Dr. Garcia received her PhD in Chemistry from the University of Kansas in 2021. Her doctoral research focused on post chemotherapy cognitive impairment and measuring neurotransmitter release using fast scan cyclic voltammetry and cognitive function with operant conditioning in rats. After graduation, she completed her postdoctoral research at the University of Illinois, Urbana- Champaign. Following that she transitioned to Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, IL to work as a staff scientist in the TBI Research Group in the Stephens Family Clinical Research Institute and the Carle Illinois Advanced Imaging. Her research focused on measuring blood and imaging biomarkers in mild to moderate traumatic brain injury patients. She also was instrumental in establishing a TBI registry at the hospital and worked to bring new technology to the hospital for evaluation.
Dr. Garcia’s research interests center around blood and/ or saliva-based biomarkers in mild traumatic brain injury and sub-concussive hits with an emphasis on longitudinal testing and multiplex assays. She hopes to track biomarker levels from before, during, and after injury to determine how they change over time in correlation to symptom onset, duration, and resolution. She hopes to shed light on how the brain processes and responds to repeated small hits and help elucidate if biomarkers help in the prognosis of mild traumatic brain injury patients who will continue to have prolonged symptoms and decreased quality of life.
Dr. Garcia also has a very strong interest in scientific outreach and bringing science to underprivileged populations. She hopes to create a neuroscience focused outreach program with hands on activities and experiencial learning for children within the Charleston community and surrounding areas. This program was piloted in Illinois, and she hopes to hold and improve the program again in Charleston.
Degrees
- PhD in Chemistry – University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
- BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology – Sweet Briar College, Sweet Briar, VA