Scholarly Expertise: Geriatric psychiatry/psychology

Whitney Carlson

Personal Statement

I have a passion for treating geriatric patients with new onset and longstanding mental health disorders and cognitive disorders. My primary interests are depression and psychotic disorders, especially when these symptoms overlap with cognitive disorders. I value sharing in the life histories of patients and families, the challenging complexity of medical issues as they interact with psychiatric presentations and assisting patients and families in discussions about advanced care planning and end of life issues. I have particular expertise in working with those living in long term care settings where I have done consultation work. I have recently joined Harborview’s ethics committee in order to participate in examining difficult clinical, social, and ethical situations which affect patients, families, and staff within the medical system.

Debby Tsuang

Personal Statement

Over the past 20 years, my research has focused on the genetics of schizophrenia and neurodegenerative disorders, particularly on the use of clinical phenotyping and innovative genomic technologies to elucidate the complex genetic architecture underlying schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). I served as the Director of the Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC) at the VA Puget Sound Health (VAPS) from 2011-2022, in order to focus on my research on Alzheimer’s Disease and related disorders. My current research interests are two-pronged: 1) develop machine learning models in VA’s vast electronic health records in order to assign ADRD probability scores in older Black and White Veterans; and 2) use mobile health devices to promote early diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies. In In these capacities, I direct multidisciplinary efforts to better understand the biology, genetics, etiology, prevention, and treatment of these disorders, and I provide clinical expertise for the differential diagnosis of  neurodegenerative disorders and treatment of behavioral disturbances in dementias.

 

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.