Samantha Garcia, Ms Email & Phone Number

San Francisco, Ca, Us

Manage the operations of a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that supports the success of Latino medical students in 29 total medical school chapters of LMSA across 12 states in the western United States.

Support the Co-Directors in the management of our organization and planning of Annual LMSA West Conference. As Director-Elect I also developed a donation drive that fundraised $5000 for professional development events and medical student scholarships.

Conceptualized and designed “Latinx Health Resource” badge buddies which contain QR codes that allow medical students to share culturally and linguistically inclusive health information with patients. Over 200 badge buddies were distributed to medical students across 21 schools. Additionally, I established a partnership with Refugee Health Alliance allowing medical students in the LMSA West region to volunteer and complete clinical rotation electives at the US-Mexico border.

I was one of two student leaders of the UCLA/CDU Chapter of LMSA. As Co-Chair, I led a team of 6 medical students to design a pamphlet titled “Self-Care in the Latinx Community” which provided English and Spanish COVID vaccine, mental health, nutrition, and physical activity resources that were culturally sensitive. 265 pamphlets were distributed throughout the Los Angeles community in health clinics and Latinx small businesses. Additionally, I fundraised over $1000 for the chapter by leading a national sale of “Hablo Español” pins

Under the guidance of resident physician, Dr. Maria Paula Arias and faculty mentor Dr. Ilina Pluym, I assist with the development of virtual prenatal program for low-income and publicly insured patients at the UCLA West-Medical OBGYN Clinic. I assist resident physicians with leading the prenatal classes, facilitating activities centered on nutrition, family planning, and mental health. I also develop and manage REDCap survey instruments to gather data on patients' experiences with virtual group prenatal sessions and authored an abstract accepted for poster presentation at the American College of Physicians 2024 Annual Meeting on the development of our program.

Design and lead tutoring sessions for medical students engaging in the clinical curriculum in preparation for their obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) NBME shelf exam. Additionally, I serve as a Clinical Mentor for students in their OBGYN clerkship were I develop engaging presentations to help them succeed on their rotation, lead a shelf exam review session, and host drop-in office hours.

Mentor students who are members of MiMentor, a national mentorship organization that supports first-generation and disadvantaged students interested in careers in medicine. As a CMO, I share my story as a first-generation Latina in medicine through presentations and panels while providing valuable study skills and medical school application advice. Presentations: My Pre-Medical Journey: Embracing Challenges as Catalyst for Change Advice for Incoming Medical StudentsTogether We Mentor: All About Gap Years Application Prep: Asking for Letters of RecommendationAn Inside Look - Is Medical School Right for You?

One of three medical students selected to participate in the Jim Slotnick Fellowship in Medicine, where I received comprehensive mentoring and hands-on experience providing healthcare to the underserved at three Saban Community Clinic (SCC) sites. As a fellow, I developed a quality improvement project investigating the perceived barriers and benefits toward breast cancer screening among SCC patients. I presented my findings at the UCLA Josiah Brown Poster Fair and to the clinicians at SCC.

Santa Monica, Ca

As a tutor, I worked with with high school students and provide academic support with physics, biology, physiology, chemistry, math and Spanish coursework. I was also trained as an executive function coach which allowed me to teach students crucial skills including calendaring, planning, time and task management.

During my time at CHLA I was involved with multiple projects within the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism. I led the Teens N Fitness community program, which offered nutrition and mental health education to high school students at Animo South Charter High School in South Los Angeles. I also served as a health educator for Kids N Fitness (KNF), a nutrition education program for overweight and obese pediatric patients and their families. I delivered the KNF curriculum in English and Spanish to patients at CHLA, Weingart YMCA in South LA, and the Los Angeles County Wellness Center in Boyle Heights. Lastly, I provided nutrition education and administrative support for a clinical research study investigating a mobile technology based weight loss intervention (W8Loss2Go).

Los Angeles, Ca

As MSR Coordinator, I provided pre-medical students from backgrounds that are underrepresented in medicine with guidance and resources to help them prepare for the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). This role also involved leading a three-hour MCAT tutoring session once a month and presenting about the exam, how to organize a study schedule, and what resources to use at seminars organized by MiMentor.

South Los Angeles

Following my placement at St. John's under a USC Primary Care Summer Internship, I was hired as program coordinator for Kids N Fitness, a pediatric weight management program. As a program coordinator, my main role was to teach the program, work with pediatricians to recruit participants, and prepare any relevant class materials and food. I worked closely with CHLA staff to improve the the program curriculum, focusing on redesigning the class material so that it was more culturally and linguistically appropriate for the patient population St. John's serves. I also managed all supporting staff, including promotoras (community health promoters) and our high school/college student volunteers. During my tenure as Program Coordinator, Kids N Fitness enrolled over 180 pediatric patients and was featured on Telemundo, a global Spanish news network, for its efforts to combat childhood obesity in the Latino community.

Greater Los Angeles Area

I connected patients and community members to the reproductive health resources at St. John's by attending various health fairs in South and East Los Angeles. In addition, I developed and led workshops about contraception and consent to adolescent patients.

Usc Pain Center

I served as a research assistant for a clinical study investigating how pharmacogenetic information could improve management of chronic pain conditions. As a RA I consented patients, collected cheek swab samples, and administered study surveys. In addition, I shadowed Dr. Richeimer, the principal investigator, when evaluating patients for the study. I also independently investigated the potential utility of genetic testing in the management of chronic pain in primary care settings and presented my research at the MEDS 490 Directed Biomedical Research poster session.

Los Angeles, Ca

I was selected as one of two student leaders of the USC Chapter of Peer Health Exchange. As a Co-Coordinator I led recruitment efforts in the fall and spring semesters, managed the USC Leadership Council and general body meetings, and continued to teach health education workshops to youth in South Los Angeles high schools. Under the leadership of my fellow Co-Coordinator and myself, the size of our organization doubled and retention of our members improved. Our chapter was recognized by our university for the first time earning 3 Tommy Awards - Volunteer Organization of the Year, Community Outreach Program of the Year, and Innovative Program of the Year.

South Los Angeles, Ca

I trained new health educators on classroom management skills and ensured that they were competent on the material and information in the "Accessing Resources: Health Clinics - Where to Go and Who to See" workshop. Together our team delivered this health education workshop to 9th grade students in South Los Angeles high schools during the 2014-2015 school year. As a leadership council (LC) member I also collaborated with the other LCs and Co-Coordinators of the USC Chapter of Peer Health Exchange to lead recruitment efforts each semester.

As a volunteer health educator I taught 9th grade students in South Los Angeles high schools a workshop on abusive relationships. While leading this workshop I taught students how to identify various forms of abuse, including physical, emotional, and financial abuse and led them through activities on how to promote healthy communication between their partners, peers, and family members.

South Los Angeles

Los Angeles, Ca

I provided nutrition education to the women and children of 1736 Family Crisis Center, a domestic violence shelter, as part of the USC Good Neighbors Campaign.

Doctor Of Medicine - Md

Activities and Societies: Latino Medical Student Association, anatomy teaching assistant, peer tutor, 2023 Gold Humanism Honor Society.

Master Of Business Administration - Mba

Activities and Societies: The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management Fellow

Master Of Science In Global Medicine

Progressive degree student - enables undergraduates to begin work on a master’s degree while completing requirements for the bachelor’s.

Bachelor Of Science (B.S.) Health Promotion And Disease Prevention Studies, Minor In Health Care Studies

Activities and Societies: USC Helenes, Peer Health Exchange, Hispanic Scholarship Fund, Community Health Involvement Project, Trojan.

Education record

Activities and Societies: Delians Honor Society/California Scholarship Federation, AP Scholar Award, State Seal of Biliteracy, SAMOHI Pep.