I am a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Seattle Children’s Hospital and faculty member at the University of Washington Medicine. My SCH practice locations include the Gender Clinic (Adolescent Medicine), Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic, Autism Center, and the inpatient unit- Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Unit (PBMU). I believe in delivering compassionate, evidence-based care in supporting patients and their families. My approach is both comprehensive and patient-centered, as it is important to consider the needs of the individual while also appreciating societal and cultural context. I specialize in working with diverse patient populations with various marginalized identities, such as those who identify as LGBTQ, gender diverse, and/or neurodiverse. I also work closely with the Adolescent Medicine Gender Clinic in supporting any mental health needs of transgender/gender diverse youth and their families. I also collaborate with colleagues in specialty medical clinics to coordinate care of medically complex patients. Additionally, I serve as a consultant with various school programs to support mental health initiatives and advocacy efforts.
Academically, I am involved with several initiatives both locally and nationally, particularly those that work to promote diversity and equity. I serve on committees supporting the SCH/UW CAP Fellowship Program, educating trainees and students through direct clinical supervision as well as with lectures and discussions. On a national level, I serve on the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Issues Committee (SOGIIC) for the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP). My clinical research focuses on finding strategies to better support the mental health and well-being of patients and families who are LGBTQ+. Additionally, I work on studies that explore the intersection between gender diversity and neuro diversity/autism spectrum.
Personal Statement
As a practicing psychiatrist and health services researcher, I seek to improve mental health services in medical settings, especially among underserved populations. I work with colleagues in a wide array of disciplines (medical, public health, engineering and others) to develop new ways to increase the reach of evidence-based mental health services using technology-enabled service models to leverage limited specialty mental health expertise. I have a strong interest in using consumer technologies to empower patients, improve communication with providers, and provide targeted treatment.
Personal Statement
I am a Professor and Licensed Clinical Psychologist in the University of Washington’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and am Board Certified in Cognitive and Behavioral Psychology. I received my Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the UW in 2006 and returned to UW as a faculty member in 2010.
My research interests include problematic substance use (including alcohol and marijuana), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), identity and self-concept, and resilience. My work focuses on investigating implicit (i.e., non-conscious or automatic) cognitive processes and processes related to self-concept and identity that contribute to the development and maintenance of maladaptive behavior and psychopathology. A second line of my work focuses on developing and increasing access to briefer, effective interventions for individuals who are trauma-exposed. Support for my work has been provided by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the University of Washington’s Garvey Institute for Brain Health Solutions and the Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute. I also serve as a consultant for dissemination projects aimed at training community-based mental health workers in Cognitive Processing Therapy and other evidence-based treatment for PTSD in locally, nationally, and internationally.
Personal Statement
My passion for patient care is the core of who I am as a physician. As a consultation-liaison (C-L) psychiatrist, I have unique and broad teaching opportunities. The C-L role lets me teach non-psychiatrist peers, trainees from other specialties, and professionals from other disciplines. I particularly like helping providers to understand their patients’ psychiatric ailments, the complex interplay among psychiatric conditions and general medical problems, and the goals for recovery. Furthermore, I provide active support to patients and their families as they navigate our highly complex medical system with their illnesses and fears. Since the beginning of my tenure, I have been involved in the administrative aspects of medical student, resident and fellow training and curricular development. Education is the common thread that unites all of my academic activities. I have served as an Associate Program Director for 13 years at UWMC, Program Director of the Adult Psychiatry Residency program for 5 years and now work in CL psychiatry at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System. I am currently the Associate Program Director (APD) for the site and a core APD for Evaluation of our residency program.
Personal Statement
I am the Psychiatry Chief of Service for both campuses of the University of Washington Medical Center. I also direct our Psychiatric Consultation and Telepsychiatry Program. My clinical focus is on patients who are hospitalized with simultaneous psychiatric and medical issues. Academically, I most often teach psychiatry trainees about psychopharmacology for refractory mood, anxiety, and psychotic disorders.
Personal Statement
I am a consultation-liaison psychiatrist and health services researcher in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Adjunct Professor in the Departments of Rehabilitation Medicine and Epidemiology. I am also Medical Director of the Department of Psychosocial Oncology at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.
My research interests are in psychiatric epidemiology, health services research, psychiatric oncology, and neuropsychiatry. In my clinical practice, I use a comprehensive, multifaceted approach that may include medications or counseling to help patients achieve their goals. My primary interest is helping people who are coping with medical illness. I am particularly interested in developing better approaches to delivering person-centered psychiatric care to these populations.
Personal Statement
I am a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington. I received my MD from New York University and completed my adult residency at the Harvard Massachusetts General Hospital/McLean Hospital program where I was chief resident. I then went on to complete a fellowship in psychosomatic medicine at the University of Washington. I am currently on faculty at Harborview Medical Center on the inpatient psychiatry consult service.
I have a longstanding interest in the intersection between medicine and psychiatry, and am the author of numerous published articles on topics ranging from the neuropsychiatric effects of steroids to managing borderline personality disorder in the primary care setting. I have a particular interest in the use of electroconvulsive therapy, including in the treatment of catatonia. I am currently involved in research projects in conjunction with the division of nephrology and the neurosurgery department. In addition to my clinical and research interests, I am also an associate program director for the UW Adult Psychiatry Residency at Harborview Medical Center.
Personal Statement
My clinical service and research focuses on the interaction of mental and physical illness, especially in patients with chronic pain. Much of my research in recent decades has focused on the risks of treating chronic pain with opioids. I have developed educational programs and outcome tracking tools to assist with opioid treatment of chronic pain. I have published a book about patient empowerment in chronic disease care, The Patient as Agent of Health and Health Care (Oxford, 2017). I have another book written with Jane Ballantyne forthcoming, The Right to Pain Relief and other deep roots of the opioid epidemic (Oxford, 2022).
