Implementation Center

The purpose of the IMPACT Implementation Center is to assist clinicians and organizations interested in bringing IMPACT depression care into their clinical practice. We provide a range of materials, training and technical assistance to aid the adaptation and implementation of IMPACT in diverse practice settings.

Director: Jürgen Unützer, MD, MPH, MA

Dr. Unützer received his MD from Vanderbilt University, his MA in Public Policy from the University of Chicago, and his MPH in Health Services from the University of Washington. He completed fellowships in Geriatric Psychiatry at UCLA and in Primary Care Psychiatry / Health Services Research at the University of Washington.

Dr. Unützer is currently Professor and Vice-Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington and Chief of Psychiatric Services at the UW Medical Center. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Health Services at the UW School of Public Health and an Affiliate Investigator at the Center for Health Studies, Group Health Cooperative. Dr. Unützer recently served as Senior Scientific Advisor to the World Health Organization and as an advisor to the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. His awards include the Paul Beeson Physician Faculty Scholars Award in Aging Research from the American Foundation for Aging Research, the Gerald L. Klerman Investigator Award from the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, and the Distinguished Scientist Award from the American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Dr. Unützer has worked with national and international organizations to improve care for common mental disorders such as depression and published over 150 articles in peer reviewed medical journals. His research focuses on innovative models of care for depression and on ‘translating’ research on evidence-based mental health treatments into effective clinical and public health practice. He is the principal investigator of project IMPACT, a multi-site initiative to improve the treatment of late-life depression in primary care (www.impact-uw.org). A report in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) concluded that the IMPACT model doubles the effectiveness of usual care for late-life depression across a wide range of health care settings. Dr. Unützer currently leads a five-year initiative that works with diverse health care organizations around the country to implement evidence-based models of depression care such as IMPACT.

Collaborative Care Expert: Wayne Katon, MD

Wayne Katon, MD, is Professor of Psychiatry, Director of the Division of Health Services and Epidemiology, and Vice Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington Medical School. He is Director of a NIMH-funded National Research Service Award Primary Care Fellowship that has successfully trained psychiatrists and primary care physicians for academic leadership positions. Dr. Katon is internationally renowned for his research on the prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders in primary care, the relationship of psychiatric disorders to medically unexplained symptoms such as headache and fatigue, and the impact of depression and anxiety on patients with chronic medical illness. In recent years, his research has focused on developing innovative models of integrating mental health professionals and other allied health personnel into primary care to improve the care of patients with major depression and panic disorder.

Dr. Katon has been awarded the American Academy of Family Practice Award for Excellence in Teaching in Primary Care numerous times. He also has been awarded the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine Research Award (1993) and the American Psychiatric Association Senior Scholar Health Services Research Award (1999). He is Editor-in-Chief of General Hospital Psychiatry.

Dr. Katon has written over 300 peer-reviewed journal articles and chapters, as well as Panic Disorder in the Medical Setting, a book for primary care physicians. In addition, Dr. Katon and his research team have written a self-help book for depressed patients titled Depression: Self-Care Companion for Better Living.

Manager: Diane Powers, MA

Diane Powers manages the IMPACT Implementation Center at the University of Washington as part of an overall program in geriatric mental health services research. She has over fifteen years experience managing a wide range of public health and health services research projects. She also has more than eight years experience providing mental health services in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Ms. Powers received a BA in Psychology and English Literature from Gonzaga University and a master’s degree in Psychology from Seattle University.

Project Coordinator: Susanna Rojas, MA

Susanna Rojas currently handles project coordination for the IMPACT Implementation Center at the University of Washington as part of an overall program in geriatric mental health services research. She has a deep interest in research aimed at illness prevention, and improving health outcomes and healthcare services, with prior experience as a research coordinator on behavioral health studies involving chronic disease management and illness prevention. Ms. Rojas has earned both Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in Psychology from Seattle University, and is also certified in Acupuncture and Asian medicine.

Statistician: Ming-Yu Fan, PhD

Ming-Yu Fan is a statistical research assistant professor at the University of Washington, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Fan provides statistical expertise as well as performed analyses for various health services research projects, including clinical trails which examined the treatment effects on depression, panic disorder, or PTSD, and studies that utilized large registry data sets. She is also familiar with methods for analyzing missing data, including multiple imputation and propensity score approach. Her current research interest focuses on cost-effectiveness analysis. Dr. Fan received her PhD in Biostatistics from the Johns Hopkins University.

Web Programmer : Youlim Choi, MA

Youlim Choi maintains the IMPACT website and implementation tracking database. He developed the web-based care management system for the original multi-site IMPACT study and since then has further developed the tool to facilitate various research projects and large-scale IMPACT implementations. He has over ten years of experience in information technology including network, security, and programming. He received his Master of Arts degree in Mathematics from UCLA.

Problem-Solving Treatment Trainer : Steven Vannoy, PhD, MPH

Steven Vannoy is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington. Dr. Vannoy has received clinical training and conducted outcome research in a wide range of psychotherapy modalities. These modalities include cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, group-based psychotherapy, family therapy for post partum depression, and problem solving therapy in primary care. Dr. Vannoy’s current research interests focus on delivery of effective prevention and treatment of depression and suicide in late-life in community settings.

Dr. Vannoy received his PhD in counseling psychology from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and performed his internship in the Public Behavioral Health and Justice Policy program at the University of Washington.

Consultants

The IMPACT Implementation Center employs a diverse group of consultants to assist with training, consultation and material development. This group includes experienced depression care managers, primary care experts, clinical psychologists, PST (Problem-Solving Treatment) experts/trainers and experiences consulting psychiatrists.

Advisory Board The IMPACT Advisory Board is comprised of leaders from a variety of sectors who are helping us think about how to take this successful model of depression care from research practice into the “real world.” Howard Goldman, MD, PhD, MPH Dr. Goldman is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine where he is Director of Mental Health Policy Studies. From 1983-1985 he served as Assistant Institute Director at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), where he was responsible for mental health care financing policy and related research. Dr. Goldman has authored over 250 publications on mental health services research and economics. Dr. Goldman was the Senior Scientific Editor of the Surgeon General’s report on mental health for which he received the Surgeon General’s Medallion in 2000. Henry Harbin, MD Dr. Harbin spent eight years leading two of the nation's most prominent managed behavioral health care organizations, first as CEO of Green Spring Health Services and then as Chairman and CEO of Magellan Health Services after Magellan acquired a majority interest in Green Spring. Dr. Harbin recently served as Chair of the subcommittee on the Mental Health Interface with General Medicine and Commissioner on the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. Stuart Levine, MD, MHA Dr. Levine is the Corporate Medical Director for HealthCare Partners. HealthCare Partners Medical Group, founded in 1992, serves over 58,000 senior patients and 500,000 total patients in Southern California. They primarily serve Los Angeles County and northern Orange County, offering a comprehensive delivery system and medical management infrastructure across the entire continuum of care. Dr. Levine was Co-Principal Investigator of one of the eight clinical sites that participated in the original IMPACT trial. Lisa Rubenstein, MD, MSPH Dr. Rubenstein is Professor of Medicine at VA Greater Los Angeles and UCLA, and a Senior Natural Scientist at RAND. She directs the VA Health Services Research & Development Center of Excellence for the Study of Healthcare Provider Behavior, and is a practicing general internist and geriatrician. She is Principal Investigator of an NIMH-funded study on improving care for depression in primary care and of a four-year, VA-funded multi site study to improve care for depression in the VA primary care setting. Steve Schelhammer Mr. Schelhammer is the founder and former CEO of Accordant, which serves approximately 50,000 patients from 20 managed care organizations in over 50 geographic areas. He founded Accordant in 1995 because he recognized an opportunity to reform certain aspects of the healthcare delivery system and improve care for individuals living with complex, chronic diseases. Mr. Schelhammer has more than 10 years of experience with chronic disease management. He was the year 2000 recipient of the prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.