Elizabeth Lin's experiences as a Group Health family physician motivate her research interests. She is intimately aware of the challenges that both patients and providers face. This awareness helps her design and implement pragmatic studies aimed at improving primary care.

Dr. Lin arrived at Group Health after graduating from Stanford University School of Medicine in 1979. Since 1983, she has partnered with Group Health Research Institute Senior Investigator Michael Von Korff, ScD, and affiliate investigator Wayne Katon, MD, of the University of Washington, to develop innovative ways of improving primary care for depression and anxiety. The team developed the collaborative care model for depression, which has been used worldwide for effective, evidence-based depression management.

She also conducts epidemiologic studies on depression co-existing with common chronic illnesses such as diabetes, congestive heart failure, and arthritis. Recognizing that patients often have several chronic conditions with treatment regimens coordinated by multiple health care providers, Dr. Lin and colleagues pioneered the development of effective team-based care models. In randomized controlled trials funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, Lin and coworkers found that both physical and mental health outcomes improve when depression treatment is integrated into primary care with mental and behavioral health consultants, nurse case managers, primary care physicians, and the patient working as a team. Dr. Lin also investigates medication adherence, self-management of chronic diseases, and physician training. She is the lead author on a 2003 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) study that found that improving depression treatment among elderly patients in primary care resulted in less arthritis pain, enhanced functioning, and overall improved quality of life.

Translating research findings into the patient-centered care delivery of the medical home model is a long-term commitment for Dr. Lin. As a practicing Group Health physician and a University of Washington clinical professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, she is able to disseminate research findings, and help Group Health and other care systems optimize health services based on proven clinical results. Her research is designed to weave innovative interventions into standard care and minimize impact on clinical staff and facilities, while maximizing the potential for putting research into practice. In 2010, Dr. Lin received a Partnership for Innovation grant to lead dissemination of TEAMcare, an intervention for multiple chronic conditions described in a 2010 New England Journal of Medicine article, into standard care at the Group Health patient-centered medical home.

Dr. Lin additionally brings a global health perspective to her work. In 2008, she participated in an international study for the World Health Organization (WHO) that demonstrated a strong link between depression and diabetes worldwide, and illustrated the degree to which chronic mental and physical illnesses are intertwined. Fluent in several languages, Dr. Lin also participates in volunteer medical assistance missions around the world, including working as the physician for an orthopedic mission for Healing the Children in Kigali, Rwanda.

Links:

Team-based care model, randomized controlled trial, funded by National Institute of Mental Health

2003 JAMA study on depression treatment for the elderly

2008 WHO study on depression and diabetes around the world

Recent publications

Lin EH, Von Korff M, Ciechanowski P, Peterson D, Ludman EJ, Rutter CM, Oliver M, Young BA, Gensichen J, McGregor M, McCulloch DK, Wagner EH, Katon WJ. Treatment adjustment and medication adherence for complex patients with diabetes, heart disease, and depression: a randomized controlled trial. Ann Fam Med. 2012;10(1):6-14. PubMed

Huang H, Russo J, Von Korff M, Ciechanowski P, Lin E, Ludman E, Katon W. The effect of changes in depressive symptoms on disability status in patients with diabetes. Psychosomatics. 2012;53(1):21-9. PubMed

Von Korff M, Katon WJ, Lin EH, Ciechanowski P, Peterson D, Ludman EJ, Young B, Rutter CM. Functional outcomes of multi-condition collaborative care and successful ageing: results of randomised trial. BMJ. 2011 Nov 10;343:d6612. doi: 10.1136/bmj.d6612. PubMed

Sieu N, Katon W, Lin EH, Russo J, Ludman E, Ciechanowski P. Depression and incident diabetic retinopathy: a prospective cohort study. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2011 Sep-Oct;33(5):429-35. Epub 2011 Jul 16. PubMed

Lunsky Y, Lin E, Balogh R, Klein-Geltink J. Datapoints: diabetes prevalence among persons with serious mental illness and developmental disability. Psychiatr Serv. 2011;62(8):830. PubMed

McGregor M, Lin EH, Katon WJ. TEAMcare: an integrated multicondition collaborative care program for chronic illnesses and depression. J Ambul Care Manage. 2011 Apr-Jun;34(2):152-62. PubMed

Davydow DS, Russo JE, Ludman E, Ciechanowski P, Lin EH, Von Korff M, Oliver M, Katon WJ. The association of comorbid depression with intensive care unit admission in patients with diabetes: a prospective cohort study. Psychosomatics. 2011;52(2):117-26. PubMed

Davydow DS, Hough CL, Russo JE, Von Korff M, Ludman E, Lin EH, Ciechanowski P, Young B, Oliver M, Katon WJ. The association between intensive care unit admission and subsequent depression in patients with diabetes. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2011 Feb 9. doi: 10.1002/gps.2684 [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed

Katon WJ, Lin EH, Von Korff M, Ciechanowski P, Ludman EJ, Young B, Peterson D, Rutter CM, McGregor M, McCulloch D. Collaborative care for patients with depression and chronic illnesses. N Engl J Med. 2010 Dec 30;363(27):2611-20. PubMed

Kent D, Haas L, Randal D, Lin E, Thorpe CT, Boren SA, Fisher J, Heins J, Lustman P, Nelson J, Ruggiero L, Wysocki T, Fitzner K, Sherr D, Martin AL. Healthy coping: issues and implications in diabetes education and care. Popul Health Manag. 2010;13(5):227-33. PubMed

To view more publications, please see Dr. Lin's CV.

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