Katherine E. Watkins

Photo of Katherine Watkins

Media Resources

This researcher is available for interviews.

To arrange an interview, contact the RAND Office of Media Relations at (310) 451-6913, or e-mail media@rand.org.

More Experts »

Senior Natural Scientist
Santa Monica Office

Education

M.D., University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; M.S.H.S., UCLA School of Public Health

Overview

Biography

Katherine Watkins is a senior natural scientist at RAND Corporation and a board-certified practicing psychiatrist. She is also an affiliate faculty member at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Watkins uniquely combines a research background in substance abuse and mental health treatment services with a clinical background in treatment for substance use and co-occurring disorders, and she has focused on training substance abuse providers to deliver evidence-based mental health services to individuals with drug and alcohol problems. She is particularly interested in increasing access to treatment for vulnerable populations and in improving care for individuals with co-occurring mental disorders and substance abuse.

Watkins received her M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and was a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she obtained her master's degree in health services.

Research Focus

Recent Projects

  • Group cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for depression and alcohol and other drug disorders
  • Quality of mental health and substance abuse care
  • Evaluation of services for seriously mentally ill patients in the Veterans Health Administration

Selected Publications

Watkins, Katherine E., et al., "An Update on Adolescent Drug Use: What School Counselors Need to Know," Professional School Counseling, 10(2), 2006

Watkins, K. E., et al., "Improving Care for Depression in Patients with Comorbid Substance Misuse," American Journal of Psychiatry, 163(1), 2006

Burnam, M. Audrey, and Katherine E. Watkins, "Substance Abuse with Mental Disorders: Specialized Public Systems and Integrated Care," Health Affairs, 25(3), 2006

Watkins, K. E., et al., "Review of Treatment Recommendations for Persons With a Co-occurring Affective or Anxiety and Substance Use Disorder," Psychiatric Services, 56(8), 2005

Watkins, K. E., et al., "Prevalence and Characteristics of Clients with Co-Occurring Disorders in Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment," The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 30(4), 2004

Publications

Multicultural Web-Based Motivational Interviewing for Clients with a First-Time DUI Offense - 2012

RAND Review: Vol. 36, No. 1, Spring 2012 - 2012

Treating Depression and Substance Use: A Randomized Controlled Trial - 2012

A Fidelity Coding Guide for a Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression - 2011

An Effectiveness Trial of Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Patients with Persistent Depressive Symptoms in Substance Abuse Treatment - 2011

Building Recovery by Improving Goals, Habits, and Thoughts (BRIGHT): A Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression in Clients with Co-Occurring Alcohol and Drug Use Problems — Group Leader's Manual - 2011

Building Recovery by Improving Goals, Habits, and Thoughts (BRIGHT): A Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression in Clients with Co-Occurring Alcohol and Drug Use Problems — Group Member's Workbook - 2011

Building Recovery by Improving Goals, Habits, and Thoughts (BRIGHT-2): An Integrated Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Co-Occurring Depression and Alcohol and Drug Use Problems — Group Leader's Manual - 2011

Building Recovery by Improving Goals, Habits, and Thoughts (BRIGHT-2): An Integrated Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Co-Occurring Depression and Alcohol and Drug Use Problems — Group Member's Workbook - 2011

Care for Veterans with Mental and Substance Use Disorders: Good Performance, but Room to Improve on Many Measures - 2011

Developing Medical Record-Based Performance Indicators to Measure the Quality of Mental Healthcare - 2011

Suicide Prevention Efforts and Behavioral Health Treatment in the Veterans Health Administration - 2011

The Cost and Quality of VA Mental Health Services - 2011

Training Addiction Counselors to Implement CBT for Depression - 2011

Veterans Health Administration Mental Health Program Evaluation: Capstone Report - 2011

Analysis of Rolling Group Therapy Data Using Conditionally Autoregressive Priors - 2010

Exploring Productivity Outcomes from a Brief Intervention for At-Risk Drinking in an Employee Assistance Program - 2010

Transforming Mental Healthcare in the Veterans Health Administration: A Model for Measuring Performance to Improve Access, Quality, and Outcomes - 2010

A Comparison of Two Depressive Symptomatology Measures in Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Clients - 2009

Developing an Integrated Treatment for Substance Use and Depression Using Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy - 2009

The Health Value and Cost of Care for Major Depression - 2009

Training Addiction Counselors in Group CBT for Depression: Preliminary Findings - 2009

Veteran's Health Administration Mental Health Program Evaluation Technical Manual - 2009

Applying the Institute of Medicine Quality Chasm Framework to Improving Health Care for Mental and Substance Use Conditions - 2008

Obtaining Utility Estimates of the Health Value of Commonly Prescribed Treatments for Asthma and Depression - 2008

The Behavioral Health Care System Is Poised for Change - 2008

A Collaboration Between Researchers and Practitioners to Improve Care for Co-Occurring Mental Health Disorders in Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment - 2006

An Update on Adolescent Drug Use: What School Counselors Need to Know - 2006

Improving Care for Depression in Patients With Comorbid Substance Misuse - 2006

Improving Care for Depression in Patients with Comorbid Substance Misuse - 2006

Integrating Treatment for People with Co-Occurring Mental Health and Substance Abuse Disorders in Public Systems of Care - 2006

Substance Abuse with Mental Disorders: Specialized Public Systems and Integrated Care - 2006

Research-practice Partners Assess Their First Joint Project - 2005

Review of Treatment Recommendations for Persons with a Co-Occurring Affective or Anxiety and Substance Use Disorder - 2005

Training Substance Abuse Treatment Staff to Care for Co-Occurring Disorders - 2005

Prevalence and Characteristics of Clients with Co-Occurring Disorders in Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment - 2004

Using the Chronic Care Model to Improve Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorders in Primary Care Settings - 2003

Health Information on the Internet: Accessibility, Quality, and Readability in English and Spanish - 2002

A National Survey of Care for Persons with Co-Occurring Mental and Substance Use Disorders - 2001

Changes in Mental Health and Service Use After Termination of SSI Benefits - 2001

Evidence Based Care Models for Recognizing and Treating Alcohol Problems in Primary Care Settings - 2001

Prenatal Cocaine Exposure: Scientific Considerations and Policy Implications - 2001

The Health and Mental Health of Disabled Substance Abusers - 2001

Using the Internet to Access Health Information: Can It Deliver? - 2001

Drug Use and Disability Payments in Los Angeles County After SSI Reform - 2000

Prenatal Cocaine Exposure: Scientific Considerations and Policy Implications - 2000

The Impact of Terminating Disability Benefits of Substance Abusers on Substance Use and Treatment Participation - 2000

Termination of Social Security Benefits Among Los Angeles Recipients Disabled By Substance Abuse - 1999

The Role of Gender in Engaging the Dually Diagnosed in Treatment - 1999