Maria Garcia, MD, MPH, MAS

Education
06/2017 - Primary Care Research Fellowship, University of California, San Francisco
MAS, 06/2016 - Clinical Research, University of California, San Francisco
06/2014 - Internal Medicine Residency, University of California, San Francisco
MPH, 06/2011 - Family and Community Health, Harvard T. Chan School of Public Health
MD, 06/2011 - Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
BA, 12/2003 - Latin American Studies, University of California, Berkeley
Publications

  1. Singhal S, Mikulich-Gilbertson SK, Garcia ME, Nagle-Yang SM, Dempsey AG.. Patient and System Factors Associated with Second-generation Antipsychotic Metabolic Lab Monitoring, a Retrospective Cohort Study. Community mental health journal 2026. PMID: 41954875


  2. Denckla CA, Bamonti PM, Stevens CJ, Parker LJ, Gujral S, Garcia M, Shepherd-Banigan M, Wolfe T, Deng ZD.. Advanced Research Institute Scholars' Perspectives on Program Success: A Self-determination Theory Evaluation. Volume 34 of Issue 7. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry 2026. PMID: 42014298


  3. Ganjouei AA, Zack T, Friesner I, Chen WC, Boreta L, Braunstein SE, Rabow MW, Garcia ME, Hong JC.. Association of mental health disorders and all-cause mortality for patients with cancer: Large-scale analysis of University of California Health System Data. Volume 132 of Issue 5. Cancer 2026. PMID: 41725364


  4. O'Callaghan E, Andrade K, Rivera N, Rowe D, Blasingame M, Reitz K, Dalton T, Crowell KA, Herndon J, Kaplan S, Applegate KL, Garcia ME, De la Garza Ramos R, Shin JH, Erickson M, Goodwin CR.. Perioperative Depressive Symptoms in Surgical Cancer Patients: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Volume 33 of Issue 3. Annals of surgical oncology 2026. PMID: 41495495


  5. Calderon C, Ochoa-Frongia L, Teruya E, Pozo RD, Ramirez GA, Garcia ME.. Navigating Mental Health Care: Latine Perceptions, Barriers, and Pathways to Engagement. Research square 2025. PMID: 41510266


  6. Gutman CK, Rojas CR, Waidner L, Zamor RL, Hartford EA, Yeboah D, Portillo EN, Lion KC, Nylander E, Garcia ME.. Strategies to Increase Professional Interpreting in Clinical Settings: A Systematic Review. Volume 8 of Issue 7. JAMA network open 2025. PMID: 40674051


  7. Garcia ME, Ochoa-Frongia L, Neuhaus J, Hong JC, Hinton L, Livaudais-Toman J, Feldman MD, Mangurian C, Appelle N, Karliner LS.. Depression Treatment After a Positive Depression Screen Result. JAMA internal medicine 2024. PMID: 39652335


  8. Leung G, Dea D, Ho EY, Diamond L, Garcia ME, Karliner L.. Partial language concordance in primary care communication: What is lost, what is gained, and how to optimize. Patient education and counseling 2025. PMID: 39954380


  9. Singhal S, Mause E, Garcia ME, St Pierre M, Ochoa-Frongia L, Dempsey AG.. Quality of Psychiatric Care for Immigrants and People With a Non-English Language Preference: A Systematic Scoping Review. Volume 76 of Issue 4. Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.) 2025. PMID: 39844637


  10. Doshi B, Luna I, Quesada R, Garcia ME, Fernandez A, Khoong EC.. The Impact of Language Discordance on Acquiring Broad Social History: A Qualitative Study of Patients, Clinicians, and Interpreters. Volume 40 of Issue 8. Journal of general internal medicine 2024. PMID: 39672983


  11. Garcia ME, Diamond LC, Williams M, Mutha S, Jih J, Pathak S, Karliner LS.. Physicians' Perspectives on Using Direct Observation to Assess Non-English Language Proficiency for Clinical Practice: A Qualitative Study. Joint Commission journal on quality and patient safety 2024. PMID: 39799071


  12. Meza E, Hebert J, Garcia ME, Torres JM, Glymour MM, Vable AM.. First-generation college graduates have similar depressive symptoms in midlife as multi-generational college graduates. Volume 25. SSM - Population Health 2024. PMID: 38434443


  13. Garcia ME, Neuhaus J, Livaudais-Toman J, Feldman MD, Ochoa-Frongia L, Khoong E, Karliner LS.. Telemedicine and Depression Screening After the Start of the COVID-19 Pandemic. JAMA network open 2024. PMID: 38345822


  14. Ochoa-Frongia L, Garcia ME, Bendahan T, Ponce AN, Calderon C, Pumar M, Yee K, Schillinger D, Loewy R, Mangurian C.. Bring It Up: An Adapted Collaborative Care Model for Depression in a Safety-Net Primary Care Clinic. Volume 6 of Issue 2. Psychiatric research and clinical practice 2024. PMID: 38854871


  15. Swetlitz N, Hinton L, Rivera M, Liu M, Fernandez AC, Garcia ME.. Barriers and facilitators to depression care among Latino men in a primary care setting: a qualitative study. Volume 25 of Issue 1. BMC Primary Care 2024. PMID: 38245674


  16. Karliner LS, Gregorich SE, Mutha S, Kaplan C, Livaudais-Toman J, Pathak S, Garcia ME, Diamond L.. Language Access Systems Improvement initiative: impact on professional interpreter utilisation, a natural experiment. BMJ open 2024. PMID: 38176864


  17. Martinez A, Teklu SM, Tahir P, Garcia ME.. Validity of the Spanish-Language Patient Health Questionnaires 2 and 9: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Volume 6 of Issue 10. JAMA network open 2023. PMID: 37847505


  18. Garcia ME, Williams M, Mutha S, Diamond LC, Jih J, Handley MA, Pathak S, Karliner LS.. Language-Concordant Care: a Qualitative Study Examining Implementation of Physician Non-English Language Proficiency Assessment. Journal of general internal medicine 2023. PMID: 37620723


  19. Ho EY, Karliner LS, Leung G, Harb R, Aguayo Ramirez G, Garcia ME.. "How's your mood": Recorded physician mental health conversations with Chinese and Latino patients in routine primary care visits. Patient education and counseling 2023. PMID: 37364381


  20. Garcia ME, Mutha S, Napoles AM, Malevanchik L, Williams M, Karliner LS.. "Long Overdue": Nurse and Resident Physician Perspectives on Implementation of Dual-Handset Interpreter Phones in the Inpatient Setting. Health equity 2023. PMID: 36876231


  21. Yin L, Teklu S, Pham H, Li R, Tahir P, Garcia ME.. Validity of the Chinese Language Patient Health Questionnaire 2 and 9: A Systematic Review. Volume 6 of Issue 1. Health equity 2022. PMID: 36081885


  22. Yin L, Ng F, Rutherford-Rojas M, Williams M, Cornes S, Fernandez A, Garcia ME, Khoong EC.. Assessing Medical Student Readiness to Navigate Language Barriers in Telehealth: Cross-sectional Survey Study. JMIR medical education 2022. PMID: 35969421


  23. Garcia ME, Hinton L, Neuhaus J, Feldman M, Livaudais-Toman J, Karliner LS.. Equitability of Depression Screening After Implementation of General Adult Screening in Primary Care. JAMA network open 2022. PMID: 35980633


  24. Garcia ME, Coffman J, Jordan A, Martin M.. Lack of Racial and Ethnic Diversity Among Addiction Physicians. Volume 37 of Issue 12. Journal of general internal medicine 2022. PMID: 35102480


  25. Nagata JM, Ganson KT, Bonin SL, Twadell KL, Garcia ME, Langrock O, Vittinghoff E, Tsai AC, Weiser SD, Abdel Magid HS.. Prevalence and Sociodemographic Correlates of Unmet Need for Mental Health Counseling Among Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Volume 73 of Issue 2. Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.) 2021. PMID: 34189929


  26. Garcia ME, Goldman EL, Thomas M, Chan S, Mitsuishi F, Schillinger D, Mangurian C.. Accuracy of Primary Care Medical Home Designation in a Specialty Mental Health Clinic. Volume 92 of Issue 2. The Psychiatric quarterly 2021. PMID: 32829448


  27. Garcia ME, Hinton L, Gregorich SE, Livaudais-Toman J, Kaplan CP, Feldman M, Karliner L.. Primary Care Physician Recognition and Documentation of Depressive Symptoms Among Chinese and Latinx Patients During Routine Visits: A Cross-Sectional Study. Health equity 2021. PMID: 33937610


  28. Garcia ME, Hinton L, Gregorich SE, Livaudais-Toman J, Kaplan C, Karliner L.. Unmet Mental Health Need Among Chinese and Latino Primary Care Patients: Intersection of Ethnicity, Gender, and English Proficiency. Journal of general internal medicine 2019. PMID: 31667737


  29. Garcia ME, Bindman AB, Coffman J.. Language-Concordant Primary Care Physicians for a Diverse Population: The View from California. Volume 3 of Issue 1. Health equity 2019. PMID: 31312781


  30. Garcia ME, Uratsu CS, Sandoval-Perry J, Grant RW.. Which Complex Patients Should Be Referred for Intensive Care Management? A Mixed-Methods Analysis. Volume 33 of Issue 9. Journal of general internal medicine 2018. PMID: 29797217


  31. Garcia ME, Ochoa-Frongia L, Moise N, Aguilera A, Fernandez A.. Collaborative Care for Depression among Patients with Limited English Proficiency: a Systematic Review. Volume 33 of Issue 3. Journal of general internal medicine 2017. PMID: 29256085


  32. Garcia ME, Schillinger D, Vittinghoff E, Creasman JM, Knapp P, Newcomer JW, Mangurian C.. Nonpsychiatric Outpatient Care for Adults With Serious Mental Illness in California: Who Is Being Left Behind? Volume 68 of Issue 7. Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.) 2017. PMID: 28245706


  33. Garcia ME.. Capsule Commentary on Kroll et al., Benzodiazepines Are Prescribed More Frequently to Patients Already at Risk for Benzodiazepine-Related Adverse Events in Primary Care. Volume 31 of Issue 9. Journal of general internal medicine 2016. PMID: 27279100


  34. Ward JB, Haan MN, Garcia ME, Lee A, To TM, Aiello AE.. Intergenerational education mobility and depressive symptoms in a population of Mexican origin. Volume 26 of Issue 7. Annals of epidemiology 2016. PMID: 27346705


  35. Garcia ME, Lee A, Neuhaus J, Gonzalez H, To TM, Haan MN.. Diabetes Mellitus as a Risk Factor for Development of Depressive Symptoms in a Population-Based Cohort of Older Mexican Americans. Volume 64 of Issue 3. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2016. PMID: 27000334


  36. Garcia ME, Grant RW.. Community Health Workers: A Missing Piece of the Puzzle for Complex Patients With Diabetes? Volume 30 of Issue 7. Journal of general internal medicine 2015. PMID: 25862191


  37. Kaaya S, Garcia ME, Li N, Lienert J, Twayigize W, Spiegelman D, Smith Fawzi MC.. Association of maternal depression and infant nutritional status among women living with HIV in Tanzania. Volume 12 of Issue 3. Maternal & child nutrition 2014. PMID: 25382710


  38. Stone CA, Siril H, Nampanda E, Garcia ME, Tito J, Nambiar D, Chalamilla G, Kaaya SF.. "I didn't know that ..." patient perceptions of print information, education, and communication related to HIV/AIDS treatment. Volume 13 of Issue 2. Tanzania journal of health research 2011. PMID: 25566605


  39. Garcia ME, Li MS, Siril H, Hawkins C, Kaaya S, Ismail S, Chalamilla G, Mdingi SG, Hirschhorn LR.. Health-care worker engagement in HIV-related quality improvement in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Volume 23 of Issue 3. International journal for quality in health care : journal of the International Society for Quality in Health Care 2011. PMID: 21441571


  40. Siril H, Hirschhorn LR, Hawkins C, Garcia ME, Li MS, Ismail S, Mdingi SG, Chalamilla G, Fawzi W, Kaaya S.. Stress, motivation and professional satisfaction among health care workers in HIV/AIDS care and treatment centers in urban Tanzania: a cross-sectional study. Volume 8 of Issue 1. East African journal of public health 2011. PMID: 22066277