A cluster-randomized controlled trial testing the effectiveness of the Life Enhancing Alcohol-management Program (LEAP) for Housing First residents

People experiencing chronic homelessness comprise a small yet high-morbidity, high-cost subset of the larger homeless population and are disproportionately impacted by alcohol-related harm. This study proposes a cluster randomized controlled trial of an innovative, community-based, and client-driven program known as the LEAP to explore its impact on substance use and quality of life outcomes among […]

A dyadic approach to perinatal depression treatment in primary care

Perinatal depression affects 10-20% of pregnant and postpartum individuals, impairing parenting self-efficacy and mother-infant interactions and contributing to negative maternal-child outcomes. This research will test comprehensive perinatal depression treatment, Maternal Infant and Dyadic Care (MInD), which includes a brief version of the Promoting First Relationships parenting intervention implemented within perinatal collaborative care, against perinatal collaborative […]


Accelerating research use in courts

Measuring the use of research evidence within organizations and systems is a rapidly growing area of study in the social sciences as researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in a variety of systems try to bridge the research-to-practice gap. With growing calls for justice systems, especially juvenile justice systems, to integrate developmental and behavioral health science within […]


Adapting a resilience intervention for youth athletes

Youth mental health is in crisis and we do not have adequate providers to treat the current burden of illness. We must identify innovative approaches to support youth mental health that utilize the existing infrastructure and can be administered by non-clinicians. While sports are predominantly a positive outlet for youth, they also bring stressors due […]

Addressing suicide risk in primary care to reduce youth suicide

Suicide is a leading cause of death among 10- to 24-year-olds in the US, and half of youth who die by suicide contact a primary care provider within one month prior to suicide. Suicide risk screening and access to brief and effective suicide prevention interventions remain an important step in reducing suicide, yet comprehensive suicide […]

Affective Dynamics Associated with Simultaneous Alcohol and Marijuana Use Outcomes among a High-risk Sample of Young Adults

The proposed F32 aims to conduct a secondary analysis of time-intensive daily data (MPIs: Lee/Patrick; R01AA025037) to elucidate the roles of affect and affective dynamics on simultaneous alcohol and marijuana (SAM) use outcomes among a sample of high-risk adults (N = 409). We will test whether theoretically-relevant affective dynamic processes (affective instability, negative emotion differentiation): […]

Applying Critical Race Theory to investigate the impact of COVID-19-related policy changes on racial/ethnic disparities in medication treatment for opioid use disorder

With the rise in opioid use disorder (OUD) and overdose, racialized disparities in buprenorphine access and use are a significant concern nationally—studies estimate that Black patients with OUD are 50-60% less likely to access buprenorphine compared to White patients, and similar disparities have also been observed for Hispanic/Latinx patients. COVID-19-related policy changes increased flexibility in […]

Autism Community Toolkit: Systems to Measure and Adopt Research-Based Treatments- Educational Redesign (ACT SMARTER)

The aims of the current project are to: 1) Engage stakeholders to identify targets for ACT SMART redesign to optimize its fit for middle and high school providers who serve autistic adolescents; 2) Conduct prototyping and usability field testing of the redesigned ACT SMART and iteratively refine to ensure usability, feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness for […]

Autism Intervention Network on Behavioral Health (AIR-B)

The purpose of this multi-site study is to develop and evaluate a multi-phase implementation and sustainment strategy to support evidence-based practice use across different interventions for individuals with autism, settings, and ages. *In partnership with UCLA, UC Davis, Rochester, Penn, Drexel, and Kansas

Beliefs and Attitudes for Successful Implementation in Schools (BASIS)

The goal of this study is to adapt and test the feasibility and potential efficacy of a theory-driven pre-implementation intervention to address individual-level barriers to evidence-based practice (EBP) implementation – Beliefs and Attitudes for Successful Implementation in Schools (BASIS) – designed to improve school-based mental health providers’ implementation of EBP. The BASIS-T project will develop a teacher-focused […]

Bipolar disorder measures in clinical care

The goals of this project are to 1) determine which validated bipolar disorder patient-reported symptom measure is most acceptable and helpful to patients and clinicians in clinical care, 2) demonstrate that the preferred measure can be used to monitor outcomes with high fidelity in routine care, and 3) assess the feasibility of comparing effectiveness of […]


Brain maturation in adults with FASD

This application seeks to address gaps in our understanding of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in adults (FASD) by evaluating protracted effects of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) on the brain. Individuals aged 30 and 60, who were diagnosed with FASD in childhood, and matched controls, who had previous structural MRI scans in their teens and twenties […]

CARR: Covid-Association Risk and Resilience

The CARR study explores trajectories of mental health and social-emotional wellbeing among youth, including those with autism, ADHD, and/or anxiety. Online assessments of social-emotional features from both youth and caregiver perspective take place every 6 months over a 2-year period, with the goal of understanding mental health in the context of the Covid pandemic.


citiesRISE

citiesRISE is a global platform committed to transforming the state of mental health policy and practice in cities and beyond to meet the mental health needs of populations across the world. To achieve significant, measurable improvements in mental health – especially among young people – citiesRISE is scaling up proven methodologies and tools and harnessing […]

Collaborating to Heal Addiction and Mental Health in Primary Care (CHAMP)

The gold-standard intervention for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) is Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD). Because more patients with OUD need access to MOUD in primary care, the AIMS Center at the University of Washington is testing a Collaborative Care model to treat mental health disorders and OUD concurrently in primary care settings. The CHAMP study addresses […]

Collaborative care for perinatal mental health – the LAMMHA project

Los Angeles Maternal Mental Health Access (LAMMHA) is a five year program (2022 – 2027) funded by The California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) to support health centers in Los Angeles to identify and treat common perinatal mental disorders (CPMD) and reduce the risk of suicide. The LAMMHA initiative is a collaboration between Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles […]

Communication and Recovery Enhancement (CARE) clinical trial

This study aims to refine and test a brief intervention (CARE) that aims to promote recovery in recent sexual assault survivors. CARE is delivered to supporters of sexual assault survivors (e.g., friends, family members, romantic partners), with or without the survivor present. It aims to encourage conversations about the assault and decrease negative reactions by […]

Connectivity in the Brain and Autism (COBRA) Study

The COBRA study seeks to identify the specific neural circuits that are altered in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Our experiments test the strength of “divisive normalization”, a measure that describes how neurons in the brain suppress each other. Our hypothesis is that suppressive interactions are reduced in individuals with ASD. Because suppressive neural interactions are […]

Consumer perspectives of online & in-person suicide prevention strategies

This study will explore which interventions people with lived experience of suicide find acceptable (e.g., different types of in-person and telehealth care, web-based, text message, app, etc.), who should be the agent to deliver the intervention, and what concerns would they have in having social media and search data used for risk identification and then […]

COVID-19 pandemic and changes in the prevalence, patterns, and trajectories of substance use and related health risk outcomes among young adults in WA State

This project examines changes in young adult substance use, related health risk behaviors, and substance use-related risk factors from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic among young adults in WA state (where alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis sales and use are legal for adults age 21 and over) using the accelerated longitudinal cohort sequential data from […]


Decision During Drinking (D3 Study)

This multiphase project aims to 1) understand more about cues that young adults experience that influence their decisions while drinking that may lead to unwanted outcomes or experiences; and 2) use human center design and young adult feedback to develop and assess the feasibility of an electronic program or resources to focused on reducing these […]


Developing a cannabis intervention for young adults with psychosis

Up to one-third of young people experiencing early psychosis use cannabis, and one in four meet criteria for a cannabis use disorder. Cannabis use is associated with multiple negative outcomes, including relapse, rehospitalization, increased psychotic symptoms and reduced treatment engagement and medication adherence. Psychosis relapse is a particularly devastating and costly outcome, leading to greater […]

Developing a digital training resource for clinicians learning CBT for psychosis (CBTpro)

The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Training Study will rigorously test CBTpro–a novel tool that uses spoken language technologies and conversational Artificial Intelligence to train behavioral health practitioners in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. We conducted a 2-week field trial, followed by a Randomized Clinical Trail in community mental health agencies to evaluate both learner and client outcomes. The […]


Development and testing of a research-based Tier 3 Wraparound model for schools

This project will adapt the defined, research-based, Wraparound care coordination model for youth with complex behavioral health needs to the education environment, including training curricula, installation protocols, fidelity measures, and other components. The project will initially convene national experts and local stakeholders who will review and aid in iterative refinement of materials, followed by a […]

Development of F-18-Labeled Radiotracers for PET Imaging of Brain Alpha1A Adrenoceptor: A Tool for Precision Medicine in PTSD

Prazosin, a drug that prevents the neurotransmitter norepinephrine from binding to its alpha1 receptor (alpha1-AR) subtype has shown efficacy in reducing PTSD symptoms in most, but not all, studies of trauma-exposed Service Members, Veterans, and civilians. However, it is not effective in all patients and its use is complicated by variability in effective doses, a […]

eHaRT-A

The unprecedented global pandemic has highlighted the digital divide and limited access to alcohol-related treatments among marginalized communities, specifically individuals with lived experience of homelessness. In line with the NIAAA health initiative seeking to integrate technology-based interventions among vulnerable populations, this study directly addresses this mission by proposing innovative methods (i.e., user-centered design + a […]

eHaRT-A: adapting an in-person harm reduction for alcohol intervention into a telehealth platform

The unprecedented global pandemic has highlighted the digital divide and limited access to alcohol-related treatments among marginalized communities, specifically individuals with lived experience of homelessness. In line with the NIAAA health initiative seeking to integrate technology-based interventions among vulnerable populations, this study directly addresses this mission by proposing innovative methods (i.e., user-centered design + a […]

Enhancing engagement with digital mental health care

Although several randomized clinical trials have demonstrated that digital mental health (DMH) tools are highly effective, most consumers do not sustain their use of these tools. The field currently lacks an understanding of DMH tool engagement, how engagement is associated with well-being, and what practices are effective at sustaining engagement. In this partnership between Mental […]

Evaluating Lifelines4Moms (ELM) Study

Perinatal depression affects 10-15% of pregnant and postpartum individuals, with detrimental impacts on both parent and infant. In response to this, our department developed a perinatal consultation line for providers, PAL for Moms, to increase access to specialty perinatal psychiatric expertise and care.  The purpose of the Evaluating Lifeline4Moms (ELM) is to assess comparative effectiveness […]

Evaluating the National Implementation of Virtual Interdisciplinary Pain Care Teams – TelePain

Chronic pain is one of the most prevalent and disabling conditions affecting Veterans. One of the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA’s) most pressing national clinical priorities is to increase access to non- pharmacological pain management and improve the safety of opioid prescribing. The National Pain Management and Opioid Safety Program (PMOP) is implementing virtual interdisciplinary pain […]


Evaluation of an asynchronous remote communities approach to behavioral activation for depressed adolescents

In an effort to address the significant challenges in access to and engagement with evidence-based psychosocial interventions for adolescent depression, the proposed research is piloting the use of Asynchronous Remote Communities (ARC) supported behavioral activation (BA) to treat adolescent depression. We aim to 1) build and conduct usability testing on a functional and robust ActivaTeen […]

Evidence Based Practice Institute (EBPI)

The Evidence-Based Practice Institute (EBPI) is a partnership between the University of Washington and the Washington State Healthcare Authority (HCA), housed at CoLab. We promote the use of evidence-based practices in Washington State through training, research, workforce development, and data sharing. EBPI was initially established as an independent institute in 2007 by the Washington State […]

Expanding access to adolescent depression care by non-specialists with a digital intervention

Adolescent depression is one of the most common mental health concerns during adolescence and can be a cause of significant impairment across the lifespan, particularly if untreated. Access to evidence-based psychotherapy is poor and pandemic-related increased demand for services has greatly worsened access issues, leaving many adolescents without effective and critically needed treatment. Adolescent depression […]

Expanding culturally responsive care for children and families in Washington State

The Expanding Culturally Responsive Care initiative, a new project funded through a 2022 Washington State legislative proviso, aims to strengthen the lived experience behavioral health workforce and create a culturally responsive care curriculum for statewide implementation in Medicaid-serving organizations. This initiative was developed in response to Washington State’s urgent need for more culturally responsive, effective public […]


G2MH: Genes to Mental Health

This study is looking at individuals who carry a rare gene event and their biological family members, with the the goal of exploring the differences between individuals with one of these gene events and their biological family members.

Harnessing the ECHO Model to help Washingtonians with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of disability in Washington state and throughout the US. TBI increases the risk and complexity of multiple behavioral health conditions including post traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, irritability, anger/aggression, substance misuse and cognitive impairment. In addition, TBI impairs a person’s ability to manage their health care and […]



Identifying and treating loneliness in young adults in primary care

Loneliness, defined as the feeling of insufficient personal relationships, affects over 20% of young adults. Those with loneliness are more depressed and anxious and have poorer educational outcomes. Cognitive behavioral therapy and social navigation can successfully treat loneliness but previous studies have mostly looked at older adults. The objective of this study is to demonstrate […]

Impact of medical and recreational marijuana laws on cannabis, opioids and psychiatric medications: national study of VA patients, 2000 – 2024

We will analyze Veterans Health Administration electronic medical record data to determine the effects of medical marijuana laws (MML) and recreational marijuana laws (RML) on cannabis (use and cannabis use disorder); opioids (prescriptions, fatal and non-fatal overdoses, opioid use disorders); and psychotropic medication prescriptions, providing important information on MML and RML effects in VA patients […]

Impact of the Preventing Addiction-Related Suicide (PARS) Intervention on patients who receive community-based addiction treatment

Persons with substance use disorders are 5-10 times more likely to die by suicide than the general public. Recognizing this, Rick Ries, MD, Katherine (Kate) Comtois, PhD, MPH, and the UW Center for Suicide Prevention and Recovery (CSPAR) staff developed the first and only suicide prevention intervention successfully developed with and tested in community addiction treatment centers. The primary […]

Implementation Toolkit to Enhance EBP Among Marginalized Families (I-TEAM)

Although the efficacy of early intervention (EI) for autistic children and their families has been established, many marginalized families with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds still report inequitable access to evidence-based practices (EBP). The proposed research addresses three aims including: AIM 1. Identify facilitators and barriers of EBP implementation among marginalized families of young autistic […]




Initial efficacy trial of a group-based implementation strategy designed to increase teacher delivery of evidence-based prevention programs

The purpose of this project is to test the effects of BASIS-T (Beliefs and Attitudes to Support Implementation in Schools – Teachers) on the implementation and student outcomes of evidence-based prevention programs (EBPP) via a hybrid type 3 implementation-effectiveness trial. Failing to address individual-level motivational factors of implementers is especially costly, as individual behavior change […]

Latinx Health in Rural Areas (Project LAHRA)

This project aims to examine health disparities in substance use and factors influencing the health and well-being of Latinx youth residing in rural and small-town communities of the United States, a growing but understudied and underserved population.

Lay-delivered behavioral activation in senior centers

This collaborative study with Cornell Medical College and the University of Florida tests the effectiveness of “Do More, Feel Better” (DMFB), a lay health delivered behavioral intervention, in comparison to professionally-delivered Behavioral Activation. The specific aims are to test the effectiveness of “Do More, Feel Better” for depressed older adults on increasing overall activity level and […]

Leveraging peer mentor texting to support maternal wellbeing in the perinatal period

Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders affect one in seven pregnant and postpartum women nationwide, making them the most common complication of pregnancy. Unfortunately, only one in 20 women who need treatment for these conditions actually receives it. This translates to a multigenerational issue, which can negatively affect the mother and child’s long-term physical, emotional and […]


MC2: Motivating Campus Change

The application was built on our prior intervention trials to further explore conditions under which normative feedback may reduce college drinking. Specifically, we proposed to contrast efficacy of personalized normative feedback (PNF) regarding specific reference groups (i.e., gender-, ethnicity-, and residence-specific feedback) versus a generic (typical college student) reference group, evaluate identification with the normative […]

Microglia and opioid withdrawal: mechanisms of negative reinforcement

Extensive opioid use and repeated abstinence increases the likelihood of severe withdrawal and contributes to the risk of relapse. Previously we found that microglia, the innate immune cells in the brain, have dramatic changes in gene expression and signaling during opioid tolerance and withdrawal. We propose to use fentanyl and a recently developed transgenic mice to […]


Modeling patient mutations in iPSC-derived neurons to reveal cellular mechanisms of schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a common and devastating neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by genetic heterogeneity. In this project, genes that are disrupted by rare, damaging mutations in individuals with schizophrenia will be evaluated using CRISPRi in iPSCs. Cell lines will be evaluated for phenotypes relevant to schizophrenia. A patient-derived iPSC line will be created that harbors a mutation […]

Monitoring mood symptoms in young adults at-risk for bipolar disorder

The ages of 18-25 years are ‘peak onset’ times of major depression and bipolar disorder. These disorders have different courses and treatments, but diagnosing bipolar disorder is difficult because manic symptoms occur less often than depressive symptoms and many individuals do not recall manic symptoms. A ‘misdiagnosis lag’ of 8-10 years can contribute to prolonged […]

MOVE!+UP: Testing a tailored weight management program for Veterans with PTSD

This Hybrid Type 1 Trial will test the effectiveness of MOVE!+UP, a behavioral weight management intervention tailored to address PTSD-based weight loss barriers. The trial will compare MOVE!+UP to VA’s standard weight loss program on weight and PTSD symptom changes. The study also will identify implementation barriers and facilitators to help understand effectiveness findings and […]

Needs Assessment for Supporting Technology use and Harm Reduction (STaHR Study)

The proposed study entails a needs assessment to develop a program for Supporting Technology use and Harm Reduction (STaHR) among HF residents with lived experience of homelessness and substance use. This study will qualitatively explore HF residents’ technology literacy as well as their perspectives on barriers and facilitators to the use of technology, broadly, and […]

NORTH: Developing a mobile health intervention to support treatment seeking in early psychosis

The proposed research project proposes to develop and test a mobile intervention, Normalizing Orientation to Treatment and Help-Seeking (NORTH) designed to impact knowledge and attitudes to encourage help-seeking among young adults at risk for psychosis. This project involves (1) a needs assessment to understand barriers, interests and preferences related to mHealth and in-person treatment, (2) […]

Opportunity Based Probation

Opportunity-Based Probation (OBP) is a new juvenile probation model that expands on adolescent development research by leveraging adolescents’ drive towards independence as well as their heightened receptivity to rewards. In collaboration with their probation officers, youth create meaningful goals and incentives that reward the development of prosocial behavior. Probation officers scaffold prosocial behavior by reinforcing […]

Optimizing mental health first-aid programming for sport coaches

Many sport organizations are increasingly vocal about the importance of athlete mental health. Helping organizations move beyond rhetoric to improved athlete wellbeing and safety requires evidence-based resources that are setting-appropriate and feasibly implemented. This project will develop and obtain feasibility and acceptability data on “Time Out for Mental Health”—a mental health first aid training for […]

Parent and teacher engagement as an undervalued implementation determinant

The proposed research addresses three important objectives (1) complete a scoping review to map determinants of teacher implementation of evidence-based practices for child behavior in preschool , (2) identify strategies to improve teacher implementation through a series of casual pathway diagrams, and (3) conceptualize and operationalize strategies with stakeholders to increase feasibility.



Parent-Child Assistance Program – Washington

This project provides direction, training, technical assistance, and evaluation of the Parent-Child Assistance Program (PCAP) being implemented by 13 community agencies and 15 sites serving 20 counties and up to 1490 mothers/families in Washington State.

Pathways from Chronic Prescription Opioid Use to New Onset Mood Disorder

The proposed research addresses three important objectives including: 1) Can OUD screening be effectively incorporated into primary care mental health screening protocols?; 2) Does implementing Collaborative Care for OUD and mental health disorders improve outcomes?; 3) What implementation strategies are effective at sustaining Collaborative Care programs that concurrently manage mental health disorders and OUD?





PHSKC Planning and Evaluation

Project includes activities surrounding the provision of evaluation, training, and consultation services to PHSKC. These include developing, conducting and analyzing a needs assessment for mental health providers and agency leads to further refine a tier 2/3 model of care. Training and consultation supports will be provided.


Policy codesign with law enforcement to improve crisis response for people who use drugs

This project examines the acceptability and feasibility of policy codesign process to help three regions in Washington develop their own local strategy to improve crisis response for people who use drugs, focusing on calls with law enforcement. Policy codesign is an evidence-based approach that aims to develop policies from “the ground up” that are tailored to community needs and promote region ownership. […]


Project ACE

The objective of this research is to develop and test brief interventions that aim to reduce young adult alcohol misuse by providing personalized feedback regarding alcohol craving. The project involves two phases; one using qualitative methods to inform the intervention development; and a second testing the feasibility, acceptability, and initial efficacy of personalized feedback interventions.

Project Better

The co-occurrence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and hazardous drinking (HD) can be particularly devastating; though evidence-based treatments exist, many individuals with this co-occurrence drop out from or do not or cannot access specialty care. Text-messaging is a mode of intervention delivery that is low-cost, low-burden, and accessible to most people; development and testing of […]

Project EQUIP

This is a subaward to an R34 awarded to Dr. Melissa Lewis at University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC). This project develops and tests an intervention for young adults that focuses on motivations for and quality of alcohol and marijuana protective behavior strategy use, including a daily-level examination of these processes.

Project SARAH (Sexual Assault, Recovery & Hope)

Project SARAH is a randomized clinical trial providing treatment for PTSD and alcohol use in the first year following sexual assault for individuals who identify as female. The study aims to test 1) the role of fear and reward in recovery following sexual assault; 2) the efficacy of a PTSD vs an alcohol intervention for […]

Project VERO: Development and Testing of a Personalized Normative Feedback Intervention for Young Adult Vaccine Hesitancy

Project VERO will develop and test a personalized normative feedback intervention to reduce vaccine hesitancy among young adults. Phase one entails rapid prototyping – utilizing concepts from user experience research – to refine the content and design of the brief intervention. The second phase entails an RCT enrolling unvaccinated young adults from around the US […]




SPARK

SPARK is an autism research study and a growing community of autistic individuals, their families, and researchers with a goal to advance the understanding of autism. This study aims to improve the lives of people with autism by identifying the causes of autism and informing more effective therapies, treatments, services, and supports.

State Implementation and Scaling-up of Evidence-based Practices (SISEP) Center

The State Implementation and Scaling-up of Evidence-based Practices (SISEP) Center is a national technical assistance center funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs. Through this subcontract, the UW SMART Center has a subcontract to develop a micro-credentialling program on implementation science (IS) for educators, and to develop and convene a […]


Suicide risk screening in acute and intensive care at a Level 1 Trauma Center

Patients hospitalized for medical, surgical, or traumatic injury reasons at Harborview Medical Center are universally screened for suicide risk. The present research will advance knowledge about the practices occurring at this large healthcare institution serving the public and social safety net population and set the groundwork necessary for conducting future research designed to improve services […]

Systematic redesign of an autism community implementation toolkit for schools

The aims of the current project are to: 1) Engage stakeholders to identify targets for ACT SMART redesign to optimize its fit for middle and high school providers who serve autistic adolescents; 2) Conduct prototyping and usability field testing of the redesigned ACT SMART and iteratively refine to ensure usability, feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness for […]

The Life Enhancing Alcohol-management Program 2.0 (LEAP 2.0)

LEAP 2.0 builds on a longstanding partnership between the UW HaRRT Center and housing first residents, staff, and management of DESC. The pilot program was developed through a community based participatory research framework, and entails low-barrier, community-level, house-wide resident programming—including leadership opportunities, activities, and pathways to recovery. Results from the pilot indicated that LEAP participants […]

The PREDICT study: a personalized medicine approach to prazosin for PTSD

Prazosin, like many of our most effective treatments for PTSD, seems to be significantly more effective for some individuals than others. We have hypothesized that this is because prazosin works to compensate for increased noradrenergic signaling, which is a primary driver of symptoms in some, but not all, individuals with PTSD. If we could identify […]

TIGER: The Investigation of Genetic Exome Research

In the TIGER research study, we are learning more about individuals with genetic events associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual disability (ID), and/or developmental delay (DD) in order to better describe how different gene disruptions impact behavior in children and adults.


Treating Parents and Children with ADHD (TPAC)

ADHD often runs in families. The TPAC study focuses on parents with ADHD who also have a child with the disorder, aiming to open the door to new ADHD treatments for adults and children. All parents in the study receive training that uses behavior modification techniques and reward-based interventions to improve communication, increase compliance and […]

Trigeminal nerve stimulation (TNS) for ADHD

TNS uses a device to send currents into the brain and stimulate the trigeminal nerve. This method has proven effective to treat depression and other psychiatric disorders. The research team is working to understand if this approach could help improve executive function and reduce symptoms of ADHD. Previous studies have shown that this is effective […]

Understanding mental health problems and health risk behaviors among LGBT Veterans

LGBT Veterans have faced a long history of stigma, discrimination, and exclusionary policies that were intended to exclude them from military service. Despite recent shifts in policy and increased staff trainings, existing evidence suggests that this group is at high risk for health disparities, particularly with respect to mental health and health risk behaviors. While […]

Understanding practical alcohol measures in primary care to prepare for measurement-based care

Standardized measurements of unhealthy drinking and alcohol use disorder symptoms are integral to addressing alcohol problems. However, surprisingly little is known about how measures of alcohol consumption and alcohol use disorder symptoms function when they are used in real-world routine care settings and documented in electronic health records (EHRs). We propose to leverage EHRs to […]

Using neurocomputational modeling to track memory decline

The most salient and debilitating aspect of dementia is memory loss. Unfortunately, memory loss is also the most difficult to quantify because it relies on doctor-administered tests that cannot be repeated very often. Without frequent and accurate measurements, it is difficult for clinicians to make reliable diagnoses, for patients and their caretakers to prepare in […]

Using routine alcohol screening measures to identify 1-year risk of suicidal ideation, intent, and planning within a large primary care system in Washington

This study will use a large population-based primary care sample in Washington state to understand how heavy alcohol use and alcohol use disorder symptoms contribute to suicidal thoughts. This study will allow examination of how different levels of alcohol use can predict short term risk of suicidality and allow us to better identify and support […]

Using technology to optimize Collaborative Care management of depression in urban and rural cancer centers (SCOPE)

This project aims to improve the treatment of depression in cancer patients. Up to 25% of people with cancer will become clinically depressed, significantly affecting their quality of life, functioning, and ability to tolerate cancer treatment. Unfortunately, about 75% of cancer patients with depression do not receive adequate treatment, and patients in rural settings are […]


WITH (Whole person Integrated Texting for Health)

Text messaging holds promise as a strategy for engaging older adults in depression treatment. The purpose of this project will be to develop and pilot test a text messaging intervention delivered in primary care settings practicing integrated care. Recent data shows that the vast majority of older adults have a cell phone and that about […]