Janelle T. Garcia, Ph.D., is a two-time UF graduate, with more than seven years of experience in health promotion, serving as a university faculty member, researcher, program planner and evaluator, and most recently, clinical integration manager for Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital (JHACH). Her scholarly work includes childhood obesity, healthcare weight bias, food insecurity as well as school-based health education. Dr. Garcia is passionate about creating sustainable family-centered health and wellness programs as well as empowering youth to lead environmental and policy changes to create healthier communities.

As an advocate for health equity within her community, Dr. Garcia examines social and political barriers that impact health. As the principal investigator for JHACH’s federal Healthy Start grant, Dr. Garcia along with JHACH, local and state leaders are working to create a community framework that promotes health equity through the reformation and creation of policies that promote equitable health and opportunities for productive and optimal living. Her other notable projects include the implementation of high school-based food pantries in Pinellas County, planning of a hospital-based food pharmacy program, co-authorship of a web-based clinical weight management toolkit, and co-authorship of a human growth and development booklet for Pinellas County Schools.

[Profile added in 2020]

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