Dr. Francisco A.R. Garcia will be awarded the University Distinguished Outreach Faculty Award during the University of Arizona Winter Commencement.

Garcia is a professor of obstetrics and gynecology with appointments in the Mexican American Studies and Research Center at the UA, the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and the UA College of Pharmacy.

He is the director of the UA National Center of Excellence in Women's Health, a faculty member at the Arizona Cancer Center and former director of both the Arizona Hispanic Center of Excellence and the UA College of Medicine's department of gynecology.

Garcia is being recognized for demonstrated excellence in scholarship-based outreach to the state, nation and world for his dedicated work in community-based health literacy and education initiatives.

His research interests are in the area of pre-malignant cervical and endometrial disease and human papillomavirus, or HPV infection, and the evaluation of new technologies and therapeutics for cervical cancer precursors.

His population-based research is focused on the development of breast and cervical cancer screening programs with outreach that includes the participation of women living in the U.S.-Mexico Border region, including American Indian populations and initiatives in Latin America.

In southern Arizona, Garcia has worked to secure federal government resources to fund an initiative through the Pima County Cervical Cancer Prevention Partnership. The partnership brings together local school districts, community health centers and public health entities to develop a comprehensive integrated approach to cervical cancer prevention.

Thanks to Garcia, a statewide community partnership is underway with the UA National Center of Excellence in Women's Health and the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, also known as AHCCCS. These agencies will collect Arizona-specific data about barriers and facilitators encountered by Hispanic patients and community physicians with regard to referral and recruitment to clinical trials.

Global impact and esteem are evident in Garcia's selection by the American Cancer Society to chair a high-profile national task force that developed clinical implementation guidelines for the recent approval of prophylactic HPV vaccine and for future prophylactic vaccines.

Garcia's work does not end there as he also is committed to the active training and mentoring of residents, medical students, graduate students and international medical personnel interested in women's reproductive health.

His body of work, his commitment to service and his dedication to students have made Garcia worthy of this award.