Our Team
Lauren Garcia, MPH (she/her/ella)
Public Health Project Coordinator, UNMC Department of Health Promotion
Areas of Expertise
- Maternal and Child Health
- Sexual and Reproductive Health
- Global Health
- Program Planning and Development
- Research and Advocacy
Biography
Lauren Garcia, MPH is a maternal and child health project coordinator in the Department of Health Promotion in the UNMC College of Public Health and for CityMatCH. Her work focuses on sexual and reproductive health, global health initiatives, and maternal and child health programs.
Before joining UNMC and CityMatCH, Lauren served as a sexual and reproductive health teaching and research assistant for the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health. Her professional experience includes roles as a patient care associate for Nebraska Medicine and as an HIV test counselor and lead intern at the University of California-San Francisco Alliance Health Project.
Lauren's research interests include abortion access, contraceptive behavior among young people, and the influence of religion on reproductive health services. She has experience in program planning, development, research, and advocacy across various clinical, research, non-profit, and activism roles.
Throughout her career, Lauren has demonstrated a passion for improving health outcomes and reducing health disparities, particularly in the areas of women's health and reproductive rights.
Publications & Research
- Riley, H., Garcia, L., Rigert, P. "Safety beliefs, [mis]information sources & contraceptive behavior among young people who can get pregnant in the U.S.: A theory-driven mixed-methods approach"
- Garcia, L., Rochet, R. "Religion's Influence on Modern Abortion Access: A Systematic Review," 2021
- Worked on research examining contraceptive misconceptions and barriers to contraceptive use among young people
- Conducted research on how religion influences access to abortion services through a comprehensive literature review
- Previous research experience includes studying C. elegans with Vassar professor Dr. Jay Pieczynski to investigate how cilia in worms relate to cilia-derived diseases in humans
Education
-
Master of Public Health (MPH)
Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA
Concentration: Global Health – Sexual & Reproductive Health, 2019
-
Bachelor of Arts in Biology & Film
Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY
Professional Activities
- Previously served as Global Elimination of Maternal Mortality from Abortion (GEMMA) Chair for Emory Reproductive Health Association
- Former President of Students for Social Justice
- Experience in community education on civic engagement and legislative issues
- Background in research statistics collection for the Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System