Legacy of Collaborative Care Pioneer Touches Lives of Many

Our field lost a superb clinician, teacher, and researcher last month with the passing of Wayne Katon, M.D. As someone who worked closely with him for more than 20 years, I can unequivocally say he was not only one of the most accomplished physician scientists I have ever known, but also a generous mentor, a wonderful colleague, and a truly great human being.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Wayne came to the Pacific Northwest for medical school and joined the University of Washington (UW) Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences as a resident in 1976. After completing his residency, he joined the UW faculty in 1979, eventually establishing the department’s Division of Health Services and Psychiatric Epidemiology. Initially trained as a psychiatrist and consultation-liaison psychiatrist, Wayne largely self-taught and mastered the fields of psychiatric epidemiology and health-services research at a time when training opportunities in this area were limited. Drawing on his clinical experiences at the interface of psychiatry and medicine, Wayne developed a superb research program on the effects of depression on emotional and physical health and the treatment of depression in primary care.

This work culminated in the development, testing, and dissemination of a program called collaborative care, an approach in which mental health specialists help primary care clinicians provide effective mental health care. Wayne led the team that conducted the first large randomized, controlled trial of collaborative care. Since its original publication in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 1995, more than 80 additional randomized, controlled trials in the United States, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Australia, and more recently in low- and middle-income countries have validated the effectiveness of this approach. Today, the collaborative care model pioneered by Wayne and his research team puts effective depression care in reach for millions of people living with depression around the world.

Wayne published his research in more than 500 scholarly articles, many in leading medical journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine and JAMA. His H-Index, a measure of both the number and impact of a researcher’s academic publications, exceeds 100, an impact score that is almost unheard of and one that surpasses that of many Nobel Prize winners. He wrote several books; edited one of the leading journals at the interface of medicine and psychiatry, General Hospital Psychiatry; and served on the editorial boards of several other major medical journals. He had continuous support for his research from the National Institute of Mental Health and major foundations, receiving more than $25 million in research grants throughout his career. He taught and supervised junior faculty across several departments including psychiatry, pediatrics, family medicine, and obstetrics/gynecology, and he mentored young psychiatrists and researchers across the country. Many of his mentees have gone on to leadership positions at UW and in other major academic centers around the world.

Regarded as one of the most experienced and skilled psychiatrists in Seattle, Wayne received referrals from colleagues across the country. He was a gifted, creative, and highly intuitive clinician who provided compassionate care and advice to patients and colleagues alike. Three decades of students and residents learned from Wayne; hundreds of practicing psychiatrists, psychologists, family physicians, and other specialists looked to him for advice when confronted with challenging clinical situations.

Wayne received numerous awards recognizing his international status as a leading clinician, teacher, and researcher. In 2013, he became president of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine (APM), the leading academic organization of psychiatrists who specialize in treating patients with general medical and mental health problems. He also received the APM’s Eleanor and Thomas P. Hackett Memorial Award, the organization’s most prestigious award, which is given for lifetime achievement in the care of patients with medical and psychiatric illnesses. He will posthumously receive APA’s 2015 Distinguished Service Award for a lifetime of outstanding contributions to the field of psychiatry.

Despite his tremendous academic accomplishments, Wayne set a beautiful example for his mentees about balancing his work and the rest of his life. He delighted in the successes of his two daughters, Jodi and Rachel. He loved the Pacific Northwest, and he enjoyed hiking, cross-country skiing, and backpacking deep in the Cascade Mountains with his wife, Bobbi. He was a competitive tennis player, and there were few evenings, especially during the long Seattle summers, when we would see him at work after 5 p.m.

This brief summary cannot do justice to Wayne’s contributions as a friend and colleague. For more than 35 years, Wayne worked graciously and tirelessly to improve the lives of those living with mental and physical health problems through his research, training, and clinical care. Along the way, he touched and inspired thousands of students, residents, and faculty colleagues at UW and around the world. He introduced new approaches that have revolutionized mental health care in this country and beyond. All the while, even in the face of his own struggle with lymphoma, he remained one of the most humble, approachable, caring, and wonderful people I have ever known. Our field has lost a great friend and colleague and a true pioneer. We will all miss Wayne terribly, but his spirit and his legacy will live on in our hearts, in our passion, and in our efforts to improve care at the interface of psychiatry and medicine. ■

In Dr. Katon’s honor, the University of Washington’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences has established the Wayne Katon Memorial Fund to support the training of the next generation of physician scientists.