Dr. John G. Schumacher, PhD, FGSA
Director, Public Health Research Center
Distinguished Lipitz Professor 2024-2025
Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America
jschuma@umbc.edu
Dr. John G. Schumacher is a nationally recognized scholar in public health, aging, and geriatric emergency medicine. As the Director of the Public Health Research Center (PHRC) and professor of sociology at UMBC, he brings three decades of experience leading groundbreaking research on physician-patient relationships, health care providers in assisted living, and models of emergency care for older adults. His work has been supported by major funding agencies, including the National Institute on Aging and the National Science Foundation, securing over $6.3 million in research grants throughout his career.
An expert in geriatric healthcare models, Dr. Schumacher co-authored Creating a Geriatric Emergency Department: A Practical Guide (Cambridge University Press, 2022), a widely used resource in emergency medicine and health policy. His research has shaped best practices in aging-friendly healthcare systems, influencing both academic and clinical communities. With the advent of generative artificial intelligence models, Dr. Schumacher is leading efforts to explore the use of these tools in higher education teaching and learning contexts. In particular, he is focusing on increasing AI literacy across university settings.
Beyond academia, Dr. Schumacher enjoys running, hiking, baking sourdough bread, and he can often be found on the pickleball courts in Catonsville, MD.
Rebecca L. Schacht, PhD
Associate Director, Public Health Research Center
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology
Director, UMBC Psychology Training Clinic
rschacht@umbc.edu
Dr. Rebecca L. Schacht is a clinical scientist and licensed clinical psychologist whose work bridges clinical practice and scientific inquiry in PTSD, substance use, and behavioral health. As an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at UMBC and Director of the Psychology Training Clinic, she plays a key role in training future clinical psychologists while advancing research that informs mental health interventions.
Dr. Schacht’s research focuses on the interactions between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders. Her publications include studies on stress exposure and PTSD among people in residential substance use treatment programs, as well as the efficacy of written exposure therapy for PTSD among patients in such settings. Her research has been published in psychology and addiction journals, including Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, Addiction, and the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. Her work has been supported by large, multi-year grants from the Health Resources & Services Administration and National Institutes of Health (NIH). She is currently co-principal investigator on a six-year, $3.2 million R61/33 grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which supports the development and testing of a treatment for PTSD for use in residential care for substance use disorders.
Before joining UMBC in 2013, Dr. Schacht trained at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine as a postdoctoral fellow. She completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Washington and her predoctoral internship with the VA Maryland Healthcare System. She has worked extensively with vulnerable populations, including individuals in substance use treatment, survivors of trauma, and veterans.
Tracy Horch
Program Administrative Specialist, Public Health Research Center
thorch1@umbc.edu
Tracy Horch holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Criminology from Rutgers College and a Paralegal Certification from Adelphi University. She worked in rehabilitation centers to support youth and adults with comorbid substance use and mental health disorders before shifting to paralegal work. She worked at Beveridge & Diamond PC, in both Washington, DC and Baltimore, for over 17 years as a senior paralegal on environmental cases. Her work with the Public Health Research Center extends her previous experience in behavioral and environmental health to focus on public health research.
Faculty Advisory Board
Mercedez Dunn-Gallier, PhD, Sociology, Anthropology, & Public Health
Zoë McLaren, PhD, Public Policy
Lauren Clay, PhD, Emergency & Disaster Health Systems