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.
Coleman KJ, Johnson E, Ahmedani BK, Beck A, Rossom RC, Shortreed SM, Simon GE. Predicting suicide attempts for racial and ethnic groups of patients during routine clinical care. Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2019 Jun;49(3):724-734. doi: 10.1111/sltb.12454. Epub 2018 Mar 24. PubMed
Lin Y, Huang S, Simon GE, Liu S. Data-based decision rules to personalize depression follow-up. Sci Rep. 2018 Mar 22;8(1):5064. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-23326-1. PubMed
Boggs JM, Beck A, Hubley S, Peterson EL, Hu Y, Williams LK, Prabhakar D, Rossom RC, Lynch FL, Lu CY, Waitzfelder BE, Owen-Smith AA, Simon GE, Ahmedani BK. General medical, mental health, and demographic risk factors associated with suicide by firearm compared with other means. Psychiatr Serv. 2018 Jun 1;69(6):677-684. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.201700237. Epub 2018 Feb 15. PubMed
Waitzfelder B, Stewart C, Coleman KJ, Rossom R, Ahmedani BK, Beck A, Zeber JE, Daida YG, Trinacty C, Hubley S, Simon GE. Treatment initiation for new episodes of depression in primary care settings. J Gen Intern Med. 2018 Feb 8. pii: 10.1007/s11606-017-4297-2. doi: 10.1007/s11606-017-4297-2. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Simon GE, Stewart C, Yarborough BJ, Lynch F, Coleman KJ, Beck A, Operskalski BH, Penfold RB, Hunkeler EM. Mortality rates after the first diagnosis of psychotic disorder in adolescents and young adults. JAMA Psychiatry. 2018 Mar 1;75(3):254-260. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2017.4437. PubMed
Simon GE, Stewart C, Hunkeler EM, Yarborough BJ, Lynch F, Coleman KJ, Beck A, Operskalski BH, Penfold RB, Carrell DS. Care pathways before first diagnosis of a psychotic disorder in adolescents and young adults. Am J Psychiatry. 2018 May 1;175(5):434-442. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.17080844. Epub 2018 Jan 24. PubMed
Rossom RC, Simon GE, Coleman KJ, Beck A, Oliver M, Stewart C, Ahmedani B. Are wishes for death or suicidal ideation symptoms of depression in older adults? Aging Ment Health. 2019 Jul;23(7):912-918. doi: 10.1080/13607863.2017.1423032. Epub 2018 Jan 17. PubMed
Simon G. Should psychiatrists write the exercise prescription for depression? Am J Psychiatry. 2018 Jan 1;175(1):2-3. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.17090990. PubMed
Zeber JE, Coleman KJ, Fischer H, Yoon TK, Ahmedani BK, Beck A, Hubley S, Imel ZE, Rossom RC, Shortreed SM, Stewart C, Waitzfelder BE, Simon GE. The impact of race and ethnicity on rates of return to psychotherapy for depression. Depress Anxiety. 2017 Dec;34(12):1157-1163. doi: 10.1002/da.22696. Epub 2017 Nov 2. PubMed
Simon GE, Johnson E, Stewart C, Rossom RC, Beck A, Coleman KJ, Waitzfelder B, Penfold R, Operskalski BH, Shortreed SM. Does patient adherence to antidepressant medication actually vary between physicians? J Clin Psychiatry. 2018 May/Jun;79(3). pii: 16m11324. doi: 10.4088/JCP.16m11324. 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.