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Michael Schoenbaum

Most broadly, I am interested in opportunities to improve health and health care at a population level. My  research has focused particularly on the costs and benefits of interventions to improve health and health care, evaluated from the perspectives of patients, providers, payers and society. One main focus has been to assess the feasibility and consequences of improving care for common mental disorders, particularly depression. I have also studied the social epidemiology and economic consequences of chronic illness and disability; designed and evaluated decision-support tools to help consumers make health benefits choices; and worked on international health sector development.

Honors & Awards

•   US Department of Health and Human Services Hubert H. Humphrey Award for Service to America, for work on addressing the mental health needs of returning combat veterans (2009)

•   National Institute of Mental Health Director’s Group Award, for work leading to the commission of a major study on suicidality with the Department of the Army (2009)

•   Schoenbaum, M, et al., “Health Cost Calculator/Flexible Spending Account Calculator,” U.S. Patent Number 7,426,474, published September 16, 2008

•   American Institute of Architects National Honor Award for Excellence in Regional and Urban Design (2006), for Suisman et al. (2005), The Arc: A Formal Structure for a Palestinian State, RAND MG-327, Santa Monica: RAND.

•   RAND Gold Merit Award, for work on RAND’s Palestine project (2005)

•   John M. Eisenberg Article-of-the-Year in Health Services Research (2004), for Miranda et al. (2003), “Can Quality Improvement Interventions Improve Care and Outcomes For Depressed Minorities?  Results of a Randomized, Controlled Trial,” Health Services Research 38(2):613-630

Career Milestones

I have had the opportunity to work on many interesting and important projects, but two really stand out:  RAND's Palestine Initiative, and the National Institute of Mental Health's Army Study of Risk and Resilience in Service Members (Army STARRS). The former, which started in 2002 and with which I remain connected, involved developing and disseminating an comprehensive nation-building plan focused on addressing the political, economic, social and environmental challenges facing a future independent Palestinian state. This project initially involved "traditional" policy research, but ultimately has involved very intensive and multi-faceted engagement with Palestinians, Israelis, and the international community to disseminate and contribute to the practical application of our research findings.

The Army STARRS project, which is currently my main professional focus, is the largest study of mental health risk and resilience ever conducted among military personnel. NIMH developed this study in partnership with the US Army, in support of the Army's ongoing efforts to prevent suicide and enhance the psychological health of its soldiers. Given the public health challenge that suicide represents across society, our findings from this study will benefit not only soldiers but the nation as a whole.

Email Address
301-435-8760

Ph.D., University of Michigan

Most broadly, I am interested in opportunities to improve health and health care at a population level. My  research has focused particularly on the costs and benefits of interventions to improve health and health care, evaluated from the perspectives of patients, providers, payers and society. One main focus has been to assess the feasibility and consequences of improving care for common mental disorders, particularly depression. I have also studied the social epidemiology and economic consequences of chronic illness and disability; designed and evaluated decision-support tools to help consumers make health benefits choices; and worked on international health sector development.

Honors & Awards

•   US Department of Health and Human Services Hubert H. Humphrey Award for Service to America, for work on addressing the mental health needs of returning combat veterans (2009)

•   National Institute of Mental Health Director’s Group Award, for work leading

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Recent Publications

Journal Articles

First, M.B., H.A. Pincus, and Michael Schoenbaum. 2009. "Issues for DSM-V: Adding Problem Codes to Facilitate Assessment of Quality of Care." American Journal of Psychiatry, 166(1): 11-13. DOI.

Unutzer, J., Michael Schoenbaum, W.J. Katon, M.Y. Fan, H.A. Pincus, D. Hogan, and J. Taylor. 2009. "Healthcare Costs Associated with Depression in Medically Ill Fee-for-Service Medicare Participants." Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 57(3): 506-510. DOI. Abstract.

Katon, W., M.Y. Fan, J. Unutzer, J. Taylor, H. Pincus, and Michael Schoenbaum. 2008. "Depression and diabetes: A potentially lethal combination." Journal of General Internal Medicine, 23(10): 1571-1575. PMCID: PMC2533367. DOI. Abstract.

Kessler, R.C., Steven Heeringa, M.D. Lakoma, M. Petukhova, A.E. Rupp, Michael Schoenbaum, P.S. Wang, and A.M. Zaslavsky. 2008. "Individual and societal effects of mental disorders on earnings in the united states: Results from the national comorbidity survey replication." American Journal of Psychiatry, 165(6): 703-711. PMCID: PMC2410028. DOI. Abstract.

Mendel, P., L.S. Meredith, Michael Schoenbaum, C.D. Sherbourne, and K.B. Wells. 2008. "Interventions in organizational and community context: A framework for building evidence on dissemination and implementation in health services research." Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 35(1-2): 21-37. DOI. Abstract.

Taylor, J.K., Michael Schoenbaum, W.J. Katon, H.A. Pincus, D.M. Hogan, and J. Unutzer. 2008. "Strategies for identifying and channeling patients for depression care management." American Journal of Managed Care, 14(8): 497-504. Abstract. Public Access.

Unutzer, J., W.J. Katon, M.Y. Fan, Michael Schoenbaum, R.D. Della Penna, and D. Powers. 2008. "Long-term cost effects of collaborative care for late-life depression." American Journal of Managed Care, 14(2): 95-100. Abstract. Public Access.

Wang, P.S., M.J. Gruber, R.E. Powers, Michael Schoenbaum, A.H. Speier, K.B. Wells, and R.C. Kessler. 2008. "Disruption of existing mental health treatments and failure to initiate new treatment after Hurricane Katrina." American Journal of Psychiatry, 165(1): 34-41. PMCID: PMC2248271. DOI. Abstract.

Harvey, N., A. Reeves, Michael Schoenbaum, F.J. Zagmutt-Vergara, C. Dub, A.E. Hill, B.A. Corso, W.B. McNab, C.I. Cartwright, and M.D. Salman. 2007. "The North American Animal Disease Spread Model: A simulation model to assist decision making in evaluating animal disease incursions." Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 82:176-197. DOI. Abstract.

Wang, P.S., M.J. Gruber, R.E. Powers, Michael Schoenbaum, A.H. Speier, K.B. Wells, and R.C. Kessler. 2007. "Mental health service use among Hurricane Katrina survivors in the eight months after the disaster." Psychiatric Services, 58(11): 1403-1411. PMCID: PMC2078533. DOI. Abstract.

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