Susan W. Butterworth, PhD


Research Assistant Professor
Department of Systems, Populations and Leadership

University of Michigan School of Nursing
400 North Ingalls Building
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5482

Telephone: (734) 647-4152

Interests

  • Motivational interviewing
  • Health coaching
  • Patient-centered care
  • Independent aging

Dr. Susan Butterworth specializes in integrating behavior science interventions into healthcare settings. She is part of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers and excels at developing motivational interviewing-based training, assessment tools, interventions, and quality improvement activities. 

Current Research Grants and Programs

  • Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services/MDHHS (Med-Match Award 1/1/2025 - 9/30/2026). Evaluating the Use of Community Members Trained as Health Coaches to Deliver the HealthyLifetime Program. Role: Co-PI.
  • NIH/NIMHD 1R01MD018174-01 (7/6/2023 - 1/31/2028). Role: Co-I.
  • Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (1/2/2024 - 12/31/2026). Role: Co-I.
  • Shelby County Government (2/22/2023 - 12/31/2025). Role: Co-I (10%).

Education

  • PhD, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 1992
  • MS, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 1984
  • BA, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA 1982

Publication Highlights

  • Adamczyk, M.A., Butterworth, S., Dawson, C., Potempa, S., Flaherty-Robb, M., Calarco, M., Furspan, P., & Potempa, K. (2024). Assuring the quality of patient experience and outcomes in all-virtual nurse telehealth programs:  A case report illustration. Medical Research Archives, (online) 12(5). https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v12i5.5418.

  • Potempa, K., Calarco, M., Flaherty-Robb, M., Butterworth, S., Marriott, D., Potempa, S., Laughlin, C., Schmidt, P., Struble, L., Harden, K., Ghosh, B., Furspan, P., & Ellis, A. (2023). A randomized trial of a theory-driven model of health coaching for older adults: Short-term and sustained outcomes. BMC Primary Care, 24, 205. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-023-02162-x.

  • Gabarda A., Butterworth S., Liang, Q., & Beckjord, E. (2023). Pilot study of a motivational interviewing training on practitioners’ skill set for patient centered communication. American Journal of Health Promotion, 37(8). doi:10.1177/08901171231191130.

  • Butterworth, S., Potempa, S., Laughlin, C., Flaherty-Robb, M., Calarco, M., Harden, K., Schmidt, P., & Potempa, K. (2023). Case studies: Person-centered health coaching in people with negative social determinants of health. American Journal of Preventive Medicine: Focus, 2(3), 100109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.focus.2023.100109.

  • Choudhry, N.K., Fifer, S., Fontanet, C.P,, Archer, K.R., Sears, E., Bhatkhande, G., Haff, N., Ghazinouri, R., Coronado, R.A., Schneider, B.J., Butterworth, S.W., Deogun, H., Cooper, A., Hsu, E., Block, S., Davidson, D.A., Shackelford, C.E., Goyal, P., Milstein, A., ... MacDonald, J. (2022). Effect of a biopsychosocial intervention or postural therapy on disability and health care spending among patients with acute and subacute spine pain: The SPINE CARE randomized clinical trial. JAMA, 328(23), 2334-2344. doi:10.1001/jama.2022.22625.

  • Potempa, K., Butterworth, S., Flaherty-Robb, M., Calarco, M., Marriott, D., Ghosh, B., Gabarda, A., Windsor, J., Potempa, S., Laughlin, C., Harden, K., Schmidt, P., Ellis, A., & Furspan, P. (2022). The impact of nurse health coaching strategies on cognitive-behavioral outcomes in older adults. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(1), 416. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010416.

  • Serio, C., Gabarda, A., Uyar-Morency, F., Silfee, V., Ludwig, J., Szigethy, E., & Butterworth, S. (2022). Strengthening the impact of digital cognitive behavioral interventions through a dual intervention: Proficient motivational interviewing-based health coaching plus in-application techniques. JMIR Formative Research, 6(5), e34552. https://doi.org/10.2196/34552.

  • Flaherty-Robb, M., Calarco, M., Butterworth, S., Struble, S., Harden, K., Franklin, M., Potempa, S., Laughlin, C., Schmidt, P., Policichio, J., Yakusheva, O., Isaman, D., Gallagher, N.A., Furspan, P. & Potempa, K.  (2022). Healthy Lifetime (HL): An internet-based behavioral health coaching protocol for older adults. Frontiers in Digital Health, 4, 795827. doi: 10.3389/fdgth.2022.795827.

  • Gabarda, A. & Butterworth, S. W. (2021). Using best practices to address COVID-19 caccine hesitancy: The case for the motivational interviewing approach. Health Promotion Practice, 22(5), 611-615. doi:10.1177/15248399211016463.

  •  Bailey, J. E., Surbhi, S., Gatwood, J., Butterworth, S., Coday, M., Shuvo, S. A., Dashputre, A. A., Brooks, I. M., Binkley, B. L., Riordan, C. J., Steinberg, H. O., Gutierrez, M. L., Haley, L. E., Leak, C. L., & Tolley, E. A. (2020). The management of diabetes in everyday life study: Design and methods for a pragmatic randomized controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of text messaging versus health coaching. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 96, 106080. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2020.106080. 

  • Linden, A. & Butterworth, S. W. (2014). A comprehensive hospital-based intervention to reduce readmissions for chronically ill patients: A randomized controlled trial. The American Journal of Managed Care, 20(10), 783-792.

  • Linden, A., Butterworth, S. W., & Prochaska, J. O. (2010). Motivational interviewing-based health coaching as a chronic care intervention. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 16, 166-174.

  • Prochaska, J. O., Butterworth, S., Redding, C.A., Burden, V., Perrin, N., Leo, M., Flaherty-Robb, M., & Prochaska, J. M. (2008). Initial efficacy of MI, TTM tailoring and HRI’s with multiple behaviors for employee health promotion. Preventive Medicine, 46(3), 226-231.

  • Butterworth, S., Linden, A., & McClay, W. (2007). Health coaching as an intervention in health management programs. Disease Management & Health Outcomes,15(5), 299-307.

  • Butterworth, S. & Linden, A. (2006).The effect of motivational interviewing-based health coaching on employees’ physical and mental health status. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 11(3), 358-65.