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, VonKorff M, Heiligenstein JH, Revicki DA, Grothaus L, Katon W, Wagner EH. Initial antidepressant choice in primary care. Effectiveness and cost of fluoxetine vs. tricyclic antidepressants. JAMA. 1996;275(24):1897-902. PubMed
Von Korff M, Simon G. The relationship between pain and depression. Br J Psychiatry. Suppl 1996;(30):101-8. PubMed
Tiemens BG, Ormel J, Simon GE. Occurrence, recognition, and outcome of psychological disorders in primary care. Am J Psychiatry. 1996;153(5):636-44. PubMed
Von Korff M, Ustun TB, Ormel J, Kaplan I, Simon GE. Self-report disability in an international primary care study of psychological illness. J Clin Epidemiol. 1996;49(3):297-303. PubMed
Simon GE, Grothaus L, Durham ML, VonKorff M, Pabiniak C. Impact of visit copayments on outpatient mental health utilization by members of a health maintenance organization. Am J Psychiatry. 1996;153(3):331-8. PubMed
Simon G, Von Korff M. Delivery of services to mood disordered patients. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 1996;9:30-4. PubMed
Katon W, Ludman E, Simon G, Lin E, Sullivan M, Walker E, Bush T, Von Korff M, Carter L. Depression: a self-care companion. New York: Patient Education Media, Inc., 1996. PubMed
Ludman EJ, Katon W, Bush T, Von Korff M, Lin E, Simon G, Walker E, Unutzer J. Design and methodology of a multimodal primary care-based brief intervention to prevent depression relapse. International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine,. 1996. PubMed
Simon GE, Lecribier Y, Ustun TB. Somatic symptoms and psychiatric disorder: an international primary care study. Reviews in Contemporary Pharmacotherapy. 1996;7:279-285. PubMed
Simon GE, Lin EH, Katon W, Saunders K, VonKorff M, Walker E, Bush T, Robinson P. Outcomes of "inadequate" antidepressant treatment. J Gen Intern Med. 1995;10(12):663-70. 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.