Joseph E. Glass, PhD, MSW

Biography

Joe Glass, PhD, MSW, is an associate investigator at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI). Before joining KPWHRI in July 2016, he was an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Social Work.

Dr. Glass’ research seeks to understand how effective health care interventions for unhealthy alcohol and drug use can reach more people. His research seeks to answer these questions:

Why do so few people receive help for their unhealthy drinking and drug use?
How can we change this?
How can health systems make better use of effective treatments?
In what ways could our current treatments for addiction be improved?
Is care for unhealthy alcohol use delivered equitably?

Much of Dr. Glass’ recent work, funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institute on Drug Abuse, and Kaiser Permanente, is studying approaches for routinely using smartphone and web-based treatments for unhealthy alcohol and drug use in health care. After receiving an MSW from the University of Michigan, Dr. Glass spent three years as a social worker at the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System. As a licensed clinical social worker in a large mental health clinic, he developed expertise in social work case management and evidence-based treatments for anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders. Much of his research is driven by his clinical experiences, considering the many people struggling with both mental health difficulties and unhealthy substance use who have yet to receive addiction treatment.

Dr. Glass is an affiliate assistant professor of health services and of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, at the University of Washington.

Research interests and experience

Behavior Change

Unhealthy alcohol and drug use
Health Services & Economics

Access and treatment-seeking patterns
Health Informatics

Smartphone and web-based interventions in health care
Addictions

Prevention and treatment
Mental Health
Social Determinants of Health

Recent publications

Glass JE, Dorsey CN, Beatty T, Bobb JF, Wong ES, Palazzo L, King D, Mogk J, Stefanik-Guizlo K, Idu A, Key D, Fortney JC, Thomas R, McWethy AG, Caldeiro RM, Bradley KA. Study protocol for a factorial-randomized controlled trial evaluating the implementation, costs, effectiveness, and sustainment of digital therapeutics for substance use disorder in primary care (DIGITS Trial). Implement Sci. 2023 Feb 1;18(1):3. doi: 10.1186/s13012-022-01258-9. PubMed

Luderer H, Enman N, Gerwien R, Braun S, McStocker S, Xiong X, Koebele C, Cannon C, Glass J, Maricich Y. A prescription digital therapeutic to support unsupervised buprenorphine initiation for patients with opioid use disorder: Protocol for a proof-of-concept study. JMIR Res Protoc. 2023 Jan 20;12:e43122. doi: 10.2196/43122. PubMed

Frost MC, Hawkins EJ, Glass JE, Hallgren KA, Williams EC. Associations between distinct co-occurring substance use disorders and receipt of medications for opioid use disorder in the Veterans Health Administration. J Addict Med. 2022 Oct 18. doi: 10.1097/ADM.0000000000001095. Online ahead of print. PubMed

Tilhou AS, Glass JE, Hetzel SJ, Shana OE, Borza T, Baltes A, Deyo BMF, Agarwal S, O'Rourke A, Brown RT. Association between spine injury and opioid misuse in a prospective cohort of Level I trauma patients. OTA Int. 2022 Jul 12;5(3):e205.1-6. doi: 10.1097/OI9.0000000000000205. eCollection 2022 Sep. PubMed

Braciszewski JM, Idu AE, Yarborough BJH, Stumbo SP, Bobb JF, Bradley KA, Rossom RC, Murphy MT, Binswanger IA, Campbell CI, Glass JE, Matson TE, Lapham GT, Loree AM, Barbosa-Leiker C, Hatch MA, Tsui JI, Arnsten JH, Stotts A, Horigian V, Hutcheson R, Bart G, Saxon AJ, Thakral M, Ling Grant D, Pflugeisen CM, Usaga I, Madziwa LT, Silva A, Boudreau DM. Sex differences in comorbid mental and substance use disorders among primary care patients with opioid use disorder. Psychiatr Serv. 2022 Jun 16:appips202100665. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.202100665. Online ahead of print. PubMed