Gregory E. Simon, MD, MPH
“We bring a practical approach to mental health research, working to break down barriers between research and real-world health care.”
Gregory E. Simon, MD, MPH
Senior Investigator, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute
Psychiatrist, Washington Permanente Medical Group
Professor, Department of Health Systems Science, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine
Research Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington
Biography
Greg Simon, MD, MPH, is a psychiatrist and senior investigator well-known for his extensive research on practical approaches to improving mental health care. He seeks to develop and evaluate effective real-world strategies that support better mental health and wellness. Current areas of emphasis include identifying and assessing suicide risk, improving care for treatment-resistant depression, and reducing racial and ethnic disparities in mental health care.
Dr. Simon leads the Mental Health Research Network (MHRN), a consortium of research centers affiliated with 13 large health systems across the United States, including Kaiser Permanente Washington. This network, originally funded through a cooperative agreement with the National Institute of Mental Health, aims to improve the efficiency, relevance, and impact of mental health clinical and health services research. The MHRN is exploring a broad range of issues—including suicide prevention, improving heart health in people with serious mental illness, using electronic medical records to improve follow-up care for depression, and understanding the causes of racial and ethnic disparities in mental health care.
Dr. Simon and his MHRN colleagues have conducted several large studies across MHRN health systems, including:
- A pragmatic trial in four health systems examining the effect of systematic outreach programs to prevent suicide attempt among people at high risk.
- Using electronic health records from seven health systems to develop and validate machine learning models to identify people at high risk of suicidal behavior.
- A pragmatic trial in two health systems evaluating electronic health record tools to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease in people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
- A rigorous evaluation of Zero Suicide care improvement programs in six health systems
- Developing measures to assess quality of care for depression in two health systems.
Dr. Simon sits on the editorial board for the journal General Hospital Psychiatry, and co-chairs the National Academy of Medicine’s Forum on Drug Discovery, Development and Translation.. Dr. Simon has practiced adult psychiatry in Kaiser Permanente Washington's Mental Health and Wellness Service since 1990. He is also a professor in the department of Health Systems Science at the Bernard J Tyson Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine and an adjunct professor inPsychiatry and Behavioral Dciences at the University of Washington.
Research interests and experience
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Mental Health
Depression; bipolar disorder; suicide prevention; self-management; treatment adherence
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Chronic Illness Management
Comorbidity of mental health conditions with obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and substance use disorders.
Recent publications
Boggs JM, Yarborough BJH, Clarke G, Aguirre-Miyamoto EM, Barton LJ, Beck A, Bruschke C, Buttlaire S, Coleman KJ, Flores JP, Penfold R, Powers JD, Richards JA, Richardson L, Runkle A, Ryan JM, Simon GE, Sterling S, Stewart C, Stumbo S, Quintana LM, Yeh HH, Ahmedani BK Development and Validation of Electronic Health Record Measures of Safety Planning Practices as Part of Zero Suicide Implementation 2025 Jul;29(3):654-667. doi: 10.1080/13811118.2024.2394676. Epub 2024-08-28. PubMed
Simon GE, Ziebell RA, Johnson E, Shortreed SM Do health records data accurately identify repeat self-harm after emergency department visits? 2025 Jun 27 doi: 10.1101/2025.06.26.25330358. Epub 2025-06-27. PubMed
Simon GE, Stewart CC, Richards JE, Ziebell R, Lapham GT, Hoopes AJ Accuracy of Self-Report Questionnaires and Records-Based Risk Scores to Identify Adolescents' Risk for Self-Harm 2025 Jun;76(6):554-562. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.20240427. Epub 2025-03-19. PubMed
Curtis LH, Morain S, O'Rourke PP, Staman K, Jarvik JG, Cheville A, Dailey DL, Sluka KA, Heagerty P, Melnick ER, Chakraborty H, Tulsky JA, Volandes A, Simon GE Monitoring in pragmatic trials lessons from the NIH pragmatic trials collaboratory 2025 May;152:107866. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2025.107866. Epub 2025-02-25. PubMed
Rossom RC, Yeh HH, Ma L, Penfold RB, Hooker SA, Miller-Matero LR, Simon G, Owen-Smith A, Borgert-Spaniol CM, Ahmedani B Changes in utilization of in-person and virtual outpatient mental health visits before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: An observational cohort study 2025 Apr 25;104(17):e42305. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000042305. PubMed
Ahmedani BK, Penfold RB, Frank C, Richards JE, Stewart C, Boggs JM, Coleman KJ, Sterling S, Yarborough BJH, Clarke G, Schoenbaum M, Aguirre-Miyamoto EM, Barton LJ, Yeh HH, Westphal J, McDonald S, Beck A, Beidas RS, Richardson L, Ryan JM, Buckingham ET, Buttlaire S, Bruschke C, Flores J, Simon GE Zero Suicide Model Implementation and Suicide Attempt Rates in Outpatient Mental Health Care 2025 Apr;8(4):e253721. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.3721. Epub 2025-04-01. PubMed
Penfold RB, Idu AE, Coley RY, Cushing-Haugen KL, King D, Glass A, Phillips RC, Renz AD, Pabiniak CJ, Graham VF, Thompson EE, Ralston JD, Simon GE, Gonzalez ES, Myers KM, Beck A, Quintana LM, Runkle AJ, Rogers M, Foster DM, Clarke GN, Massimino S, Crawford PM, Cavese JA, Cordaro AR, Chavez LI, Kelleher KJ, Schwartz N, Jiner KR, Liu SB, Condrac S, Hilt RJ Safer and targeted use of antipsychotics in youth: an embedded, pragmatic randomized trial 2025 Mar;66(3):301-310. doi: 10.1111/jcpp.14059. Epub 2024-10-29. PubMed
Simon GE, Garner BR, Smith JD, Wyman PA, Matson TE, Chin-Purcell L, Cero I, Vermeer W, Johnson KA, Prado G, Brown CH Rollout trial designs in implementation research are often necessary and sometimes preferred 2025 Feb 24;20(1):11. doi: 10.1186/s13012-025-01422-x. Epub 2025-02-24. PubMed
Rossom RC, Yeh H-H, Penfold RB, Simon GE, Hooker SA, Ma L, Miller-Matero LR, Owen-Smith A, Ahmedani BK Disruptions in Psychiatric Medication Fills in the United States Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic 2025 Feb 5; https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.512385. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.5123850. PubMed
Rossom R, Knowlton G, Yeh HH, Penfold R, Owen-Smith A, Hooker S, Simon G, Miller-Matero L, Akinyemi E, Ahmedani B Psychotherapy Engagement Before and After a Rapid Transition to Telehealth During COVID-19 for Older Adults With Dementia 2025 Feb;44(2):337-346. doi: 10.1177/07334648241271922. Epub 2024-08-05. PubMed
Research
Researchers have a proven prescription for reducing suicide rates
In a new multistate study, the Zero Suicide Model reduced suicide rates by 25%.
Research
Suicide attempts decreased after adding suicide care to primary care
Safety planning and risk screening improved outcomes for adult patients.
Research
Can machine learning help treat depression more effectively?
A new grant funds modeling work to make personalized treatment possible.
Research
Understanding adoption of Lock to Live, a decision aid supporting suicide prevention
KPWHRI research finds ways to increase use of a firearm safety tool.
Research
A medication that can relieve symptoms of psychosis is underused
Study finds that many patients who might benefit from clozapine don’t receive it.
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