Senior Physician Policy Researcher; Professor of Policy Analysis, Pardee RAND Graduate School
To schedule an interview, call (310) 451-6913 or email media@rand.org.
Katherine Watkins (she/her) is a senior physician policy researcher at RAND, and a board-certified practicing psychiatrist, and a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. She 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, and primary care providers to deliver treatment for mental illness and substance use disorders. She is particularly interested in increasing access to treatment for vulnerable populations and in improving care for individuals with co-occurring mental health disorders and substance abuse.
Dr. 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.
M.D., University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; M.S.H.S., UCLA School of Public Health
