Leslie Garcia (she/her) | Research Associate | lgarcia@omni.org

Leslie began working at OMNI as a Research Associate in June 2023. She is a Technical Assistance Specialist for Virginia’s Substance Abuse Block Grant and State Opioid Response (SOR) prevention projects. Leslie is an experienced non-profit professional with a demonstrated history of working in project management and various phases of research studies.

Prior to joining OMNI, Leslie was a Project Coordinator for the Social Environment and Health Program at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, where she coordinated the launch of a transdisciplinary research study on the effects of racial inequalities in sleep deficiencies. She was also part of the project management office at Arbor Research Collaborative for Health, where she served as a Senior Project Associate for three research studies. Prior to leaping into research, she was the Special Projects Manager with the Chicano Federation and the county of San Diego’s San Diego Latino Health Coalition initiative where she launched an emergency public health campaign for lowering COVID-19 infections, collecting data, and distributing resources in the Latino community.

Leslie was born and raised in San Diego and is a first-generation Mexican American. Growing up in a low-income community from hard-working immigrant parents, she was aware at a young age of the social inequities and lack of opportunities in communities of color. Having benefited from the educational offerings of nonprofits in San Diego early on, she understood that education was the only way to break her family's poverty cycle. She is passionate about building her work to serve future generations and underserved communities. Choosing to pursue organizations that impact society positively, she is happy to have found the OMNI Institute and be a part of the OMNI team.  In her free time, Leslie enjoys discovering the best food spots and going on walks with her boyfriend and dog.  

“Growing up in a low-income community, my idea of progress, like my parents who immigrated from Mexico, was to leave home to seek better opportunities. From my educational hardships and work trajectory, I understood this shouldn’t be the case in our country, and deep-rooted oppressive systems should be reshaped. I’m motivated to do impactful work because I hope for a better future for our country’s underserved communities. I want to leave a positive impact for future generations to continue the effort for a more just society and maintain the change, and I feel OMNI has been at the forefront of impactful change on so many levels.”

Content Expertise

Behavioral Health

Health Equity

Education

Universidad Autonoma de Baja California, Tijuana
B.A., Communications

+ Certifications, Memberships, Awards, and Service

  • Human Subject Research Protection Course Certificate, PEERRS (Program for the Education and Evaluation of Responsible Research and Scholarship) (2023)
  • Responsible Conduct of Research & Scholarship Course Certificate, PEERRS (Program for the Education and Evaluation of Responsible Research and Scholarship) (2023)
  • User Experience Design Bootcamp from the University of California, Irvine (2022)
  • Certificate in Marketing from San Diego State University (2020)
  • Project Management Diploma from CETYS University in Mexico (2018-2019)
  • Wanda Chin Scholarship, Western Museums Association (2019)
  • Social Media Volunteer, Media Arts Center San Diego (2018)
  • Member of the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP)
  • Member of the Project Management Institute (PMI)

+ Abstracts

Contributed to the following abstracts for the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Kidney Week:

  1. PO0991/FR-PO476, Nationwide Standardized Peritonitis Reporting: Updated Results from the Optimizing the Prevention of Peritoneal Dialysis Associated Peritonitis in the United States (OPPUS) Study. 2021.
  2. FR-PO476. Peritoneal Dialysis: Current Topics Nationwide Standardized Peritonitis Reporting: Updated Results from the Optimizing the Prevention of Peritoneal Dialysis Associated Peritonitis in the United States (OPPUS) Study. 2022.
  3. FR-PO477. Peritoneal Dialysis: Current Topics Variation in the Approach to Antibiotic Administration for the Treatment of Peritoneal Dialysis-Associated Peritonitis: Results from a Survey of US Medical Directors Participating in the OPPUS Study. 2022.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be (simultaneously) a stunt actor, veterinarian, and documentary film director.

Favorite place you’ve traveled?
Mexico City! It’s such a cultural capital; there is always something to do and much history. I even lived there for a few months in 2016.

What is your favorite thing to "nerd out" on?
Movies! Actors, directors, and pop culture related to movies.