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Tara Schmidt combines academic training with long-standing local relationships to make research accessible and actionable for Alaskan communities. As a senior research associate with the University of Michigan, her work centers on community-based participatory research through the PC CARES program. PC CARES—Promoting Community Conversations about Research for Effective Solutions—aims to translate evidence into community-led action on complex problems like suicide prevention and substance use. This profile, published April 1, 2026, highlights how her path from Nome to Homer and her time in the UAA Master of Public Health program shaped a career devoted to participatory, locally grounded solutions.
Career focus and responsibilities
In her role as a Research Associate Senior for PC CARES, Tara spends much of her time building bridges between researchers and residents across Alaska. She has been involved in PC CARES–related research for seven years and has been on staff at the University of Michigan for five years. Her responsibilities include convening local steering committees, managing communications that keep communities informed and engaged, and serving as a trainer who facilitates workshops. The workshops are designed to strengthen local capacity to address pressing concerns through research-informed strategies—especially efforts to reduce stigma and support people affected by substance use.
Training and workshops
As a PC CARES trainer, Tara leads interactive sessions that introduce a mix of research summaries and practical conversation guides. The goal is to turn complex findings into digestible, actionable ideas that communities can use. Using community-based participatory research principles, she emphasizes local leadership: community members interpret findings, choose priorities, and design responses that fit cultural and geographic realities. This approach reframes research as a tool communities own rather than an external prescription.
Education and the influences that mattered
Tara earned her Master of Public Health from UAA in 2026 and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcasting and Electronic Media Studies from Gonzaga University (2012). The UAA Research and Program Evaluation track and a Graduate Research Assistantship gave her both the theoretical grounding and hands-on experience she needed. During practicum placements and elective work, she tailored projects to community partners, an educational freedom that let her form long-term collaborations. Those relationships eventually opened doors to roles where research supports community priorities rather than replacing them.
Impact, memorable moments, and local partnerships
Tara describes PC CARES as focused on making research useful: the program prioritizes translating evidence into locally relevant action so communities can make decisions that save lives. A highlight came at the Pathways to Recovery Conference in May 2026, when the PC CARES At-Risk Substance Use team presented a new curriculum and sparked energetic discussions in a room of advocates and service providers. Participants responded strongly to what Tara calls “bite-sized” research insights—small, well-explained findings that can shift conversations about stigma and care.
Curriculum and community advisory work
For the past year and a half Tara and colleagues worked with a Community Advisory Board, backed by Alaska’s Office of Substance Misuse and Addiction Prevention (OSMAP), to develop an at-risk substance use curriculum driven by local priorities. She will teach a summer course at UAA to prepare students as local facilitators for the initiative, training them to lead community conversations that are informed by research but rooted in everyday experience. That classroom-to-community loop exemplifies how educational settings can seed real-world impact.
Advice, personal notes, and a surprising skill
Her advice to students is straightforward: take opportunities beyond lecture halls and course platforms to work with people doing the work in communities. Tara credits UAA faculty for integrating real-world projects into coursework and for supporting partnerships that last beyond graduation. On a more personal note, attendees are often surprised to learn that while living in Anchorage as a Graduate Research Assistant, she learned to swim at age 29 in the UAA pool—an anecdote she shares as a reminder that learning new skills is possible at any stage.
From Nome to Homer and into statewide partnerships, Tara Schmidt’s career shows how a public health education combined with long-term community relationships can turn research into practical change. Her ongoing work with PC CARES, local advisory groups, and student training programs continues to emphasize community leadership in addressing suicide prevention and substance use.