Gregory E. Simon, MD, MPH
“We bring a practical approach to mental health research, working to break down barriers between research and real-world health care.”
Gregory E. Simon, MD, MPH
Senior Investigator, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute
Psychiatrist, Washington Permanente Medical Group
Professor, Department of Health Systems Science, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine
Research Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington
Biography
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 reducing racial and ethnic disparities in mental health care.
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, originally 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. 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 have conducted several large studies across MHRN health systems, including:
- A pragmatic trial in four health systems examining the effect of systematic outreach programs to prevent suicide attempt among people at high risk.
- Using electronic health records from seven health systems to develop and validate machine learning models to identify people at high risk of suicidal behavior.
- A pragmatic trial in two health systems evaluating electronic health record tools to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease in people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
- A rigorous evaluation of Zero Suicide care improvement programs in six health systems
- Developing measures to assess quality of care for depression in two health systems.
Dr. Simon sits on the editorial board for the journal General Hospital Psychiatry, and co-chairs the National Academy of Medicine’s Forum on Drug Discovery, Development and Translation.. Dr. Simon has practiced adult psychiatry in Kaiser Permanente Washington's Mental Health and Wellness Service since 1990. He is also a professor in the department of Health Systems Science at the Bernard J Tyson Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine and an adjunct professor inPsychiatry and Behavioral Dciences at the University of Washington.
Research interests and experience
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Mental Health
Depression; bipolar disorder; suicide prevention; self-management; treatment adherence
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Chronic Illness Management
Comorbidity of mental health conditions with obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and substance use disorders.
Recent publications
Wolock CJ, Williamson BD, Shortreed SM, Simon GE, Coleman KJ, Yeargans R, Ahmedani BK, Daida Y, Lynch FL, Rossom RC, Ziebell RA, Cruz M, Wellman RD, Coley RY. Importance of variables from different time frames for predicting self-harm using health system data. medRxiv [Preprint]. 2024:2024.04.29.24306260. doi: 10.1101/2024.04.29.24306260. PubMed
Owen-Smith A, Stewart C, Coleman KJ, Cromwell L, Barton L, Simon G. Influenza and COVID-19 vaccine uptake among individuals with versus without diagnosed psychiatric disorders. Psychiatr Serv. 2024 Sep 11:appips20230638. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.20230638. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Boggs JM, Yarborough BJH, Clarke G, Aguirre-Miyamoto EM, Barton LJ, Beck A, Bruschke C, Buttlaire S, Coleman KJ, Flores JP, Penfold R, Powers JD, Richards JA, Richardson L, Runkle A, Ryan JM, Simon GE, Sterling S, Stewart C, Stumbo S, Quintana LM, Yeh HH, Ahmedani BK. Development and validation of electronic health record measures of safety planning practices as part of zero suicide implementation. Arch Suicide Res. 2024 Aug 28:1-14. doi: 10.1080/13811118.2024.2394676. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Rossom R, Knowlton G, Yeh HH, Penfold R, Owen-Smith A, Hooker S, Simon G, Miller-Matero L, Akinyemi E, Ahmedani B. Psychotherapy engagement before and after a rapid transition to telehealth during COVID-19 for older adults with dementia. J Appl Gerontol. 2024 Aug 5:7334648241271922. doi: 10.1177/07334648241271922. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Simon GE, Moise N, Mohr DC. Management of depression in adults: a review. JAMA. 2024;332(2):141-152. doi: 10.1001/jama.2024.5756. PubMed
Stewart CC, Simon G, Ahmedani BK, Beck A, Daida YG, Lynch FL, Owen-Smith AA, Negriff SL, Rossom R, Sterling SA, Lu CY, Schoenbaum M. Variation in completeness of coding external cause of injuries under ICD-10-CM. Inj Prev. 2024 Jun 21:ip-2023-045164. doi: 10.1136/ip-2023-045164. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Simon GE, Rossom RC, Iturralde E, Ahmedani BK, Waring SC, Owen-Smith AA, Sterling SA, Miley K, Stults CD, Daida YG, Lynch FL, Beck A, Sanchez K, Coleman KJ, Shortreed SM. Clozapine Use Among People With Psychotic Disorders Who Experience Specific Indications for Clozapine. LID - 23m14833 [pii] LID - 10.4088/JCP.23m14833 [doi] J Clin Psychiatry. 2024;85(2):23m14833. doi: 10.4088/JCP.23m14833. PubMed
Flores JP, Kahn G, Penfold RB, Stuart EA, Ahmedani BK, Beck A, Boggs JM, Coleman KJ, Daida YG, Lynch FL, Richards JE, Rossom RC, Simon GE, Wilcox HC. Adolescents who do not endorse risk via the patient health questionnaire before self-harm or suicide. JAMA Psychiatry. 2024 Apr 24:e240603. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.0603. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Richards JA, Kuo E, Stewart C, Shulman L, Parrish R, Whiteside U, Boggs JM, Simon GE, Rowhani-Rahbar A, Betz ME. Reducing firearm access for suicide prevention: Implementation evaluation of the web-based "Lock to Live" decision aid in routine health care encounters. JMIR Med Inform. 2024;12:e48007. doi: 10.2196/48007. PubMed
Boggs JM, Richards J, Simon G, Aguirre-Miyamoto EM, Barton LJ, Beck A, Beidas RS, Bruschke C, Buckingham ET 4th, Buttlaire S, Clarke G, Coleman K, Flores JP, Frank C, Penfold RB, Richardson L, Ryan JM, Schoenbaum M, Sterling S, Stewart C, Yarborough BJH, Yeh HH, Ahmedani B. Suicide screening, risk assessment, and lethal means counseling during zero suicide implementation. Psychiatr Serv. 2024 Apr 3:appips20230211. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.20230211. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Research
Suicide attempts decreased after adding suicide care to primary care
Safety planning and risk screening improved outcomes for adult patients.
Research
Can machine learning help treat depression more effectively?
A new grant funds modeling work to make personalized treatment possible.
Research
Understanding adoption of Lock to Live, a decision aid supporting suicide prevention
KPWHRI research finds ways to increase use of a firearm safety tool.
Research
A medication that can relieve symptoms of psychosis is underused
Study finds that many patients who might benefit from clozapine don’t receive it.
Research
Improving and advancing mental health care
KPWHRI researchers are contributing to better mental health care for people nationwide.
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