregts K, Mohan V, Patel V, Richards DA, Rollman BL, Salisbury C, Simon GE, Srinivasan K, Unützer J, Wells KB, Zimmermann T, Bühner M, POKAL Group
(2024 Mar)
Nature 627(8002): 137-148
Collins PY, Sinha M, Concepcion T, Patton G, Way T, McCay L, Mensa-Kwao A, Herrman H, de Leeuw E, Anand N, Atwoli L, Bardikoff N, Booysen C, Bustamante I, Chen Y, Davis K, Dua T, Foote N, Hughsam M, Juma D, Khanal S, Kumar M, Lefkowitz B, McDermott P, Moitra M, Ochieng Y, Omigbodun O, Queen E, Unützer J, Uribe-Restrepo JM, Wolpert M, Zeitz L
(2024 May)
Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 32(5): 586-595
Unützer J, Vredevoogd MA, Hoeft TJ, James K, Hinton L, Rath L, Chen S, Greene M, Hulst D, Jones F, Nau C, Rentas KG, Vierra W, Langston CA
(2023 Dec 1)
JAMA Health Forum 4(12): e234593
McConnell KJ, Edelstein S, Hall J, Levy A, Danna M, Cohen DJ, Unützer J, Zhu JM, Lindner S
(2023 Jan-Dec)
Implement Res Pract 4(): 26334895231205891
Williams NJ, Russo J, Vredevoogd M, Grover T, Green P, Proctor E, Bhat A, Unützer J, Bennett IM
Show complete publication list »
