Joseph E. Glass, PhD, MSW

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“We need to increase the reach of addiction treatment within health care systems. Many more people could benefit from effective care.”

Joseph E. Glass, PhD, MSW

Senior Scientific Investigator, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute
Affiliate Associate Professor, Department of Health Systems and Population Health, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington

Biography

Joseph Glass, PhD, MSW, is an associate investigator at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI). Before joining KPWHRI in July 2016, he was an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Social Work.

Dr. Glass’s research seeks to identify how effective health care interventions for unhealthy alcohol and drug use can reach more people. Much of his work aims to develop, test, and implement modern models of care that proactively deliver evidence-based treatments within health care settings and that intensively refer patients to specialty care while considering social determinants of health.

Dr. Glass’s work is informed by his practical experience in the field. After receiving a Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan, Dr. Glass was a psychiatric social worker at the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System. There he developed expertise in social work case management and evidence-based treatments for anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders.

He completed a 5-year career development award funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in 2021, which allowed him to obtain intensive training in clinical trials and implementation science. Currently, he has 2 active randomized controlled trials.

  • One is a 5-year grant awarded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse called the DIGITS Trial, which is testing strategies for improving how clinicians and patients use app-based treatments for substance use disorder in primary care.
  • Another study is the Addressing Barriers to Care Trial (ABC-SUD), which is a 5-year grant awarded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse as part of the Center for Dissemination and Implementation Science at Stanford. The ABC-SUD study is evaluating use of Care Navigators to improve the rate at which people successfully obtain treatment when they are referred to care.

Dr. Glass also co-leads a 2-year study funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to validate and improve approaches for monitoring the quality of care for alcohol use disorder. He also enjoys serving as a co-investigator and consultant, providing expertise and support to studies led by his colleagues.

Dr. Glass is an affiliate associate professor of health systems and population health, and of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, at the University of Washington.​​​​​

Research interests and experience


Sparc trial tools

Resources for behavioral health integration

The SPARC trial successfully implemented behavioral health care into primary care. On our website, you can access tools for behavioral health integration, as well as frequently asked questions and publications.


Recent publications

Perron BE, Glass JE, Ahmedani BK, Vaughn MG, Roberts DE, Wu LT. The prevalence and clinical significance of inhalant withdrawal symptoms among a national sample. Subst Abuse Rehabil. 2011 Apr;2011(2):69-76. PubMed

Glass JE, Perron BE, Ilgen MA, Chermack ST, Ratliff S, Zivin K. Prevalence and correlates of specialty substance use disorder treatment for department of Veterans Affairs healthcare system patients with high alcohol consumption. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2010 Nov 1;112(1-2):150-5. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2010.06.003. Epub 2010 Jul 24. PubMed

Glass JE, Ilgen MA, Winters JJ, Murray RL, Perron BE, Chermack ST. Inpatient hospitalization in addiction treatment for patients with a history of suicide attempt: a case of support for treatment performance measures. J Psychoactive Drugs. 2010 Sep;42(3):315-25. PubMed

Perron BE, Taylor HO, Glass JE, Margerum-Leys J. Information and communication technologies in social work. Adv Soc Work. 2010 Spring;11(2):67-81. PubMed

Perron BE, Mowbray OP, Glass JE, Delva J, Vaughn MG, Howard MO. Differences in service utilization and barriers among Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites with drug use disorders. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy. 2009 Mar 13;4:3. doi: 10.1186/1747-597X-4-3. PubMed

 

Healthy Findings Blog

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Understanding the needs of people seeking care for substance use

Joe Glass explores how to engage patients with treatment for alcohol or drug use.

Research

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Increasing opioid use disorder treatment in primary care

A trial led by KPWHRI researchers found that adding nurse care managers helped more people get needed treatment.

Research

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Better care for patients who drink alcohol

A new primary care approach improves alcohol-related preventive care as well as care for alcohol use disorder.