Jesse Bledsoe

Personal Statement

I am interested in how cognitive development and brain development are affected in children experiencing cancer and comorbid psychological disorders. My research interests include using structural neuroimaging and neuropsychological assessment methods to evaluate brain-behavior relationships and development. My clinical interests overlap with my research interests. I am a clinical neuropsychologist with the Seattle Children’s Neuropsychological Service and conduct neurocognitive evaluations with various pediatric populations including children with brain tumors, leukemia, and genetic disorders.

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.

Nicole Bates

As a psycho-oncologist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (FHCC), I serve patients as a psychiatrist specializing in mental health issues arising during the course of cancer and hematologic diseases. My approach to care is person-centered, focusing on your story as a person as well as a patient, and combining psychotherapeutic and pharmacologic approaches to help you navigate your journey with medical illness. I bring fellowship training in consultation-liaison psychiatry to understanding the interplay between medical conditions and mental health issues, and I believe that partnering with both patients and their medical teams is essential to create a successful plan of care. While I often oversee psychiatric medications during cancer treatment, I also have a background in supportive, psychodynamic, CBT-focused, and meaning-centered psychotherapy, and I incorporate psychotherapy elements into each appointment. Within the field of psycho-oncology, my specific interests include working with palliative care populations, supporting existential issues that arise during journeys with cancer, and strengthening collaborative care models in oncology settings. I am also fortunate to teach outstanding UW psychiatry residents and fellows who complete clinical rotations at FHCC.

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.

James Basinski

Personal Statement

​James Basinski is an assistant clinical professor at Harborview Medical Center where he works at both the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit as well as the Health Care for the Homeless program at the Third Avenue Clinic. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh Medical School, and then moved to Seattle where he completed his psychiatry residency at the University of Washington and served as chief resident at Harborview Medical Center. He currently an advanced clinical associate the Seattle Psychoanalytic Society and Institute.  He also maintains a private practice in Seattle delivering medication management and psychotherapy services

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.

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.