Michael Von Korff, ScD
Senior Investigator
206-287-2874
vonkorff.m@ghc.org
Recent publications
Curriculum vitae (CV)
Research interests and experience
- Chronic illness management: disability; health care use; disease management; symptom management; physical-mental comorbidity
- Chronic pain: back pain; headache; temporomandibular disorders
- Mental health: depression; depression and chronic disease comorbidity
- Health services & economics: health care use
- Behavior change: illness behavior
Michael Von Korff has carried out groundbreaking research on the management and outcomes of chronic pain, depression, and other illnesses in primary care settings. His work as an epidemiologist and health services researcher focuses on understanding how patients adapt to chronic illnesses associated with pain and psychological distress, including how they use health care services and cope with illness in their daily lives.
Dr. Von Korff has co-led major randomized trials examining various approaches to chronic illness management in primary care, including collaborative care for depression and interventions to improve self-care of chronic-recurrent back pain. A major focus throughout his career has been studying mental-physical comorbidity and how patients manage distressing physical symptoms. This research has included a series of longitudinal studies of disability and health care use among primary care patients with depression, back pain, headache, or other chronic pain conditions. More recently, his research has focused on trends and risks of long-term prescription of opioids for chronic non-cancer pain.
Dr. Von Korff has published more than 270 papers in peer-reviewed journals on mental health, pain, and chronic illness. In 1997, he was selected as a fellow of AcademyHealth and of the Society of Behavioral Medicine. In 2002, the Institute for Scientific Information recognized him as one of the nation's most highly cited scientists in psychiatry and behavioral sciences. He has served as an advisor to major World Health Organization initiatives related to disability and mental health. He also served as Group Health Research Institute (GHRI) Associate Director for Research from 1992 to1996 and again from 1999 to 2005.
Recent publications
Wong RK, Palsson OS, Turner MJ, Levy RL, Feld AD, Von Korff M, Whitehead WE. Inability of the Rome III criteria to distinguish functional constipation from constipation-subtype irritable bowel syndrome. Am J Gastroenterol. 2010 May 25 [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Chapman CR, Lipschitz DL, Angst MS, Chou R, Denisco RC, Donaldson GW, Fine PG, Foley KM, Gallagher RM, Gilson AM, Haddox JD, Horn SD, Inturrisi CE, Jick SS, Lipman AG, Loeser JD, Noble M, Porter L, Rowbotham MC, Schoelles KM, Turk DC, Volinn E, Von Korff Opioid pharmacotherapy for chronic non-cancer pain in the United States: a research guideline for developing an evidence-base. J Pain. 2010 Apr 27. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Sullivan MD, Von Korff M, Banta-Green C, Merrill JO, Saunders K. Problems and concerns of patients receiving chronic opioid therapy for chronic non-cancer pain. Pain. 2010;149(2):345-53. Epub 2010 Mar 23. PubMed
Dunivan GC, Heymen S, Palsson OS, Von Korff M, Turner MJ, Melville JL, Whitehead WE. Fecal incontinence in primary care: prevalence, diagnosis, and health care utilization. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2010 May;202(5):493.e1-6. Epub 2010 Mar 12. PubMed
Heckbert SR, Rutter CM, Oliver M, Williams LH, Ciechanowski P, Lin EH, Katon WJ, Von Korff M. Depression in relation to long-term control of glycemia, blood pressure, and lipids in patients with diabetes. J Gen Intern Med. 2010 Jun;25(6):524-9. Epub 2010 Feb 24. PubMed
Katon WJ, Lin EH, Williams LH, Ciechanowski P, Heckbert SR, Ludman E, Rutter C, Crane PK, Oliver M, Von Korff M. Comorbid depression is associated with an increased risk of dementia diagnosis in patients with diabetes: a prospective cohort study. J Gen Intern Med. 2010 May;25(5):423-9. Epub 2010 Jan 28. PubMed
Dunn KM, Saunders KW, Rutter CM, Banta-Green CJ, Merrill JO, Sullivan MD, Weisner CM, Silverberg MJ, Campbell CI, Psaty BM, Von Korff M. Opioid prescriptions for chronic pain and overdose: a cohort study. Ann Intern Med. 2010;152(2):85-92. PubMed
Young BA, Von Korff M, Heckbert SR, Ludman EJ, Rutter C, Lin EH, Ciechanowski PS, Oliver M, Williams L, Himmelfarb J, Katon WJ. Association of major depression and mortality in Stage 5 diabetic chronic kidney disease. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2010;32(2):119-24. Epub 2010 Jan 12. PubMed
Saunders KW, Dunn KM, Merrill JO, Sullivan M, Weisner C, Braden JB, Psaty BM, Von Korff M. Relationship of opioid use and dosage levels to fractures in older chronic pain patients. J Gen Intern Med. 2010;25(4):310-5. Epub 2010 Jan 5. PubMed
Lin EH, Rutter CM, Katon W, Heckbert SR, Ciechanowski P, Oliver MM, Ludman EJ, Young BA, Williams LH, McCulloch DK, Von Korff M. Depression and advanced complications of diabetes: a prospective cohort study. Diabetes Care. 2010 Feb;33(2):264-9. Epub 2009 Nov 23. PubMed
To view more publications, please see Dr. Von Korff's CV.