Thomas Soeprono

Personal Statement

​I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington Medical Center. In addition to general psychiatry, I am an expert in Consultation Liaison Psychiatry. My primary clinical roles are in the inpatient psychiatry consultation service at the University of Washington Medical Center and Harborview Medical Center.

I earned my bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley and his M.D. from Loma Linda University in California. I first came to the UW as a psychiatry resident, and then continued on for my fellowship in Psychosomatic Medicine. ​ 

Myra Parker

Personal Statement

​Myra Parker, JD, PhD is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral  Sciences, and Director of Seven Directions: A Center for Indigenous Public Health, based within the Center for the Study of Health and Risk Behaviors, University of Washington. She received her doctorate in Health Services at UW School of Public Health, and has been a member of the faculty since 2014.

Dr. Parker’s research and clinical interests include: (1) cultural adaptation of alcohol and drug interventions among American Indians and Alaska Natives (with a particular focus on  tribal college drinking harm reduction), (2) development and testing of parenting interventions to support early childhood development in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, (3) co-morbidity of substance use with depression, suicide, trauma, and PTSD, (4) research capacity development, including ethical aspects of research, for tribal and urban Indian communities; and, (5) dissemination and translation of evidence-based prevention and intervention approaches at the individual, institutional, and community level, including policy development. She has worked with tribal and urban Indian communities across the United States on these topics.

Gregory Simon

Personal Statement

I bring a practical approach to mental health research, working to break down barriers between research and real-world health care.

Shannon Simmons

Personal Statement

I am Medical Director of Inpatient and Acute Mental Health Services at Seattle Children’s Hospital, ​where I provide clinical leadership and clinical care to patients with a broad range of diagnoses and presenting concerns in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Unit, Partial Hospitalization Program, and Emergency Department Mental Health program. I aim to provide high quality, family-focused, evidence-based care as part of a multidisciplinary team. I am highly involved in educating residents, fellows, and medical students, and serve as Associate Training Director for Inpatient Psychiatry for the child psychiatry fellowship program.

Dror Ben-Zeev

Personal Statement

I am a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington and licensed Clinical Psychologist who specializes in development and evaluation of technology-based approaches in the study, assessment, treatment, and prevention of mental illness. This work includes development of illness self-management apps for people with serious mental illness, texting interventions, behavioral sensing/digital phenotyping, computational psychiatry/predictive modelling, applications of Natural Language Processing (NLP), and development of culturally-relevant digital mental health resources for communities in low-and-middle-income countries. My research has been supported by grants and awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), SYNERGY Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Myrtlewood Foundation, and John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding.  I publish extensively in scientific journals and is a regular speaker at national and international scientific meetings including invited presentations at the White House and National Institute of Mental Health Director’s Innovation Speaker series. I have written editorials and commentaries on the use of technology-based interventions for Psychiatric Services, the BMJ, and the New York Times, and my research has been covered by Public Radio, Nature, Wired Magazine, Slate, and The Economist. I served on the Editorial Board of Schizophrenia Bulletin and am the Inaugural Editor of the “Technology in Mental Health” Column for Psychiatric Services (APA journal).

Amritha Bhat

Personal Statement

I am a perinatal psychiatrist and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. I earned my medical degree from Bangalore Medical College, India, and completed a psychiatry residency in St. John’s Medical College, India. I completed a second residency in Psychiatry with a focus on women’s mental health and integrated care from the University of Washington, and a fellowship in Primary Care in Psychiatry. I also earned a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Washington School of Public Health. I am board certified with the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Ty Lostutter

Personal Statement

I am a licensed clinical psychologist in Washington State. I am the Director of the University of Washington School of Medicine’s Psychology Internship Program which is accredited by the American Psychological Association’s Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation.  And, I  conduct research on health and risk behaviors across the lifespan. Specifically, I have conducted research in the areas of college student alcohol use, young adult gambling behavior, and co-morbidity of substance use and mental health/risk behaviors (i.e. risky sexual behaviors). I have extensive experience working with college students/young adults, military/veteran, and minority/diverse populations. I am also interested in mental health issues including depression, anxiety, and PTSD. I maintain an active clinical practice in the areas of mental health issues with patients diagnosed with hematological and oncological illness and have clinical responsibilities at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.  I also provide clinical supervision for psychology residents and psychology practicum students at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center as well. Overall, my professional aspirations are to improve the public health through empirically-supported psychological interventions and providing mentorship to diverse trainees to expand the reach of psychology.

Jonathan Buchholz

I am grateful to be a lifelong University of Washington Husky. Training at the UW has afforded me the chance to learn from world class educators, clinicians, and researchers. I’ve learned from excellent mentorship that focusing on what you are passionate about is critical to professional satisfaction and success. For me, working with individuals experiencing co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders reminds me of the amazing resiliency that lies within us all. As a clinician educator at the VA Puget Sound, I am humbled at the trust both patients and trainees place in me everyday. It is a privilege to be part of this amazing place.

Anna Ratzliff

Personal Statement

I am a national expert on collaborative care and specifically, on training teams to implement and deliver mental health treatment in primary care settings. My passion for translating complex research ideas into practical real-world applications began when I received my MD and PhD in Anatomy and Neurobiology as part of the Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of California at Irvine. I am currently a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington where I have developed additional expertise in suicide prevention training, mental health workforce development, adult learning best practices, and mentorship. I am the Co-Director of the AIMS Center (Advancing Integrated Mental Health Solutions) and Director of the UW Integrated Care Training Program for residents and fellows.

Jurgen Unutzer

Jürgen Unützer

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.