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
Simon GE. PBRNs or RBPNs or both? Psychiatr Serv. 2015;66(11):1129. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.661102. PubMed
Simon GE, Rossom RC, Beck A, Waitzfelder BE, Coleman KJ, Stewart C, Operskalski B, Penfold RB, Shortreed SM. Antidepressants are not overprescribed for mild depression. J Clin Psychiatry. 2015 Dec;76(12):1627-32. doi: 10.4088/JCP.14m09162. PubMed
Haneuse S, Bogart A, Jazic I, Westbrook EO, Boudreau D, Theis MK, Simon GE, Arterburn D. Learning about missing data mechanisms in electronic health records-based research: a survey-based approach. Epidemiology. 2016 Jan;27(1):82-90. Epub 2015 Oct 19. PubMed
Simon GE, Coleman KJ, Waitzfelder BE, Beck A, Rossom RC, Stewart C, Penfold RB. Adjusting antidepressant quality measures for race and ethnicity. JAMA Psychiatry. 2015 Sep 9:1-2. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2015.1437. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Owen-Smith A, Stewart C, Green C, Ahmedani BK, Waitzfelder BE, Rossom R, Copeland LA, Simon GE. Adherence to common cardiovascular medications in patients with schizophrenia vs. patients without psychiatric illness. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2016 Jan-Feb;38:9-14. doi: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2015.07.010. Epub 2015 Jul 30. PubMed
Larson EB, Tachibana C, Thompson E, Coronado GD, DeBar L, Dember LM, Honda S, Huang SS, Jarvik JG, Nelson C, Septimus E, Simon G, Johnson KE. Trials without tribulations: minimizing the burden of pragmatic research on healthcare systems. Healthc (Amst). 2016 Sep;4(3):138-41. doi: 10.1016/j.hjdsi.2015.07.005. Epub 2015 Jul 29. PubMed
Fernandez Y Garcia E, Joseph J, Wilson MD, Hinton L, Simon G, Ludman E, Scott F, Kravitz RL. Pediatric-based intervention to motivate mothers to seek follow-up for depression screens: the Motivating Our Mothers (MOM) trial. Acad Pediatr. 2015;15(3):311-8. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2014.11.008. PubMed
Ahmedani BK, Stewart C, Simon GE, Lynch F, Lu CY, Waitzfelder BE, Solberg LI, Owen-Smith AA, Beck A, Copeland LA, Hunkeler EM, Rossom RC, Williams K. Racial/ethnic differences in health care visits made before suicide attempt across the United States. Med Care. 2015;53(5):430-5. doi: 10.1097/MLR.0000000000000335. PubMed
Brown HJ, Andreason H, Melling AK, Imel ZE, Simon GE. Problems with using patient retention in the evaluation of mental health providers: differences in type of dropout. Psychiatr Serv. 2015 Apr 15:appips201400059. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Steinfeld B, Franklin A, Mercer B, Fraynt R, Simon G. Progress monitoring in an integrated health care system: tracking behavioral health vital signs. Adm Policy Ment Health. 2016 May;43(3):369-78. doi: 10.1007/s10488-015-0648-7. 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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