Morgan Justice, MA
“My research aims to improve health equity for people living with substance use and chronic pain by understanding how social health impacts health outcomes.”
Morgan Justice, MA
Collaborative Scientist, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute
Biography
Morgan Justice is a health services researcher passionate about exploring how social conditions and inequities affect our health outcomes, as these factors can have an even greater impact on our health than the care we receive within the health care system. She is interested in incorporating social health into pragmatic trials seeking to improve outcomes for those living with substance use disorders and chronic pain, with the goal of promoting health equity, informing policy, and ultimately improving health care for everyone.
Morgan joined Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) as a collaborative scientist in 2021. Her recent work has included collaborating on large-scale pragmatic clinical trials on chronic pain, opioid use disorder, and mental health conditions, as well as a quasi-experimental study exploring the impact of social health on chronic pain and utilization outcomes under a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services policy for nonpharmacologic therapies.
Before joining KPWHRI, Morgan was a technical project director at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research. Her work included observational and prospective cohort studies on the safety of opioid analgesics, pragmatic trials on palliative care and colorectal cancer screening, and other epidemiologic studies on chronic conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. She also previously held posts with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where she collaborated on epidemiologic studies involving children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and Tourette Syndrome, and with Georgia State University, where she focused on community-based participatory research with youth experiencing homelessness in Atlanta.
Morgan holds a Master of Arts in sociology and a graduate certificate in public health with an emphasis in biostatistics from Georgia State University. She is a doctoral candidate in health systems and policy at the Oregon Health & Sciences University.
RESEARCH INTERESTS AND EXPERIENCE
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Social Determinants of Health
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Addictions
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Chronic Illness Management
Chronic pain
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Mental Health
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Methods
Quantitative methods including latent class analysis, structural equation modeling, multi-level modeling, and longitudinal analyses; qualitative methods including formative methods; trial experience including observational trials and pragmatic clinical trials
Recent Publications
DeBar LL, Justice M, Avins AL, Cook A, Eng CM, Herman PM, Hsu C, Nielsen A, Pressman A, Stone KL, Teets RY, Wellman R. Acupuncture for chronic low back pain in older adults: Design and protocol for the BackInAction pragmatic clinical trial. Contemp Clin Trials. 2023 May;128:107166. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2023.107166. Epub 2023 Mar 27. PubMed
Mayhew M, Balderson BH, Cook AJ, Dickerson JF, Elder CR, Firemark AJ, Haller IV, Justice M, Keefe FJ, McMullen CK, O'Keeffe-Rosetti MC, Owen-Smith AA, Rini C, Schneider JL, Von Korff M, Wandner LD, DeBar LL. Comparing the clinical and cost-effectiveness of remote (telehealth and online) cognitive behavioral therapy-based treatments for high-impact chronic pain relative to usual care: Study protocol for the RESOLVE multisite randomized control trial. Trials. 2023 Mar 16;24(1):196. doi: 10.1186/s13063-023-07165-8. PubMed
DeBar LL, Bushey MA, Kroenke K, Bobb JF, Schoenbaum M, Thompson EE, Justice M, Zatzick D, Hamilton LK, McMullen CK, Hallgren KA, Benes LL, Forman DP, Caldeiro RM, Brown RP, Campbell NL, Anderson ML, Son S, Haggstrom DA, Whiteside L, Schleyer TKL, Bradley KA. A patient-centered nurse-supported primary care-based collaborative care program to treat opioid use disorder and depression: Design and protocol for the MI-CARE randomized controlled trial. Contemp Clin Trials. 2023 Apr;127:107124. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2023.107124. [Epub ahead of print2023 Feb 18]. PubMed
Fuoco MJ, Mularski RA, Wu B, Moretz C, McBurnie MA, Stanford RH, Crawford P, Gratie D, Salas B. Continuity of care assessment within a vertically integrated care management organization before and after COPD-related exacerbations Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2021 Oct 7;16:2755-2767. doi: 10.2147/COPD.S290714. eCollection 2021. PubMed
Fitzpatrick SL, Banegas MP, Kimes TM, Papajorgji-Taylor D, Fuoco MJ. Prevalence of unmet basic needs and association with diabetes control and care utilization among insured persons with diabetes. Popul Health Manag. 2021 Aug;24(4):463-469. doi: 10.1089/pop.2020.0236. Epub 2021 Feb 3. PubMed
Research
HEAL responds to double crisis: Opioids and COVID-19
Health care is increasingly online—KPWHRI is studying telehealth options for opioid use disorder and chronic pain.
news release
NIH awards over $15 million in HEAL grants to KPWHRI
Drs. DeBar, Bradley, and Sherman lead projects in initiative to tackle opioid crisis.
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