James Langabeer II, PhD, EdD, FAHA is a tenured full professor with joint appointments at the McGovern Medical School in both Psychiatry and Emergency Medicine, and holds the Robert Graham Professorship in Entrepreneurial Informatics at McWilliams SBMI. He is the Executive Director of the Center for Behavioral Emergency and Addiction Research.
Dr. Langabeer is a behavioral decision scientist whose research focuses on improving population and individual health outcomes through collaborations, mobile health, and implementation science. His research since 2018 has largely focused on substance use and behavioral health disorders, which has been published in all leading addiction journals. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine’s (NAM) Action Collaborative on Combatting Substance Use and Opioid Crises, and previously served on the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Opioid Committee. He is a member of the Society for Addiction Medicine, American Psychological Association and is a Fellow of American Heart Association. He was previously the Vice Chair of Population Health and research in the department of Emergency Medicine.
Dr. Langabeer developed and leads the Houston Emergency Opioid Engagement System (HEROES), which has garnered national attention for it’s role in addressing fentanyl and opioid use disorder within the state of Texas. He also writes a popular column on behavior and decision-making for Psychology Today.
Dr. Langabeer currently leads a comprehensive system of care for managing substance use and behavioral health disorders, called the Houston Emergency Opioid Engagement System (HEROES). He also writes a popular column on decision-making for Psychology Today.
Langabeer earned his PhD in decision sciences from the University of Lancaster (England) School of Management. He is the author of multiple textbooks, including the best-selling Healthcare Operations Management: A Systems Perspective (Jones and Bartlett), and the upcoming book Essentials of Healthcare Strategy and Performance Management (Routledge Press). Dr. Langabeer served multiple years as the National Chair of the American Heart Association’s Ambulatory Quality Committee, as well as several other national quality committees for AHA. His research has been funded by SAMHSA, CDC, AHA, NIH, and the U.S. Department of Justice.
- Tell us about your research center and/or what research/work you are currently working on?
I am the Executive Director of the Center for Behavioral Emergency and Addiction Research (CBEAR). Our team of nearly 40 faculty and staff focus on using applied behavioral science and data science to address major public health challenges, including drug use disorders and the fentanyl crisis. We are inter-disciplinary, and our partners come from Nursing, Psychiatry, Emergency Medicine, and Internal Medicine. We lead a large program called the Houston Emergency Opioid Engagement System, which now has over 60 strategic partners across 6 cities in Texas. We provide outreach, medical and behavioral treatment, and ongoing care to individuals who have initiated 911 for emergency overdoses. We are also leaders in providing awareness, education, and policy research around substance use disorders and behavioral health.
- What type of student or Postdoctoral Fellow are you looking for to work in your center?
We could always use somebody that has advanced training in psychology or social sciences, with an interest in applying data or implementation science techniques to help us evaluate large data sets in novel ways. If you have these skills, we’d love to hear from you.
- What does the future of your research look like?
Our research is largely applied right now. We work on streets, ambulances, and emergency departments. We would love to utilize gene-based models to explore prevention and treatment strategies for people with addictions or behavioral health conditions. That is one direction for where we are headed.
- What does the future of informatics look like?
Informatics involves much more than artificial intelligence. Informatics is the process by which data and signals are converted into meaningful information, which can be used for a variety of healthcare decisions. Informatics is all about decision-making. Physicians use informatics to help them improve their medical decision making. Government policy makers use informatics to create more effective legislation. Managers use informatics to improve operations and business processes. Consumers also regularly use informatics. The future of informatics centers around more real-time, accurate problem-solving. so that we can make the best clinical, consumer, or management decisions.
- What does the future of your research look like?
I currently teach at McWilliams SBMI a doctoral level course on leadership and decision making. My focus in teaching is to help create future healthcare leaders that can innovate and develop novel programs of their own. As a former CEO and COO of several organizations, I appreciate the skills required for more effective leaders, especially in healthcare. I also am faculty in the McGovern Medical School where I served on core faculty for the scholarly concentrations of both emergency preparedness and behavioral sciences and substance disorders.
Education
- PhD, Decision Sciences, The University of Lancaster School of Management (England)
- Doctor of Education, Leadership and Administration, The University of Houston
- MBA, Information Systems Management, Baylor University
- BBA, Management, University of Texas at San Antonio
Areas of Expertise
- Healthcare outcomes and quality
- Substance use and behavioral health disorder
- Implementation and population scienc
- Emergency and addiction medicine
Staff Support
Felicia Davis, Senior Administrative Assistant | 713.500.3667
