Timothy Schmutte, PsyD

I am a licensed clinical psychologist and mental health services researcher with a longstanding interest in older adults and suicide prevention. My current research seeks to improve the quality of care for persons with serious mental illness and the aging population with a focus on suicide prevention.

Using large databases (e.g., Medicaid/Medicare claims, electronic health records, National Violent Death Reporting System), my research has: (1) examined clinical outcomes in older adults treated for acute suicide risk, (2) quantified the risk of fatal and non-fatal suicidal events in older adults recently diagnosed with dementia, and (3) explored risk factors for suicide death in adults with serious mental illnesses.

My current research also includes: (1) developing and pilot testing a peer-based intervention for suicidal Veterans and (2) using explainable machine learning to develop a clinical decision support tool to assist emergency department physicians in treating patients with high suicide risk, (3) and applying dynamic machine learning models to examine differential risk trajectories for suicidal events in aging adults with cognitive impairment.

Some of my prior mental health services use research has focused on recurrent inpatient psychiatric use, opioid-related hospitalizations, barriers to healthcare among adults with serious mental illness, and disengagement from behavioral health services in transitional age youth. I have also published in the areas of recovery and peer support.