Research Interests
Dr Garcia is open to PhD applications from candidates with interest in development and application of systems thinking and complex systems science lens and methods to public health and planetary health subjects. Examples of potential subjects include (but are not limited to) health-related behaviours, determinants and prevention of non-communicable diseases, urban health, health inequalities, climate change and health, and public health interventions and policies.
Public outreach & key achievements
Dr Garcia has been serving as expert consultant for various international and national organizations, including the World Health Organization and its regional offices for Europe and for the Americas, United Nations Development Programme, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, Brazilian Ministry of Health, and Colombian Ministry of Health and Social Protection.
Current external appointments include:
- Co-lead of the UK Prevention Research Partnership's Special Interest Group (SIG) on Systems Thinking and Complex Systems.
- Member of the Systems Evaluation Network's organizing committee.
- Member of the Leadership Team for the International Society of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity's SIG on Systems Science.
- Member of the organizing committee for the UK Nutrition Society's SIG on School Food Systems.
Previous achievements include:
- Developed the first agent-based model to study how population levels of recreational physical activity are shaped and sustained by the dynamic interaction between individuals and their social and built environments (https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-018-0750-9 and https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-017-0553-4 ).
- Awarded the American Journal of Preventive Medicine’s best paper of 2016, for the paper "All-cause mortality attributable to sitting time: analysis of 54 countries worldwide" (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2016.01.022).
- Member of the Guideline Development Group for the World Health Organization 2020 Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour (https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240015128).
- Member of the Scientific Committee for the first Brazilian Guidelines on Physical Activity.
Alumni: Where are they now
| PhD Title | Association between friendship quality and subjective wellbeing in adolescents: social network analysis and investigation of moderators |
| Country | Saudi Arabia |
| Current Position | Assistant Professor, Department of Community Medicine, School of Medicine, Taibah University, Saudi Arabia |
| Phd Title | Inequalities in physical activity as an emergent feature of a complex system: an agent-based modelling approach |
| Country | Wales |
| Current Position | Research Fellow at the Centre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, UK |
| Phd Title | A systems approach to the prevention and control of emerging infectious diseases |
| Country | Kuwait |
| Current Position | Head of Public Health Department in Hawalli Health Region, Ministry of Health Kuwait |