Public Policy

“Don’t be afraid”—Doctoral student Demetrie Garner ’23, public health, and M.P.P ’25, overcame decades of opioid abuse disorder to serve as an overdose response expert

Jul 2, 2026 • By Catalina Sofia Dansberger Duque

"My story has a lot of twists and turns. I came to Baltimore in 2018 for treatment for opioid use disorder after experiencing homelessness, incarceration, hospitalizations, and treatment programs. Recovery was a process of 26 years," says Demetrie Garner, who now works in the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Overdose Response. "When I came to Baltimore, I had a clean slate. I was able to go through an expungement process of criminal records, which was a list of misdemeanors that happened during my drug and alcohol addiction. My journey to UMBC began as an adult learner, at 40 years old, after a year in recovery."