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 early intervention for mental health conditions in children and youth.
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, 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. Now in its second five-year funding cycle, 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 are conducting several large studies across MHRN health systems, including:
Dr. Simon is an editor for the Cochrane Collaboration’s depression and anxiety review group, sits on the editorial board for General Hospital Psychiatry, and serves on the advisory board for the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Program (formerly Precision Medicine Initiative). Earlier, he served on the editorial boards of Psychiatric Services and Psychological Medicine and chaired the scientific advisory board for the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. Dr. Simon has practiced adult psychiatry in Kaiser Permanente Washington's Mental Health and Wellness Service since 1990 and is a research professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington.
Depression; bipolar disorder; suicide prevention; self-management; treatment adherence
Comorbidity of mental health conditions with obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and substance use disorders.
Simon GE, Von Korff M, Lin E. Clinical and functional outcomes of depression treatment in patients with and without chronic medical illness. Psychol Med. 2005;35(2):271-9. PubMed
Simon GE, Von Korff M. Medical co-morbidity and validity of DSM-IV depression criteria. Psychol Med. 2006;36(1):27-36. Epub 2005 Oct 5. PubMed
Simon GE, Ludman EJ, Unutzer J, Bauer MS, Operskalski B, Rutter C. Randomized trial of a population-based care program for people with bipolar disorder. Psychol Med. 2005;35(1):13-24. PubMed
De Almeida Fleck MP, Simon G, Herrman H, Bushnell D, Martin M, Patrick D. Major depression and its correlates in primary care settings in six countries: 9-month follow-up study. Br J Psychiatry. 2005;186:41-47. PubMed
Kisely S, Simon G. An international study of the effect of physical ill health on psychiatric recovery in primary care. Psychosom Med. 2005;67(1):116-22. PubMed
Simon GE. Symposium IV. The burden of bipolar disorder: medical illness, suicide and cognitive impairment. Bipolar Disord. 2005;7 Suppl 2:19. PubMed
Katon WJ, Lin EH, Russo J, Von Korff M, Ciechanowski P, Simon G, Ludman E, Bush T, Young B. Cardiac risk factors in patients with diabetes mellitus and major depression. J Gen Intern Med. 2004;19(12):1192-9. PubMed
Katon WJ, Unutzer J, Simon G. Treatment of depression in primary care: where we are, where we can go. Med Care. 2004;42(12):1153-7. PubMed
Katon WJ, Simon G, Russo J, Von Korff M, Lin EH, Ludman E, Ciechanowski P, Bush T. Quality of depression care in a population-based sample of patients with diabetes and major depression. Med Care. 2004;42(12):1222-9. PubMed
Young BA, Katon WJ, Von Korff M, Simon GE, Lin EH, Ciechanowski PS, Bush T, Oliver M, Ludman EJ, Boyko EJ. Racial and ethnic differences in microalbuminuria prevalence in a diabetes population: the Pathways Study. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2005;16(1):219-28. Epub 2004 Nov 24. PubMed
Safety planning and risk screening improved outcomes for adult patients.
A new grant funds modeling work to make personalized treatment possible.
KPWHRI research finds ways to increase use of a firearm safety tool.
Study finds that many patients who might benefit from clozapine don’t receive it.
KPWHRI researchers are contributing to better mental health care for people nationwide.