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
Simon GE. Sexual orientation and suicidal behavior: Is it getting better? Am J Psychiatry. Sep 12023;180(9):629-630. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20230536. PubMed
Simon GE, Cruz M, Shortreed SM, Sterling SA, Coleman KJ, Ahmedani BK, Yaseen ZS, Mosholder AD. Stability of suicide risk prediction models during changes in health care delivery. Psychiatr Serv. 2023 Aug 17:0. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.20230172. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Miller-Matero LR, Yeh HH, Maffett A, Mooney JT, Sala-Hamrick K, Frank CB, Simon GE, Rossom R, Owen-Smith AA, Lynch FL, Beck A, Waring S, Daida YG, Lu CY, Ahmedani BK. Racial-ethnic differences in receipt of past-year health care services among suicide decedents: A case-control study. Psychiatr Serv. 2023 Aug 9;0. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.20220578. Online ahead of print. PubMed
Simon GE, Richards JE, Whiteside U. Reframing the key questions regarding screening for suicide risk. JAMA. 2023 Jun 20;329(23):2026-2027. doi: 10.1001/jama.2023.7241. PubMed
Loree AM, Hecht LM, Yeh HH, Gavrilova L, Furman K, Westphal J, Simon GE, Lynch FL, Beck A, Owen-Smith A, Rossom R, Daida YG, Lu CY, Boggs JM, Frank C, Waring S, Ahmedani BK. Factors associated with suicide mortality among reproductive age women: a case-control study. J Reprod Infant Psychol. 2023 Jun 13:1-12. doi: 10.1080/02646838.2023.2223636. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Sala-Hamrick KJ, Braciszewski JM, Yeh HH, Zelenak L, Westphal J, Beebani G, Frank C, Simon GE, Owen-Smith AA, Rossom RC, Lynch F, Lu CY, Waring SC, Harry ML, Beck A, Daida YG, Ahmedani BK. Diagnosed posttraumatic stress disorder and other trauma-associated stress disorders and risk for suicide mortality. Psychiatr Serv. 2023 Sep 1;74(9):936-942. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.202100244. Epub 2023 May 5. PubMed
Harry ML, Sanchez K, Ahmedani BK, Beck AL, Coleman KJ, Coley RY, Daida YG, Lynch FL, Rossom RC, Waring SC, Simon GE. Assessing the differential item functioning of PHQ-9 items for diverse racial and ethnic adults with mental health and/or substance use disorder diagnoses: A retrospective cohort study. J Affect Disord. 2023 Oct 1;338:402-413. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.04.091. Epub 2023 Apr 29. PubMed
Shortreed SM, Walker RL, Johnson E, Wellman R, Cruz M, Ziebell R, Coley RY, Yaseen ZS, Dharmarajan S, Penfold RB, Ahmedani BK, Rossom RC, Beck A, Boggs JM, Simon GE. Complex modeling with detailed temporal predictors does not improve health records-based suicide risk prediction. NPJ Digit Med. 2023;6(1):47. doi: 10.1038/s41746-023-00772-4. PubMed
Owen-Smith A, McDonald B, Sesay MM, Simon G, McCracken C. Depression treatment initiation among patients with versus without chronic pain. Psychosom Med. 2023 Apr 1;85(3):260-265. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000001184. Epub 2023 Feb 26. PubMed
Hirschtritt ME, Howard CA, Simon GE. Fulfilling the goals of 988 through crisis stabilization care. Psychiatr Serv. 2023 Aug 1;74(8):889-891. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.20220503. Epub 2023 Jan 31. 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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