Jennifer Mertens, PhD

Jennifer Mertens, PhD Kaiser Permanente Division of Research
2000 Broadway
Oakland, CA 94612

(510) 891-3570 (phone)
jennifer.mertens@kp.org

Jennifer Mertens, PhD, is a research scientist in the Drug and Alcohol Research Team at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research. She is currently the principal investigator of NIH-funded studies on screening and brief intervention for alcohol and drug problems in primary care and life course trajectories of alcohol and drug patients. Her primary research interests include screening and interventions for alcohol and drug problems in medical settings, health and cost consequences of alcohol and drug problems, use of technological approaches to alcohol and drug interventions and outcomes monitoring, and life course trajectories of alcohol and drug problems. She has conducted health services studies in both California and South Africa. She has collaborated with many Kaiser Permanente clinicians on studies of medical comorbidities of alcohol and drug problems, alcohol and drug treatment outcomes, and screening and interventions in primary care for hazardous drinking and drug use.

Current Position:

Research Scientist II, Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California

Primary Research Interests:

Trajectories of Alcohol and Drug Problems and Treatment
Alcohol and Drug Services and Outcomes in Medical Settings
Early Interventions for Alcohol and Drug Problems
Alcohol and Drug Epidemiology

Alcohol SBIRT Implementation in an HMO: Non-Physician Providers Versus Physicians

This study examines implementation of the use of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Clinicians Guide for Screening and Brief Intervention in response to alcohol problems.
Funder: National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Principal Investigator: Mertens, Jennifer

Life-course and Cost Trajectories of Alcohol Patients: A 15-year Study

This longitudinal study of 1,204 managed care chemical dependency (CD) patients at 13 and 15 years, following index CD treatment, examines the course of recovery from alcohol and drug problems, mortality and medical and psychiatric problems among the sample, health care utilization and costs, and the effects of health care disparities on outcomes.
Funder: Nat. Inst. of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Principal Investigator: Mertens, Jennifer

Brief Intervention to Reduce Substance Use and HIV Risk in South Africa

This exploratory study aims to examine feasibility and use of a randomized controlled trial to examine effectiveness of a brief motivational intervention in reducing drug and alcohol use among young adults in a new setting and population--a public primary health care clinic serving medically indigent residents in Cape Town, South Africa.
Funder: National Institute on Drug Abuse
Principal Investigator: Mertens, Jennifer

Adoption of Buprenorphine in an HMO Setting

This study conducts analysis of opiate diagnoses and treatment of opiate diagnoses (detox, medications, and department where treatment occurs) by facility and by patient characteristics. The research team is also conducting utilization and cost analyses in conjunction with the data from Kaiser Permanente Northwest and Oregon Health Sciences University.
Funder: National Institute on Drug Abuse
Principal Investigator: Mertens, Jennifer

Kaiser Permanente Division of Research