Kaiser Permanente Washington researchers are exploring how to improve prevention and treatment of health issues due to alcohol and other drug use. The addictions research group conducts innovative research to help patients and their providers prevent and treat problems caused by alcohol, cannabis, opioids, and other drugs in health settings.
A major focus of the addictions research group is how to integrate patient-centered care for alcohol and other drug use into medical settings. For more than 3 decades, their work has focused on the need for health systems to routinely measure and address alcohol and other drug use as part of whole-person health, in nonjudgmental, patient-centered ways.
"Our alcohol-related research has built tools — such as a brief video, handout, and a patient decision aid — that help overcome stigma so that patients and families can find the help they want and need," said Katharine A. Bradley, MD, MPH, a senior investigator at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) and internal medicine physician with Washington Permanente Medical Group.
The addictions research group is conducting a variety of studies to improve measures and documentation of substance use in the medical record. "We are working to find ways to easily document the extent of cannabis exposure for both medical and nonmedical use in electronic health records," said Gwen Lapham, PhD, MSW, a KPWHRI assistant investigator. Finding innovative ways to provide treatment is also a focus. "We are testing how to get proven online treatments for addiction into the hands of patients who could benefit," said Joseph E. Glass, PhD, MSW, a KPWHRI associate investigator whose research at the institute is funded in part by an early-career award to study the effectiveness of treatments for alcohol use disorders in primary care.
These are among the group’s current studies:
These are among the studies that the addictions research group has completed:
The SPARC trial successfully implemented behavioral health care into primary care. On our website, you can access tools for behavioral health integration, as well as frequently asked questions and publications.
Chen J, Glass JE, Bensley KM, Goldberg SB, Lehavot K, Williams EC. Racial/ethnic and gender differences in receipt of brief intervention among patients with unhealthy alcohol use in the U.S. Veterans Health Administration. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2020 Jul 15:108078. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2020.108078. Online ahead of print. PubMed
Coughlin LN, Nahum-Shani I, Bonar EE, Philyaw-Kotov ML, Rabbi M, Klasnja P, Walton MA. Toward a just-in-time adaptive intervention to reduce emerging adult alcohol use: testing approaches for identifying when to intervene. Subst Use Misuse. 2021 Sep 9:1-11. doi: 10.1080/10826084.2021.1972314. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
D Sullivan M, Boudreau D, Ichikawa L, Cronkite D, Albertson-Junkans L, Salgado G, VonKorff M, Carrell DS. Primary care opioid taper plans are associated with sustained opioid dose reduction. J Gen Intern Med. 2020 Mar;35(3):687-695. doi: 10.1007/s11606-019-05445-1. Epub 2020 Jan 6. PubMed
DeBar L, Mayhew M, Benes L, Bonifay A, Deyo RA, Elder CR, Keefe FJ, Leo MC, McMullen C, Owen-Smith A, Smith DH, Trinacty CM, Vollmer WM. A primary care-based cognitive behavioral therapy intervention for long-term opioid users with chronic pain: A randomized pragmatic trial. Ann Intern Med. 2022 Jan;175(1):46-55. doi: 10.7326/M21-1436. Epub 2021 Nov 2. 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
Jennifer F. Bobb, PhDAssociate Biostatistics Investigator |
Katharine A. Bradley, MD, MPHSenior Investigator |
Joseph E. Glass, PhD, MSWAssociate Investigator |
Clarissa Hsu, PhDAssociate Investigator |
Gwen Lapham, PhD, MPH, MSWAssistant Investigator |
Jennifer B. McClure, PhDDirector, Investigative Science |
Julie E. Richards, PhD, MPHAssistant Investigator |
Paige D. Wartko, PhD, MPHSenior Collaborative Scientist |
Yu-Ru Su, PhDAssociate Biostatistics Investigator |
Leah K. Hamilton, PhDSenior Collaborative Scientist |
Noorie Hyun, PhDAssociate Biostatistics Investigator |
Jess Mogk, MPHCollaborative Scientist |
Morgan Justice, MACollaborative Scientist |
Theresa E. Matson, PhD, MPHCollaborative Scientist |
Kevin Hallgren, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
University of Washington
Emily Williams, PhD, MPH
Investigator
Health Services Research & Development
VA Puget Sound Health Care System
Edwin Wong, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Health Services and Population Health
University of Washington