Kaiser Permanente Washington researchers are exploring how to improve prevention and treatment of health issues due to alcohol and other drug use. The addictions research group conducts innovative research to help patients and their providers prevent and treat problems caused by tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, opioids, and other drugs in health settings.
A major focus of the addictions research group is how to integrate patient-centered care for alcohol and other drug use into medical settings. Over the past three decades, their work has focused on the need for health systems to routinely measure and address alcohol and other drug use as part of whole-person health, in nonjudgmental, patient-centered ways.
"Our alcohol-related research has built tools—such as a brief video, handout, and a patient decision aid—that help overcome stigma so that patients and families can find the help they want and need," says Katharine A. Bradley, MD, MPH, a senior investigator at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) and internal medicine physician with Washington Permanente Medical Group.
The addictions research group is conducting a variety of studies. "We are working to find ways to easily document the extent of cannabis exposure for both medical and nonmedical use in electronic health records," says Gwen Lapham, PhD, MSW, a KPWHRI assistant investigator. "We are also testing how to get proven online treatments for addiction into the hands of patients who could benefit," says Joseph E. Glass, PhD, MSW, a KPWHRI associate investigator. These are among the group’s current studies:
"We partnered with mental health and primary care leaders at Kaiser Permanente Washington to implement a program that addresses addictions and other common mental health concerns as part of routine primary care," says Amy K. Lee, MPH, a KPWHRI research associate. These are among the studies that the addictions research group has completed:
Montgomery L, Friedmann P, Abraham A, Evans E, Glass J, Ilgen M. Editorial: Health equity in substance use disorder treatment. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2020 Aug 8:108101. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2020.108101. Online ahead of print. PubMed
Matson TE, Lapham GT, Bobb JF, Johnson E, Richards JE, Lee AK, Bradley KA, Glass JE. Cannabis use, other drug use, and risk of subsequent acute care in primary care patients. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2020 Aug 8;216:108227. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108227. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Chen J, Glass JE, Bensley KM, Goldberg SB, Lehavot K, Williams EC. Racial/ethnic and gender differences in receipt of brief intervention among patients with unhealthy alcohol use in the U.S. Veterans Health Administration. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2020 Jul 15:108078. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2020.108078. Online ahead of print. PubMed
Yarborough BJH, Stumbo SP, Ahmedani B, Rossom R, Coleman K, Boggs JM, Simon GE. Suicide behavior following PHQ-9 screening among individuals with substance use disorders. J Addict Med. 2020 Jul 10. doi: 10.1097/ADM.0000000000000696. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Williams EC, McGinnis KA, Rubinsky AD, Matson TE, Bobb JF, Lapham GT, Edelman EJ, Satre DD, Catz SL, Richards JE, Bryant KJ, Marshall BDL, Kraemer KL, Crystal S, Gordon AJ, Skanderson M, Fiellin DA, Justice AC, Bradley KA. Alcohol use and antiretroviral adherence among patients living with HIV: is change in alcohol use associated with change in adherence? AIDS Behav. 2020 Jul 2. doi: 10.1007/s10461-020-02950-x. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
![]() Jennifer F. Bobb, PhDAssociate Investigator |
![]() Denise M. Boudreau, PhDSenior Investigator |
![]() Katharine A. Bradley, MD, MPHSenior Investigator |
![]() David S. Carrell, PhDAssociate Investigator |
![]() Lynn DeBar, PhDSenior Investigator |
![]() Joseph E. Glass, PhD, MSWAssociate Investigator |
![]() Clarissa Hsu, PhDAssistant Investigator |
![]() Gwen Lapham, PhD, MPH, MSWAssistant Investigator |
![]() Amy K. Lee, MPHResearch Associate |
![]() Jennifer B. McClure, PhDDirector of Research, Faculty, & Development; Senior Investigator |
![]() Julie E. Richards, PhD, MPHResearch Associate II |
![]() Paige D. Wartko, PhD, MPHResearch Associate |
![]() Kai Yeung, PharmD, PhDAssistant Investigator |
![]() Yu-Ru Su, PhDAssistant Investigator |
Emily Williams, PhD, MPH
Investigator
Health Services Research & Development
VA Puget Sound Health Care System