The Heller School Faculty and Staff

Senior Research Scientist, Institute for Behavioral Health, Schneider Institutes for Health Policy

larson@brandeis.edu Heller 251 781-736-3834

Expertise

Behavioral health services research, military family health care, addiction treatment gap, evaluation of system change, quality improvement through workforce development, web-training, evidence-based addiction practices

Scholarship

  • McGraw S, Larson MJ, Foster S, et al. Adopting Best Practices: Lessons Learned in the Collaborative Initiative to Help End Chronic Homelessness (CICH). Journal of Behavioral health Services Research and Policy. (in press, 2009).
  • Larson MJ, McGraw S. Somatic Illness and Medical Needs of Women with Mental Illness. In Becker, M & Levin B, (eds.) Women’s Mental Health: Bridging the Gap between Knowledge, Policy and Practice, in press.
  • Larson MJ, et al., A Novel CBT Web Course for the Substance Abuse Workforce: Community Counselors' Perceptions. Substance Abuse, 30(1): p. 26 – 39, 2009.
  • Saitz R, Larson MJ, et al., The Case for Chronic Disease Management for Addiction. J Addict Med, 2(2): p. 55-65, 2008.
  • Amaro H, Larson MJ, Zhang A, Acevedo A, Dai J, Matsumoto A. Effects of a Trauma Intervention on HIV Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Women in Substance Abuse Treatment With a History of Trauma, Journal of Community Psychology, 35(7), 895-908, 2007.
  • Larson MJ, Counselor Web-Based CBT Training – Who Wants It? (published abstract) Substance Abuse, 28 (1), 2007.
  • Larson MJ, Miller, K, & Fleming, K.J.Treatment with antidepressant medications in private health plans. Administration & Policy in Mental Health, 34(2), 116-126, 2007.
  • Larson MJ, Miller K, Fleming K, Teich JL. Mental health services for children in large, employer-based health plans, 1999. Journal of Behavioral Health Services Research, 34(1); 56-72, 2007.
  • Larson MJ, Paasche-Orlow M, Cheng DM et al. Persistent Pain is Associated with Substance Use after Detoxification: A Prospective Cohort Analysis, Addiction, 102(5):752-60, 2007.
  • Saitz R, Gaeta J, Cheng DM, Richardson JM, Larson MJ, Samet JH. Risk of Mortality During 4 Years After Substance Detoxification in Urban Adults, Journal of Urban Health, 84(2):272-82, 2007.
  • Cowell AJ, Grabill TC, Foley EG, Miller K, Larson MJ. Trends in Number of Persons with Mental Health and Substance Abuse Disorders and Payments for their Services in Public and Private Sector Health Plans, In (Eds.) Manderscheid R & Henderson M. Mental Health, United States, 2004: Chapter 16: 149-180, 2006.
  • Kertesz SG, Larson MJ, Cheng DM, Tucker JA, Winter M, Mullins A, Saitz R, Samet JH. Need and non-need factors associated with addiction treatment utilization within cohorts of homeless and housed, Medical Care, 44: 225-233, 2006.
  • Larson MJ, Miller K, Fleming K. Antidepressant Medication Use in Private Insurance Health Plans, 2002. Psychiatric Services, 57(2): 175, 2006.
  • Larson MJ, Saitz R, Horton NJ, Lloyd-Travaglini C, Samet JH. Emergency department and hospital utilization among alcohol and drug-dependent detoxification patients without primary medical care, American J Drug Alcohol Abuse, 32:435-52, 2006.
  • Becker MA, Noether C, Larson MJ, Gatz M, Brown V, Heckman J, Giard J. Characteristics of women engaged in treatment for trauma and co-occurring disorders: findings from a national multi-site study, Journal of Community Psychology, 33(6):1-15, 2005.
  • Domino ME, Morrissey JP, Chung S, Huntington N, Larson MJ, Russell L. A. Service use and costs for women with co-occurring mental and substance use disorders and a history of violence, Psychiatric Services, 56, 1223-1232, 2005.
  • Kertesz SG, Larson MJ, Horton NJ, Winter M, Saitz R, Samet JH. Homeless chronicity and health-related quality of life trajectories among adults with addictions, Medical Care, 43 (6): 574-585, 2005.
  • Larson MJ, Miller L, Zhang A., et al. Physical health burdens of women with co-occurring disorders and trauma histories, Journal of Behavioral Health Services Research, 32(2): 128-140, 2005.
  • Larson MJ, Zhang A, Smith K. Access to Services: Multiple perspectives from adults with substance abuse disorders in Massachusetts. Administration and Policy in Mental Health Services, 32(4): 357-371, 2005.
  • McHugo GJ, Kammerer N, Jackson EW, Markoff L, Gatz M, Larson MJ, et al. Women, co-occurring disorders, and violence study: evaluation design and study population, Journal Substance Abuse Treatment, 28(2): 91-107, 2005.
  • Saitz R, Horton NJ, Larson MJ, Winter M, Samet JH. Primary medical care and reductions in addiction severity: a prospective cohort study, Addiction, 100: 70-78, 2005.
  • Amaro H, McGraw S, Larson MJ, Lopez L, Nieves R. Boston Consortium of Services for Families in Recovery: A Trauma Informed Intervention Model for Women’s Substance Abuse Treatment, Alcohol Treatment Quarterly, 22(3/4):95-119, 2004.
  • Larson MJ, Sharma S, Miller K. Children’s mental health services in Medicaid. Health Care Financing Review, 26(1):5-22, 2004.
  • Saitz R, Larson MJ, Horton NJ, Winter M, Samet JH. Linkage with primary medical care in a prospective cohort of adults with addictions in inpatient detoxification: room for improvement. Health Services Research, 39(3):587-606, 2004.
  • Sweeney L, Samet JH, Larson MJ, Saitz R. Establishment of a multidisciplinary health evaluation and linkage to primary care (HELP) clinic in a detoxification unit. Journal of Addictive Diseases, 23(2):33-45, 2004.
  • Samet JH, Larson MJ, Horton NJ, Doyle K, Winter M, Saitz R. Linking alcohol and drug dependent adults to primary medical care: a randomized controlled trial of a multidisciplinary health evaluation in a detoxification unit. Addiction, 98: 509-516, 2003.
  • Smith K & MJ Larson, Quality of life assessments by adult substance abusers receiving publicly-funded treatment in Massachusetts. American J of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 29 (2):323-335, 2003.
  • Morrill AC, Kasten L, Urato M, Larson MJ. Abuse, addiction, and depression as pathways to sexual risk in women and men with a history of substance abuse. J of Substance Abuse, 12:169-184, 2001.
  • Shepard DS, Larson MJ, Hoffmann N. Cost-effectiveness of substance abuse services: implications for public policy. The Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 22(2):385-400, 1999.
  • Larson MJ, Samet J, McCarty D. Managed care and substance abuse services¬ implications for the generalist physician. The Medical Clinics of North America, 81(4):1053-1069, 1997.
  • Winick C, Larson MJ. Community action programs. In Lowinson JH, Ruiz P, Millman RB, Langrod JG (eds.) Substance Abuse: A Comprehensive Textbook, Third Edition, pp. 755-763, Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins, 1997.
  • Samet JH, Saitz R, Larson MJ. A case for enhanced linkage of substance abusers to primary care. Substance Abuse, 17(4):181-192, 1996.
  • Callahan JJ, Shepard DS, Beinecke RH, Larson MJ, Cavanaugh D. Mental health/substance abuse in managed care: The Massachusetts Medicaid experience. Health Affairs, 14(3):173-184, 1995.
  • Larson MJ, Buckley JC, Elliott EA. How to Know You Are Making a Difference: Community Substance Abuse Indicators Handbook. Boston, MA: Join Together, Inc. 1995.
  • Horgan C, Larson MJ, Simon L. Medicaid funding for drug treatment: A national perspective. NIDA Treatment Services Research Monograph, 1:1-20, 1994.
  • Larson MJ, Horgan C. Variations in state Medicaid program expenditures for substance abuse units and facilities. NIDA Treatment Services Research Monograph, 1:21-50, 1994.
  • Horgan C, Marsden M, Larson MJ. Substance Abuse: The Nation’s Number One Health Problem - Key Indicators for Policy, Princeton, NJ: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 1993.
  • Larson MJ, Bowden M, Horgan C. Private insurance for substance abuse services. Addiction and Recovery, 11(1):21-26, 1991.
  • Larson MJ. A children’s health care budget. In M Schlesinger and J Eisenberg (eds.) Children in a Changing Health Care System: Assessments and Proposals for Reform. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1990.
Mary Jo Larson

Profile

Dr. Larson is a health services researcher specializing in access to and quality and cost of care delivered in mental health and substance abuse service delivery systems. She also has expertise in the military healthcare system and the impact of the OIF/OEF conflicts on military families. She also has conducted primary data collection studies on the outcomes of care in community-based detox and outpatient addiction programs within managed care and public systems, outcomes of integrated services for co-occurring disorders for women with trauma and PTSD, and other studies of service delivery systems for populations that are disenfranchised, experiencing chronic homelessness or incarceration. She has conducted secondary data analyses projects (Medicaid, Medicare, NESARC) including studies that merge large public sector databases: claims data, treatment admission records, primary data collection.

Dr. Larson was formerly Principal Research Scientist and Director of the Institute on Health Services Research and Policy at New England Research Institutes. In that capacity she also directed feasibility studies of web course training programs she designed for mental health clinicians.

Degrees

The Heller School, Brandeis University
Ph.D.

John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
M.P.A.

University of Minnesota
B.A.

Awards and Honors

  • Future Search, Academic Participant. Department of Corrections, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 2009
  • Co-Chair, Program Committee, Association of Medical Education and Research on Substance Abuse (AMERSA), 2008
  • NAADAC Approved Education Provider, 2007-2009
  • National Institute of Mental Health, Doctoral Trainee in Mental Health and Health Economics, The Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University
  • Lucius N. Littauer Fellow, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
  • Leadership Fellow of the Archibald Bush Foundation, St. Paul, MN