Kate LaForge MPH, PHD
Sociologist. Researcher. Builder of better care.
I am a postdoctoral fellow at the Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care (CIVIC) at the VA Portland Health Care System, where I lead mixed-methods research on crisis care systems and veteran mental health. I am also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Portland, where I teach Sociology 101.
My research examines how individuals experiencing mental health crises engage with health systems, services, and technologies. I draw on sociological theory, epidemiological methods, and computational approaches, including large language models, to generate evidence that informs the design of more equitable care. My work spans suicide prevention, crisis text services, drug policy, and digital health, and has been published in Social Science & Medicine, Journal of Adolescent Health, and Academic Medicine, among others.
Book that have been a big deal for me.
The Pastoral Clinic: Addiction and Dispossession Along the Rio Grande — Angela Garcia
Life under Pressure: The Social Roots of Youth Suicide — Anna S. Mueller & Seth Abrutyn
Feminist, Queer, Crip — Alison Kafer
Addiction by Design — Natasha Dow Schüll
Pressed for Time: The Acceleration of Life in Digital Capitalism — Judy Wajcman
Empire of AI— Karen Hao
The Body Silent— Robert F. Murphy
The Body Multiple: Ontology in Medical Practice— Annemarie Mol
Currently reading:
Money: A Suicide Note — Martin Amis
Up next:
Algorithms of Oppression — Safiya Noble
Areas of Inquiry
Mental Health + Tech
When people are struggling, who do they turn to and what gets in the way? I study how individuals experiencing suicidality and emotional distress navigate care systems and technologies, with a focus on young adults, LGBTQ+ populations, and Veterans.
Methods
I develop and apply research methods that bridge qualitative inquiry and computational analysis and I study how people actually use and adopt technologies in care settings, from crisis text lines to AI in medical education.
Health Equity
Health is largely shaped outside the hospital. My research examines how poverty, stigma, and policy design determine who gets care and who doesn't across suicide prevention, opioid policy, and social needs in primary care.