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 is an internationally recognized psychiatrist and health services researcher. His work focuses on innovative models that integrate mental health and general medical services and on translating research on evidence-based behavioral health interventions into effective clinical and public health practice. He has over 200 scientific publications and is the recipient of numerous federal and foundation grants and awards for his research to improve the health and mental health of populations through patient-centered integrated mental health services.

Dr. Unützer is Professor and Vice-Chair in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington and Chief of Psychiatric Services at the UW Medical Center. He also holds appointments as Adjunct Professor of Health Services at the UW School of Public Health and Affiliate Investigator at the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle, WA.

Dr. Unützer directs the AIMS Center dedicated to ‘Advancing Integrated Mental Health Solutions’ and the IMPACT Program which has supported national and international testing and implementation of an evidence based program for depression care. IMPACT has been shown in randomized controlled trials to double the effectiveness of usual care for depression while lowering long-term health care costs. In recent years, Dr. Unützer’s work has focused on developing and supporting local, regional, and state-wide partnerships that improve access to evidence-based care through workforce development and capacity building in primary and behavioral health care (http://integratedcare-nw.org).

Dr. Unützer has served as Senior Scientific Advisor to the World Health Organization and as an advisor to the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. He works with national and international organizations dedicated to improving behavioral health care for diverse populations. His awards include the Beeson Physician Faculty Scholars Award in Aging Research from the American Foundation for Aging Research, the Klerman Junior Investigator Award from the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, the Distinguished Scientist Award from the American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry, the Research Award from the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine, and the Oken Fellowship from the American Psychosomatic Society.

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

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.

IMPACT Implementation Center Manager: Kitty Christensen, MPH

Kitty Christensen manages the IMPACT Implementation Center at the University of Washington. Her role includes working with organizations interested in implementing IMPACT, coordinating in-person training sessions, and managing all IMPACT website content and materials. Ms. Christensen has over 11 years of project management experience in public health and health services research settings. She received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Business Administration from Central Washington University, and her MPH in Health Services from the University of Washington.

IMPACT Program Assistant: Lindsay Bell, BS

Lindsay Bell supports various aspects of the IMPACT Implementation Center. She oversees daily IMPACT inquiries, database updates, and edits to the master slide library. She has two years of experience in psychology and public health research at the University of Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Ms. Bell received her BS in Psychology from the University of Washington.

AIMS Center Manager: Diane Powers, MA

Diane Powers manages the AIMS Center (Advancing Integrated Mental health Solutions) at the University of Washington. The AIMS Center is part of the UW Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and provides research, training, and technical assistance focused on evidence-based, integrated mental health care programs. IMPACT is one of the programs that is part of the AIMS Center. Ms. Powers has over 18 years experience as manager of a wide range of public health and health services research projects and programs. She also has more than eight years experience providing mental health services in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Ms. Powers received her BA in Psychology and English Literature from Gonzaga University and her master’s degree in Psychology from Seattle University.

Senior Project Coordinator: Julie Cooper, MPA

Julie Cooper is a Senior Project Manager at the AIMS Center where she currently provides project management for the Washington State MHIP (Mental Health Integration Program) and national STEPS-UP (STepped Enhancement of PTSD Services Using Primary Care) projects. Prior to joining the AIMS Center, Julie was Project Manager and Policy Analyst at the University of Washington’s Child Health Institute, and worked simultaneously on multiple projects related to childhood obesity prevention and intervention, and asthma education and intervention. Julie worked for 8 years as Research Manager for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s national Urban Health Initiative – a 10-year effort to create system-wide changes to improve the health and wellbeing of children and families in specific cities across the US. Julie received her BA from Mount Holyoke College and her MPA from the University Of Washington Evans School Of Public Affairs.

Research Study Coordinator: Andrea Panniero, BS

Andrea Panniero supports various aspects of the AIMS Center's activities, maintains and updates the content of the IMPACT, AIMS Center, and MHIP websites, provides administrative support, and coordinates training and technical assistance sessions. She has four years of experience in health sciences research at the University of Washington, specifically on projects related to geriatric oral health and oral health promotion for at-risk populations. Ms. Panniero earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Washington.

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 10 years of experience in information technology including network, security, and programming. He received his Master of Arts degree in Mathematics from UCLA.

Web Programmer: JJ Brun, BCS

JJ Brun supports maintenance of the IMPACT website and implementation tracking database. He has two years experience as a software engineer with a background in desktop application programming and database development. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Colorado State University.

Consultants and Trainers

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 experienced consulting psychiatrists.

Pat Areán, PhD

Patricia Areán is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and a licensed Clinical Psychologist. Her research focuses on the recognition and treatment of mental disorders in older adults and minority populations, particularly in recognition and treatment of depression that is identified in non-mental health settings. She is currently Director of the geriatric psychotherapy clinic at UCSF. Dr. Areán has published several articles on the recognition and treatment of late life depression and anxiety, as well as methods for recruiting and retaining older, minority elderly into longitudinal research. She has been funded by several agencies, including SAMHSA, NIMH, NIA, and the Hartford Foundation. She was a psychotherapy expert for the IMPACT study, a multi-site trial of stepped care for depression in older primary care patients. She is currently funded by SAMHSA to study a mental health consultation model for treating depression and agitation in older adults living in residential facilities. She is also funded by NIMH to study the efficacy of Problem Solving Therapy and Supportive Therapy in treating depression in older adults with mild cognitive impairments. She is the Director of the NIMH-funded CARTA fellowship, a program to bring academic and community partners together to conduct research and training, and is a Mid-Career Awardee from NIMH. Dr. Areán has been very active in the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP) and was among the first to receive affiliate status. She is a member of the AAGP diversity committee, and the program committee and served on the editorial board of American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Rita Haverkamp MSN, PMHCNS-BC, CNS

Rita Haverkamp is a psychiatric nurse clinical specialist. She has her master's degree in Psychiatric Nursing from the University of Cincinnati. She has been ANA certified as an advanced practice psychiatric nurse/ clinical specialist since 1985. She is the past president of the California Chapter of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association.. She has previous experience as an inpatient head nurse and a manager for multiple psychiatric units. Ms. Haverkamp has worked for Kaiser Permanente for the last 20 years as an outpatient therapist. She was a depression specialist in the original IMPACT depression care research. The last 10 years she has been providing IMPACT depression care within her role at Kaiser. She currently does consulting with the IMPACT Implementation Center. She is a frequent speaker presenting on the IMPACT model, problem solving treatment and cognitive therapy. She provides PST-PC supervision to depression care managers.

Virna Little, LCSW-R, SAP, PsyD

Virna Little is responsible for the administration and delivery of behavioral health, community and grant funded programs in 26 centers throughout New York City and New York State Hudson Valley Region. Ms. Little is also responsible for many of the services the organization provides to the uninsured and the federal 340b pharmacy program. Ms. Little has extensive experience providing behavioral health services in healthcare settings as well as developing and operating community programs. Ms. Little has knowledge of special populations such as HIV/AIDS, homeless and substance abuse and the chronically medically and mentally ill. Ms. Little has her doctoral degree in Psychology along with a master's in Social Work and bachelors' degrees in both Psychology and Social Work. Ms. Little has been recognized nationally for her work in the integration of primary care and behavioral health, including the implementation of evidence based models such as Project IMPACT.

Rachel Quintanilla, LMSW

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.

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.