Constance M. Weisner, DrPH, MSW

constance.weisner@kp.org

Connie Weisner, DrPH, MSW, is a research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research; and professor emeritus at the Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Weisner has a doctorate in public health from the University of California, Berkeley and a master’s in social work from the University of Minnesota. Her research focus is on integration of addiction and mental health services in health systems and addresses access, treatment outcome, and cost-effectiveness of alcohol and drug treatment.

Dr. Weisner is a member of the International Expert Advisory Group on Alcohol and Drug Dependence of the World Health Organization, and a former member of the National Advisory Councils of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and MacArthur Network on Mental Health and the Law. She has also been a member of the DHHS National Advisory Council of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. She has participated on several Institute of Medicine committees, including the Crossing the Quality Chasm’s series’ Improving the Quality of Health Care for Mental and Substance-Use Conditions, Broadening the Base of Alcohol Problems, and Prevention, Diagnosis, Treatment and Management of Substance Use Disorders in the U.S. Armed Forces. She was a section editor of the recent Surgeon General’s Report, Facing Addition in America: Alcohol, Drugs and Health. She is one of the Principal Investigators of the Health Systems Node of NIDA’s Clinical Trials Network.

Dr. Weisner’s published work includes studies of epidemiology of alcohol and drug problems; the interaction among alcohol, drug, mental health and medical problems; and the outcomes and cost-effectiveness of treatment services. She has received MERIT Awards from NIAAA and NIDA. Her grants include NIAAA, NIDA, and RWJF research grants that study the cost and effectiveness of alcohol and drug treatment interventions.

Current Positions

Research Scientist III, Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California
Professor of Psychiatry Emeritus, Department of Psychiatry, Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute, University of California, San Francisco

Section Affiliations

Behavioral Health and Aging
Infectious Diseases
Center for Addiction and Mental Health Research

Primary Research Interests

Drug and alcohol epidemiology
Treatment outcomes
Access and utilization of behavioral health care

Studies

Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) Alcohol Registry

This study will increase our understanding of the development of alcohol use disorders (AUD) and recovery from AUD, including factors that affect the likelihood of recovery success, such as quantity of alcohol consumed and the involvement of health and substance abuse comorbidities (NOT-AA-20-22) and treatment. The registry makes use of the annual Alcohol as a Vital Sign screening in primary care, and other health care data (e.g., demographics, comorbidities, pharmacy).

Investigator: Weisner, Constance

Funder: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Kaiser Permanente Northern California Alcohol Registry

The registry will increase understanding of the development of alcohol use disorders (AUD) and recovery from AUD, including factors that affect the likelihood of recovery success, such as quantity of alcohol consumed and the involvement of health and substance abuse comorbidities and treatment. The registry makes use of the annual Alcohol as a Vital Sign screening in primary care and other health care data such as demographics, comorbidities, and pharmacy records.

Investigator: Weisner, Constance

Funder: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Supplement for Integrating Addiction Research in Health Systems: the Addiction Research Network

This study examines factors influencing performance measures of treatment initiation and engagement for alcohol and drugs across seven health care systems.

Investigator: Weisner, Constance

Funder: National Institute on Drug Abuse

Prescription Opioid Management in Chronic Pain Patients: A Patient-Centered Activation Intervention

This randomized trial of a patient activation approach to self-management is based in primary care and focuses on management of prescription opioids among patients with chronic pain.

Investigator: Weisner, Constance; Campbell, Cynthia

Funder: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute

The Impact of Health Care Reform on Addiction and HIV Series

This study examines the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, including SUD patients with HIV, in the context of a large health care delivery system

Investigator: Weisner, Constance

Funder: National Institute on Drug Abuse

Primary Care-Based Interventions to Reduce Alcohol Use among HIV Patients

This randomized clinical trial uses a health plan’s electronic medical record (EMR) alcohol screen and examines innovative behavioral interventions and their cost effectiveness for hazardous drinking within a large HIV primary care clinic.

Investigator: Weisner, Constance

Funder: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Buprenorphine and Substance Abuse Services for Prescription Opioid Dependence

This study is a randomized trial of adjunctive substance abuse services in combination with buprenorphine treatment for opioid abuse/dependence. We will examine treatment as usual vs. case management/telephonic support, and outcomes of medication compliance, substance use and psychiatric severity.

Investigator: Campbell, Cynthia; Constance Weisner

Funder: National Institute on Drug Abuse

Publications

Racial and ethnic disparities in receipt of specialty treatment across risk profiles of adults with heavy alcohol use

Authors: Palzes, Vanessa A;Chi, Felicia W;Weisner, Constance;Kline-Simon, Andrea H;Satre, Derek D;Sterling, Stacy

Alcohol Clin Exp Res (Hoboken). 2024 Jun 19.

Constance M. Weisner, DrPH, MSW

Current Positions

Section Affiliations

Primary Research Interests

Studies

Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) Alcohol Registry

Kaiser Permanente Northern California Alcohol Registry

Supplement for Integrating Addiction Research in Health Systems: the Addiction Research Network

Prescription Opioid Management in Chronic Pain Patients: A Patient-Centered Activation Intervention

The Impact of Health Care Reform on Addiction and HIV Series

Primary Care-Based Interventions to Reduce Alcohol Use among HIV Patients

Buprenorphine and Substance Abuse Services for Prescription Opioid Dependence

Publications

Racial and ethnic disparities in receipt of specialty treatment across risk profiles of adults with heavy alcohol use

Unhealthy Alcohol Use among Adults with Depression or Anxiety: Changes During COVID-19 and Associations with Mental Health Treatment

A patient activation intervention in primary care for patients with chronic pain on long term opioid therapy: results from a randomized control trial

Risk profiles of adults with heavy alcohol use: Drinking patterns, behavioral and metabolic factors, health problems, and racial and ethnic disparities

Associations between alcohol brief intervention in primary care and drinking and health outcomes in adults with hypertension and type 2 diabetes: a population-based observational study

Evaluating Implementation and Outcomes of the Achieving Depression and Anxiety Patient-Centered Treatment Collaborative Care Program in a Large, Integrated Health Care System: A Mixed Methods Observational Study Protocol

Patterns of Health Care Use 5 Years After an Intervention Linking Patients in Addiction Treatment With a Primary Care Practitioner

Predicting severe alcohol use disorders in primary care using number of heavy drinking days

Young Adult Substance Use and Healthcare Use Associated With Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment in Pediatric Primary Care

Characterizing Unhealthy Alcohol Use Patterns and Their Association with Alcohol Use Reduction and Alcohol Use Disorder During Follow-Up in HIV Care

Alcohol brief intervention, specialty treatment and drinking outcomes at 12 months: Results from a systematic alcohol screening and brief intervention initiative in adult primary care

Modes of cannabis administration in the year prior to conception among patients in Northern California

Substance use disorders among primary care patients screening positive for unhealthy alcohol use

Parent-focused prevention of adolescent health risk behavior: Study protocol for a multisite cluster-randomized trial implemented in pediatric primary care

Predictors of Early and Sustained Cessation of Heavy Drinking Over 5 Years Among Adult Primary Care Patients

Adult Suicide-Related emergency department encounters during the COVID-19 Pandemic: a Cross-Sectional study

Adult Suicide-Related emergency department encounters during the COVID-19 Pandemic a Cross-Sectional study

Treatment for alcohol use disorder among persons with and without HIV in a clinical care setting in the United States

Emergency Department Encounters Among Youth With Suicidal Thoughts or Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Effectiveness of spironolactone dispensation in reducing weekly alcohol use: a retrospective high-dimensional propensity score-matched cohort study

Patient and provider factors associated with receipt and delivery of brief interventions for unhealthy alcohol use in primary care

Changes in Diagnostic and Demographic Characteristics of Patients Seeking Mental Health Care During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic in a Large, Community-Based Health Care System

The relationship of smoking and unhealthy alcohol use to the HIV care continuum among people with HIV in an integrated health care system

Three-Year Outcomes After Brief Treatment of Substance Use and Mood Symptoms

A Telemedicine Approach to Increase Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder in Primary Care: A Pilot Feasibility Study

Associations Between Psychiatric Disorders and Alcohol Consumption Levels in an Adult Primary Care Population

Health System-Based Unhealthy Alcohol Use Screening and Treatment Comparing Demographically-Matched Participants With and Without HIV

Healthcare utilization of individuals with substance use disorders following Affordable Care Act implementation in a California healthcare system

Trends and correlates of self-reported alcohol and nicotine use among women before and during pregnancy, 2009-2017

Smoking and cessation treatment among persons with and without HIV in a U.S. integrated health system

The Kaiser Permanente Northern California Adult Alcohol Registry, an Electronic Health Records-Based Registry of Patients With Alcohol Problems: Development and Implementation

Remission From Unhealthy Drinking Among Patients With an Alcohol Use Disorder: A Longitudinal Study Using Systematic, Primary Care-Based Alcohol Screening Data

Associations Between Medical Conditions and Alcohol Consumption Levels in an Adult Primary Care Population

The role of substance use disorders in experiencing a repeat opioid overdose, and substance use treatment patterns among patients with a non-fatal opioid overdose

Correlates of Pregnant Women’s Participation in a Substance Use Assessment and Counseling Intervention Integrated into Prenatal Care

Routes of cannabis administration among females in the year before and during pregnancy: Results from a pilot project

Validity of Self-reported Cannabis Use Among Pregnant Females in Northern California

Interventions to Reduce Unhealthy Alcohol Use among Primary Care Patients with HIV: the Health and Motivation Randomized Clinical Trial

Implementing electronic substance use disorder and depression and anxiety screening and behavioral interventions in primary care clinics serving people with HIV: Protocol for the Promoting Access to Care Engagement (PACE) trial

Association of Anxiety With High-Cost Health Care Use Among Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes

Self-reported Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Cannabis Use Among Women Before and During Pregnancy

Health Care Use Over 3 Years After Adolescent SBIRT

Alcohol and Women: A Brief Overview

Trends in marijuana use among pregnant women with and without nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, 2009-2016

Association studies of up to 1.2 million individuals yield new insights into the genetic etiology of tobacco and alcohol use

Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measures of alcohol and drug treatment initiation and engagement among people living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and patients without an HIV diagnosis

Patient characteristics associated with treatment initiation and engagement among individuals diagnosed with alcohol and other drug use disorders in emergency department and primary care settings

The association between medical comorbidity and Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measures of treatment initiation and engagement for alcohol and other drug use disorders

Factors associated with Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) alcohol and other drug measure performance in 2014-2015

The prevalence of Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) initiation and engagement in treatment among patients with cannabis use disorders in 7 US health systems

Psychiatric comorbidity and Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measures of alcohol and other drug treatment initiation and engagement across 7 health care systems

Predictors of Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) treatment initiation and engagement among patients with opioid use disorder across 7 health systems

Medical and non-medical marijuana use in depression: Longitudinal associations with suicidal ideation, everyday functioning, and psychiatry service utilization

Patient and System Characteristics Associated with Performance on the HEDIS Measures of Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Initiation and Engagement

Use of a prescription opioid registry to examine opioid misuse and overdose in an integrated health system

Pediatrician and Behavioral Clinician-Delivered Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment: Substance Use and Depression Outcomes

Alcohol, Marijuana, and Opioid Use Disorders: 5-Year Patterns and Characteristics of Emergency Department Encounters

Adverse impact of marijuana use on clinical outcomes among psychiatry patients with depression and alcohol use disorder

Trends in Self-reported and Biochemically Tested Marijuana Use Among Pregnant Females in California From 2009-2016

Specialty addiction and psychiatry treatment initiation and engagement: Results from an SBIRT randomized trial in pediatrics

Genetic contributors to variation in alcohol consumption vary by race/ethnicity in a large multi-ethnic genome-wide association study

Serious mental illness and medical comorbidities: Findings from an integrated health care system

Trajectories of remission and mortality over 13 years after intake to substance use treatment

Alcohol and Drug Use and Aberrant Drug-Related Behavior Among Patients on Chronic Opioid Therapy

Smoking Status and Opioid Related Problems and Concerns among Men and Women on Chronic Opioid Therapy

Alcohol brief intervention in primary care: Blood pressure outcomes in hypertensive patients

Prescription opioid registry protocol in an integrated health system