Personal Statement
I have expertise in managing acute psychiatric presentations with research experience in studying neuroanatomy and the synaptic effects of schizophrenia. I have published in fields of neuroscience, schizophrenia, autism, and anxiety disorders. I also actively manage a telepsychiatry clinic based in eastern WA, and coordinate psychiatric management of emergency room mental health evaluations. I am very interested in the education of residents and fellows rotating on the consultation service, and participating in educational curriculum and recruitment committees.
Personal Statement
Jane Luterek, PhD is a psychologist in the PTSD Outpatient Clinic and the Addictions Treatment Center focused primarily on serving women Veterans at the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System, Seattle Division. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington and is licensed in the State of Washington. Dr. Luterek’s research has focused on understanding the psychological sequelae of trauma and mechanisms of change in therapy associated with Alcohol Dependence and PTSD. She has advanced clinical training in the treatment of Veterans with trauma related psychological sequelae (e.g. substance use disorders, PTSD, mood disorders, borderline personality disorder) and draws from a contextual behavioral theoretical background. Dr. Luterek has expertise in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Prolonged Exposure, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing, which heavily inform her clinical practices.
Personal Statement
The focus of my research has primarily been the development, implementation, and evaluation of brief interventions and prevention efforts to reduce alcohol- and other drug-related harms among college students and other young adults. Professionally, I have more than 20 years of experience conducting research on substance abuse etiology and prevention with high school students, college students, and young adults.
For many of our NIAAA- and NIDA-funded projects, I have played a significant part in intervention development for studies using personalized graphic feedback (delivered either in-person or on the web). I have a strong interest in efforts to bridge the gap between science and practice, including ways to bring empirically-supported approaches to scale, and always appreciate opportunities to teach, train, present, and put the spotlight on science.
Personal Statement
Dr. Jakupcak studies and treats posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and associated high risk behaviors such as substance abuse and violence. He is also interested in novel treatment approaches to PTSD, including Behavioral Activation (BA) and primary care based treatment models. Dr. Jakupcak is currently funded to study BA and cognitive skills training for returning Veterans with PTSD and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).
Personal Statement
My research focuses on understanding and addressing the contextual factors like social support and policy that affect health and health behavior. I completed a VA Health Systems Research (HSR) Career Development Award focused on developing a behavioral weight management program for Veterans with PTSD called MOVE!+UP (2015-2020). We are currently testing MOVE!+UP in a VA HSR Merit-funded study using a hybrid effectiveness and implementation RCT design. I recently led another VA HSR Merit-funded study as Principal Investigator (PI) to test a self-directed behavioral weight management intervention among 500 Veterans with obesity; the findings were published in JAMA: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2799407. I am Co-PI for two additional VA HSR Merit-funded studies, both RCTs testing behavioral interventions that harness the power of social support. Last, I am Co-PI for a VA operations-funded project called MOVED By LOVE, a multi-method study that is partnering with Black Veterans to enhance how weight management care in VA serves Black Veterans. The first findings from the study were recently published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11606-024-08628-7. I am fortunate to work with Veterans with PTSD as a staff psychologist in the VA Puget Sound-Seattle PTSD Outpatient Clinic. Lastly, I have an interest in maximizing research impact by communicating about science with Veterans, the public, institutions, and policymakers.
Personal Statement
I am a clinical psychologist with research interests in the treatment of alcohol and substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health conditions.
My research focuses on understanding how to improve access to evidence-based treatments and understanding why and how patients benefit from treatment. I am particularly interested in research measurement-based care — i.e., the use of standardized measures to monitor treatment progress and inform clinical decision-making.
Broad areas of interest include:
- Alcohol and drug use disorder treatment, including the effectiveness of digital and behavioral interventions, mechanisms of behavioral change, and social and environmental determinants of change.
- Technology to support behavioral change, including patient- and clinician-facing tools that support clinical decision-making, treatment adherence, and treatment progress monitoring.
- Applied statistical analysis, including methods for analyzing longitudinal data, clinical trials data, multilevel data, missing data, psychometric analysis, and data visualization.
Personal Statement
Dr. Gudmundsen works at Seattle Children’s with a focus on adolescents with mood disorders. She is based in the Mood and Anxiety Program and mostly works with adolescents with depression and suicidality, in addition to anxiety and bipolar spectrum disorders. This work almost always involves parents and families, in addition to other key players such as teachers or medical providers. She typically administers BA, CAMS, or CBT, but also does some IPSRT with youth with mania. In addition to serving as the Child Track Training Coordinator for the UW Psychology Internship, she is also an outpatient supervisor for Psychology Residents and Postdoctoral Fellows. She also provides consultation to the Child Psychiatry Fellows, Medical Students and to School-Based Mental Health Therapists in the Seattle Public Schools. She is involved with program development for trainees, as well as the Mood and Anxiety Specialty Program. Her research focuses on developing and tailoring interventions for adolescent depression, including the Adolescent Behavioral Activation Program (A-BAP).
Personal Statement
I am a clinical psychologist with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). I research, teach, and practice telemedicine to expand access to evidence based care, particularly to underserved populations.
Personal Statement
As a board-certified clinical health psychologist, I have primarily focused my clinical work on preventive medicine with special expertise in diabetes, weight management, and tobacco use cessation. I train clinicians in motivational interviewing and health coaching, and am currently a co-investigator on a research study examining an intervention with peer health coaches in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).
After nearly two decades of working in complex healthcare settings, like the VHA and serving in several leadership roles within and external to the VHA, I have grown a passion for supporting those who serve others and improving workplace well-being. I am currently working toward ICF certification to be come an Associate Certified Coach and am enrolled in a Masters program in Leadership and Organizational Development.
Alysha Thompson, PhD is the Clinical Director and attending psychologist on the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Unit at Seattle Children’s Hospital and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at University of Washington. Prior to joining the staff and faculty at Seattle Children’s/UW, she was a staff psychologist on the Adolescent Inpatient Unit at Bradley Hospital and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University. She is an active participant in training future psychiatrists and psychologists and currently serves as Chair-Elect of the Acute, Intensive, and Residential Services Special Interest Group of Division 53 of the American Psychological Association, a national group of psychologists.
Dr. Thompson has authored multiple publications regarding inpatient psychiatric treatment for youth and has forged collaborations with psychiatrists and psychologists working in inpatient psychiatry and acute care around the country. In addition, she is actively engaged in advocacy efforts regarding improvement the mental health care system for youth. She is passionate about providing quality services to youth experiencing severe mental health crises and has specific areas of expertise in working with youth with trauma histories and suicidality.
Dr. Thompson completed her graduate education at Suffolk University in Boston in clinical psychology with an emphasis in child and adolescent clinical psychology. She completed residency in pediatric psychology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and went on to complete a fellowship in clinical psychology with an emphasis in trauma in children and adolescents at the Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute.
