Jennifer J. Garcia, MPH CDSJ Coordinator

My name is Jennifer Garcia and I was born and raised in San Francisco (Bay Area represent!). I have my bachelor's degree in Psychology from San Diego State University. While a student at SDSU, I became involved with the peer health education program on campus and discovered a love of educating and empowering others. This is when I first became interested in "public health" (though I didn't know that's what it was called at the time!). Eventually, I went on to pursue my Master's degree in Public Health (MPH) from the University of Michigan with a concentration in women's and reproductive health.

I am currently a third year Ph.D. student in the School of Public Health at UCLA. My research focuses on neighborhoods and health. Specifically, I study the role of residential segregation in maintaining and perpetuating health disparities among communities of color. I consider myself to be a scholar-activist and seek ways to connect social justice and public health through my work.

I am pursuing a career in academia and would like to be a college professor one day. Currently, I work as the coordinator of the Community Development and Social Justice Scholars program. Please come and see me if you are interested in public health or just want to learn more about graduate school in general!