معرفی
Dr. Rebecca Trenz is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Program Director for the MS Psychology Program at Mercy University's School of Social and Behavioral Sciences. With 14 years of experience at Mercy, she specializes in maternal mental health, substance use among vulnerable populations, and social media's impact on identity development. She leads the Maternal Mental Health Research Training Center (MMH-RTC) as a Co-Investigator on a federally funded HRSA grant and contributes to the NIH-funded Strengthening Pathways in Addiction Science initiative. Dr. Trenz also co-directs the STEM Ready grant's Metacognition Fellowship, integrating metacognitive strategies into STEM education. She mentors over 15 graduate students annually, focusing on research training in maternal health and addiction science, and guides master’s theses and career development.
Her research spans three core areas: maternal mental health, substance use interventions, and social media’s role in emerging adult identity. Recent projects include analyzing stroke recovery in mothers and exploring social media’s effects on academic performance. Dr. Trenz has secured major grants totaling millions in funding, including HRSA’s Maternal Health Research Network and NIH’s R25 award. She also collaborates on regional research conferences and vocational rehabilitation studies targeting underrepresented populations.
- Grants/Awards: HRSA Maternal Health Research Network (Co-PI), NIH R25 Addiction Science (Co-I), U.S. Department of Education HSI Title III STEM Ready Grant (Co-Activity Director)
- Advising: Mentors 3 MMH-RTC Student Scholars and oversees 15+ students across Mercy’s Psychology and Occupational Therapy programs.
- Labs/Teams: Director of MMH-RTC, co-lead of Metacognition Fellowship, active contributor to Mercy’s Social and Behavioral Sciences initiatives.
Dr. Trenz teaches graduate courses in statistics, research methods, and developmental psychology while advancing interdisciplinary collaborations to address real-world health disparities through evidence-based practices.
