Francisco Garcia, MD, MPH

Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology

E-Mail Address: 
fcisco@email.arizona.edu
Phone Number: 
(520) 626-8539
Fax: 
(520) 626-8339
Short Bio: 

Dr. Garcia is the Director of the University of Arizona National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health. Dr. Garcia is the Distinguished Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Public Health, Pharmacy and Mexican-American Studies at the University of Arizona and a member of The University of Arizona Cancer Center. He is the immediate past director and PI of the Arizona Hispanic Center of Excellence (until 2007), as well as former Director or the Division of Gynecology (until 2006).

His research expertise is in the area of pre-malignant cervical disease and human papillomavirus infection, and the evaluation of new technologies and therapeutics for cervical cancer precursors. Dr. Garcia also has a long established interest in the health of women on the US-Mexico Border. His clinical interests include advanced operative laparoscopy and hysteroscopy, and colposcopy. Dr. Garcia is active in the training and mentoring of residents, medical students, graduate students and international medical personnel interested in women's health.

Dr. Garcia has served as a consultant and collaborator to a variety of domestic and international agencies and non-governmental organizations concerned with cervical cancer prevention. These include the state of Arizona Well Woman Health Check Program, the American Cancer Society, Western and South-Eastern Arizona Area Health Education Centers and the tribal NBCEDDP programs on Hopi and Navajo. In the international arena he has worked with the Secretariat of Health of the State of Sonora, Population Council, the Pan-American Health Organization, the Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplasicas (Peruvian National Cancer Institute), IMSS-Solidaridad, Programa de Salud Reproductiva (the Mexican Social Security Institute-Reproductive Health Program), JHPIEGO, International Planned Parenthood Federation and PATH.

He is a member of a variety of national committees including the American Cancer Society Gynecologic Cancer Advisory Committee, the Gynecologic Oncology Group--Cancer Prevention and Control Committee, and the Board of Directors of the Hispanic Serving Health Professions Schools, Inc.. He serves on the Editorial Board Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease, and as an ad hoc reviewer for the New England Journal of Medicine, American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Gynecologic Oncology, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Cancer Control, Journal of Infectious Disease, Ethnicity & Disease, Academic Medicine, Ethnicity & Disease and Cancer Epidemiology and Biomarkers.

He received his medical training at the University of Arizona where he also completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology. He joined the faculty at Johns Hopkins University as an Instructor in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, and completed post-graduate fellowship training in Women’s Reproductive Health, and a Masters in Public Health in the area of Health Policy and Management. He is a Fellow of the AmericanCollege of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and a Diplomat of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Research Information
Research Program: 
4. Cancer Prevention and Control
Member Status: 
Member
Selected Publications: 

  1. Gage JC, Rodriguez AC, Schiffman M, Garcia F, Long Lr, Budihas SR, Herrero R, Burk RD, Jeronomino J. Treatability by cryotherapy in a screen-and-treat strategy. J Low Genit Tract Dis 2009; 13(3):174-81.

  2. Gage JC, Rodriguez AC, Schiffman M, Adadevoh S, Alvarez MJ, Chumworthy B, Vargas Lejarza S, Villegas L, Garcia F, Budihas SR, Long R, Katki HA, Herrero R, Burk RD, Jeronimo J. An evaluation by midwives and gynecologists of treatability of cervical lesions by cryotherapy among HPV-positive women. Int J Gynecol Cancer 2009; 19(4):728-33.

  3. Peal N, Garcia F. Interdisciplinary models for women's health: a literature review. Int J Med 2009; 2(1):208-12.

  4. Belinson JL, Pretorius RG, Enerson C, Garcia F, Perez-Cruz E, Belinson SE, Yeverino-Garcia E, Brainard J. The Mexican Cervical Cancer Screening Trial (MECCS): self-sampling for the human papillomavirus with unaided visual inspection as a secondary screen. Int J Gynecol Cancer 2009; 19:27-32.

  5. Witte MH, Crown P, Bernas M, Garcia F. "Ignoramics" in medical and premedical education. J Inv Med 2008; 56(7):897-901.

  6. Garcia F, Saslow D. Prophylactic human papillomavirua vaccination: a breakthrough in cervical cancer prevention. Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am 2007; 334:761-81.

  7. Castle PE, Dockter J, Giachetti C, Garcia F, McCormick MK, Mitchell AL, Holladay EB, Kolk DP. A cross-sectional study of a prototype carcinogenic HPV E6/E7 mRNA assay for detection of cervical precancer and cancer. Clin Cancer Res 2007; 13(9):2599-605.

  8. Castle PE, Sadorra M, Garcia F, Cullen A, Lorincz A, Whitby D, Kornegay J. Mouthwash as a low-cost and safe specimen transport medium for HPV DNA testing of cervical specimens. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prevent 2007; 16(4):840-3.

  9. Saslow D, Castle PE, Cox JT, Davey DD, Einstein MH, Ferris DG, Goldie SJ, Harper DM, Kinney W, Moscicki AB, Noller KL, Wheeler CM, Ades T, Andrews KS, Doroshenk MK, Kahn KG, Schmidt C, Shafey O, Smith RA, Partridge EE, Garcia F. American Cancer Society guideline for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine use to prevent cervical cancer and its precursors. Can Cancer J Clin 2007; 57:7-28.

  10. Mitchell A, Newton JM, Ellis M, Schalk N, Einspahr J, Alberts DA, Garcia F. COX-2 expression in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and vulvar cancer. J Lower Genit Tract Dis 2007; 11(2):80-5.

  11. Castle PE, Sadorra M, Garcia F, Holliday E, Kornegay J. A pilot study of a commercialized human papillomavirus (HPV) genotyping assay: comparison of HPV risk group to cytology and histology. J Clin Microbiol 2006; 44(10):3915-7.

  12. Leybas-Amedia V, Nuno T, Garcia F. Effect of acculturation and income on Hispanic women's health. J Health Care Poor Underserved 2005; 16-128-41.

  13. Zou D, Brewer M, Garcia F, Feugang JM, Wang J, Zang R, Zou C. Cactus pear: a natural product in cancer chemoprevention. Nutrition 2005; 4:25-9.

  14. Ranger-Moore J, Alberts DS, Montironi R, Garcia F, Davis J, Frank D, Breweer M, Mariuzzi GM, Bartels HB, Bartels PH. Karyometry in the early detection and chemoprevention of intraepithelial lesions. Eur J Cancer 2005; 41:1875-88.

  15. Baldwin S, Santos C, Mendez-Brown E, Nuno T, Giuliano A, Davis JR, Garcia F. Comparison of type-specific human papillomavirus data from self and clinician directed sampling. Gynecol Oncol 2005; 97:612-7.

  16. Perez Cruz E, Winkler J, Velasco-Mondrdagon HE, Salmeron-Castro J, Garcia F, Tsu V, Velasco HE, Escandon-Romero C, Hernandez-Avila M. Detección y seguimiento con inspección visual del cérvix para la prevención del cáncer cervicouterino en las zonas rurales de México. (Screening and follow-up with visual inspection for cervical cancer prevention in rural Mexico). Salud Publica Mexico 2005; 47:39-48.

  17. Baldwin SB, Djambazov B, Papenfuss M, Abrahamsen M, Denman C, Gurnsey de Zapien J, Ortega L, Navarro-Henze JL, Hunter J, Rojas M, Garcia F, Giuliano AR. Chlamydial infection in women along the US-Mexico Border. Int J STD AIDS 2004; 15(12):815-21.

  18. Garcia F, Ranger-Moore J, Barker B, Davis J, Brewer M, Lozevski J, Vinyak S, Liu Y, Yemane J, Hatch KD, Alberts DS, Bartels HG, Bartels PH. Karyometric image analysis for intraepithelial and invasive cervical lesions. Anal Quant Cytol Histol 2004; 26(3):141-50

  19. Huh WK, Cestero RM, Garcia F, Gold MA, Guido RM, McIntyre-Seltzman K, Harper DM, Burke L, Sum ST, Flewelling FR, Alvarez RD. Optical detection of high-grade cervical neoplasia in vivo: results of a 604 patient pilot study. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2004; 190:1249-57.

  20. Garcia F, Ulrich Petry K, Muderspach L, Gold MA, Braly P, Crum CP, Magill M, Silverman M, Urban RG, Hedley ML, Beach KJ. ZYC101a for the treatment of high-grade intraepithelial cervical neoplasia: a mandomized controlled trial. Obstet Gynecol 2004; 103:317-26.

  21. Wright TC, Schiffman M, Solomon D, Cox TJ, Garcia F, Goldie S, Hatch K, Noller KL, Roach N, Runowicz C, Sadlow D. Interim guidance for the huse of human papillomavirus DNA testing as an adjunct to cervical cytology for screening. Onstet Gynecol 2004; 103-304-9.

  22. Garcia F, Davis JR, Alberts DS, Liu Y, Thompson D, Barbels P. A karyometric approach to the characterication of atypical endomentrial hyperplasia associated with and without co-occurring with adenocarcinoma. Anal Quant Cytol Histol 2003; 25(6):339-46.

  23. Ciuliano AR, Papenfuss M, Mendez Brown de Galaz E, Feng J, Abrahamsen M, Denman C, Guernsey de Zapien J, Navarro Henze JL, Garcia F, Hatch K. Risk-factors for squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL) of the cervix among women residing at the US-Mexico Border. Int J Cancer 2003; 109(1):112-8.

  24. Garcia F, Barker B, Davis J, Schalk N, Shelton TJ, Meyer J, Harrigill K, Hatch K. Thin-layer cytology and histopathology in the evaluation of abnormal uterine bleeding. J Reprod Med 2003; 48:882-8.

  25. Garcia F, Barker B, Santos C, Mendez E, Nuno T, Giuliano A, Davis J. Cross-sectional study of patient and physician collected cervical cytology and human papilloma virus. Obstet Gynecol 2003; 102:266-72.

  26. Garcia F, Mendez E, Baldwin S, Papenfuss M, Giuliano AR, Hatch K. Factors affecting the quality of cytologic cervical cancer screening along the Mexico-US border. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2003; 189(2):467-72.

  27. Garcia F, Davis JR, Hatch K, Alberts DS, Thompson D, Bartels P. Karyometry in endometrial adenocarcinoma of different grades. Anal Quant Cytol Histol 2002; 24-93-102.

  28. Barker B, Garcia F, Waraner J, Lozevski J, Hatch K. Baseline inaccuracy rates for the comparison of cervical biopsy to loop electrosurgical excision histopathologic diagnoses. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2002; 187(2):349-52.

  29. Garcia F, Parsons M. Effective screening and intervention for domestic violence in pregnancy. Prim Care Update Ob/Gyn 2002; 9:94-7.

  30. Giuliano AR, Papenfuss M, Abrahamsen M, Denman C, deZapien JG, Henze JLN, Orgega L, deGalaz EMB, Stephan J, Feng J, Baldwin S, Garcia F, Hatch K. Human papillomavirus infection at the US-Mexico Border: implications for cervical cancer prevention and control. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prevent 2001; 10(11):1129-36.

  31. Barker B, Garacia F, Warner J, Lozevski J, Hatch K. The correlation between colposcopically directed cervical biopsy and loop electrosurgical excision procedure pathology and the effect of time on that agreement. Gynecol Oncol 2001; 82-22-6.

  32. Garcia F, Davis JR, Alberts DS, Hatck K, Weyn B, Thompson D, Bartels PH. Nuclear chromatin patterns in normal, hyperplastic and atypical endometrium. Anal Quant Cytol Histol 2001; 23(2):144-50.

  33. Bartels PH, Garcia F, Davis J, deSilva V, Vaught L, Bartels HG, Thompson D, Alberts DS. Progression curves for endometrial lesions. Anal Quant Cytol Histol 2001; 23-1-8.