Rebecca Trenz

Post-Doctoral Certificate, 2011, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Drug Dependence & Epidemiology

Ph.D., 2009, Fordham University, Educational Psychology

M.S., 1997, St. Bonaventure University, General Psychology

B.A., 1997, St. Bonaventure University, Psychology

Dr. Trenz often works with students on research either in her research lab or through the undergraduate directed research in psychology course. Dr. Trenz is currently a Langston Fellow in the Langston University, Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Research and Capacity Building for Minority Entities. 

Research interests span across three main areas in which she is currently engaged:

1) Substance use and risk behavior among vulnerable populations

2) Parenting after stroke among women from underrepresented groups

3) Social media use, identity development, and risk behaviors among emerging adults

Dr. Trenz has over 20 years of teaching experience in both undergraduate and graduate courses, in-person and online. Her specialty is in psychology statistics, research methods, directed research, and developmental psychology.

Dr. Trenz also mentors students from undergraduate psychology to the graduate level MS Psychology Program at Mercy University. In addition, she is a faculty mentor in the STEM Mentoring Program.

     Substance Use and Risk Behavior Among Vulnerable Populations

Trenz, R. C. (2021). A thematic analysis of expressive writing narratives from college women that drink. Under review.

Trenz, R. C. (2020). The effect of expressive writing on sexual risk behavior among  college women. Journal of American College Health. DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2020.181875

Trenz, R. C., Scherer, M., Whitehead, N., & Latimer, W. (2016). Differences in alcohol use and sex risk behavior among female drug users. Substance Use & Misuse, 51, 1716-1723.

Scherer, M., Harrell, P., Trenz, R., Canham, S., & Latimer, W. (2015). An exploration of alcohol use severity and route of drug administration among persons that use heroin and cocaine. Substance Abuse, online ahead of press. doi: 10.1080/08897077.2015.1080207.

     Parenting After Stroke Among Women From Underrepresented Groups

Seyura, F. M., Trenz, R. C. & Dondorf-Brooks, K. (2021). A descriptive analysis of parenting after stroke using the National Health Interview Survey. In preparation.

Trenz, R. C. Seyura, F. M., & Dondorf-Brooks, K. (2020). Predictors of employment among underrepresented women and TANF recipients that completed vocational rehabilitation services. Accepted in Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 53 (2), 249-256. DOI:10.3233/JVR-201101

Dondorf-Brooks, K, Seyura, F., Stanton-Koko, M. & Trenz, R. C. (2020). Parenting with a disability: A descriptive analysis of socioeconomically disadvantaged women in vocational rehabilitation. Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling, 51(2), 134-145.

     Social media use, identity development, and risk behaviors among emerging adults

Trenz, R. C., Zavala, J., & Calistro, T. (2021). Social media self-presentation positivity and ruminative identity among emerging adults. In preparation.

Zavala, J., Trenz, R. C., Tzanis, D., Monsalve, N., & Malette, C. (2021). The relationship between social media use for news, academic performance, and epistemic perspectives among emerging adults. In preparation.

Tenure, Mercy University, May 2019

Excellence in Teaching nominee, Mercy University, May 2019

Promotion to Associate Professor, Mercy University, May 2017

ECAC Scholar Athlete, 1996

Gus Diehl Award 1996 - Outstanding Academic Achievement in Athletics

St. Bonaventure University Merit Award, 1996

General Excellence in Psychology Master’s Program, 1997