Co-Director, Zuckerman Family Center for Health Promo/Prevent | Associate Professor, Clinical Translational Sciences | Associate Professor, Public Health | Member of the Graduate Faculty | Associate Professor, Nutritional Sciences | Associate Professor, Psychology
Dr. Garcia is an Assistant Professor in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona. He has extensive experience in short and long-term intervention trials in the areas of physical activity, diet, and weight management. He received his training from leading institutions and mentors in the field. Since 2006, Dr. Garcia has worked on numerous funded research projects, including research funded by industry, National Institutes of Health NIH) and foundations. This includes working as a lifestyle interventionist/exercise physiologist in several clinical trials with overweight and obese adults, morbidly obese adults Class II and III obesity) and individuals with type 2 diabetes.
A grant titled "Acculturative stress and pro-inflammatory markers among Mexican-Origin adults with NAFLD" has been awarded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. Principal Investigators Dr. David O. Garcia, Associate Professor, and Dr. Adriana Maldonado, Assistant Professor, at the University of Arizona's Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, will lead the project. The study aims to:
• Investigate the relationship between acculturative stress and NAFLD severity among Mexican-Origin adults.
• Explore the connection between acculturative stress and pro-inflammatory markers among Mexican-Origin adults with NAFLD.
• Qualitatively assess the impact of acculturative stress on modifiable behaviors that drive inflammatory response and are central to NAFLD management.
Key aspects:
• The project focuses on Mexican-Origin adults with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) in Southern Arizona.
• It investigates the relationship between acculturative stress and NAFLD severity, as well as the link between acculturative stress and pro-inflammatory markers.
• The study includes a qualitative component to understand the impact of acculturative stress on behaviors contributing to inflammatory response and NAFLD management.