Transforming Bipolar Disorder Research and Treatment: An Interview with BD² Integrated Network Leaders

How can we accelerate the journey from research to real-world impact in bipolar disorder care? That’s the central question behind BD²’s Integrated Network, which brings together researchers, people with lived experience, and care teams across the country.

We spoke with three leaders shaping this model to explore what makes it unique, how lived experience is shaping its work, and why it holds promise for more rapidly translating research insights to improved care in bipolar disorder and beyond.

• Mark Frye, MD; BD² Integrated Network Scientific Co-Director
• Sam Savitz, PhD; BD² Integrated Network Learning Health Network Co-Lead
• Alexandra Vinson, PhD; BD² Integrated Network Learning Health Network Co-Lead, Research Co-Lead at the University of Michigan BD² Integrated Network Site

Read on for their answers.

What excites you most about the potential of BD²’s Integrated Network model?

“Big, unanswered questions about how people can truly thrive with bipolar disorder can’t be solved with small datasets or siloed efforts. The BD² Integrated Network is the first of its kind in bipolar disorder research, combining standardized data collection, a shared community commitment, and clinical care settings. By involving clinicians, researchers, and people with lived experience, we’re creating a path to meaningful, evidence-based change in care models.”
– Mark Frye, MD

“I’m most excited about the potential for the Integrated Network to provide insights that directly improve care delivery and quality of life for individuals living with bipolar disorder. There are still many unanswered questions around how best to manage bipolar disorder, and this model has the potential to close those knowledge gaps. Importantly, the learning health network structure enables faster translation of new knowledge into actionable approaches in clinical settings.”
– Sam Savitz, PhD

“The BD² Integrated Network is unique among learning health systems because it combines a Learning Health Network approach with more traditional scientific strategies like a longitudinal cohort study and basic science research. This integration allows us to generate new insights about what it means to live with bipolar disorder and how care sites and research teams can support participants in living well and thriving.”
– Alexandra Vinson, PhD

How has lived experience driven the development of BD²’s Integrated Network, and how will its implementation impact those living with bipolar disorder?

“Lived experience has fundamentally shaped how we redefine outcomes. Historically, the medical field has focused on reducing illness, measuring symptom burden, pathology, or dysfunction. Through the voices of people with lived experience, we’ve expanded those metrics to include what it means to thrive: living well, functioning well, and experiencing wellness in everyday life. That shift is central to how we evaluate the success of the Integrated Network.”
– Mark Frye, MD

“As we have developed the LHN’s scope and focus areas, we have engaged individuals with lived experience in focus groups. Insights from people with lived experience have informed our focus areas and helped frame how we design interventions. Going forward, ongoing partnership will be critical to conceptualizing the “change ideas,” initiatives developed by our Implementation Workgroup to improve how care and support are provided to BD2 participants. The workgroup recently welcomed our first member with lived experience, and we’re building new pathways for all BD² participants to share feedback. We welcome and value this input, which will inform future improvement efforts.”
– Alexandra Vinson, PhD

How does combining a longitudinal cohort study with a learning health network set the BD² Integrated Network apart?

“What makes the BD² Integrated Network truly unique is the pairing of a longitudinal cohort study with a learning health network approach. While longitudinal cohort studies have been used in previous mental health research efforts, this is the first time a longitudinal cohort study has been integrated into a learning health network focused on bipolar disorder.

The network brings together clinicians, researchers, individuals with lived experience, and family members to form “learning cycles,” where insights from rich, deeply phenotyped data are reinvested into care. Unlike traditional EHR-only datasets, the longitudinal cohort provides biological, behavioral, and clinical data that creates synergies with the clinical EHR data to help generate deeper insights that can’t be identified through routinely collected data sources alone.”
– Sam Savitz, PhD

BD²’s Integrated Network uses data from EHRs, wearables, and smartphone apps. How does this data fusion help personalize and improve care?

“The ability to combine different types of data, clinical ratings, blood markers, MRI scans, cognition assessments, and lab reports opens up new possibilities for discovery. This kind of integration allows us to generate more nuanced research questions and measure outcomes in ways that are more relevant to individuals living with bipolar disorder.”
– Mark Frye, MD

“Bringing together data from multiple sources, Fitbits, EHRs, patient-reported outcomes, lab tests, gives us a more complete picture of participants’ health than any single source could provide. That comprehensive view helps us better evaluate the impact of care improvement initiatives.

For example, we’re piloting new strategies to support physical wellness, such as educational sessions for providers on motivational interviewing and prescribing medications like metformin or GLP-1 agonists. To evaluate these efforts, we’re combining data on physical activity from Fitbits, diagnoses from the EHR, lipid panel results, and survey responses from annual visits.”
– Sam Savitz, PhD

With multiple institutions involved, how does BD²’s Integrated Network ensure shared learning and consistent care improvement across the network?

“Collaborating across multiple institutions offers significant advantages for healthcare improvement. When each site tests new tools or processes, we can learn not only from successes but also from the challenges, like low uptake or workflow misalignment. These cross-site conversations help us understand how local context influences implementation and what adjustments are needed to improve success elsewhere. The BD² Learning Health Network serves as a forum for these discussions, accelerating shared learning and enabling continuous, collective progress in how we support individuals living with bipolar disorder.”
– Alexandra Vinson, PhD

Want to dive deeper? Read their full paper, BD²: A Roadmap for Learning Health Networks Driving Care Improvement in Bipolar Disorder, in the Journal of Affective Disorders here.