First-Year Fellow Mentor: Gabriela Garcia '01

The First-Year Fellows program is a unique opportunity for first-year students to engage meaningfully in public policy early in their Dartmouth careers. Each year, around 20 students are selected and placed in fellowships with Dartmouth alumni in Washington, D.C., who are willing to take on a significant mentoring role.

"As a Dartmouth alumna, I have chosen to be a First-Year Fellows mentor for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, the quality of the students chosen to be in the program allows the Center for Perinatal Advocacy at Providence the ability to accomplish our mission of serving the most vulnerable of pregnant women and their infants in the District while at the same time giving students meaningful work experiences. As staff, I hope that the experiences in this work environment can build a foundation as the fellows transition from Dartmouth students to young professionals. Growth experiences happen throughout a life time, and I hope this early peek into the working world will add to their collegiate experience. Having Dartmouth students in the work place also offers a bit of fun and nostalgia while offering me the opportunity to be connected to the college on the hill. My staff and I look forward to our First-Year Fellows every year." --Gabriel Garcia '01

Gabriela Garcia '01. First-Year Fellow Mentor since 2011.

Gabriela Garcia '01 is the Director of the Center for Perinatal Advocacy at Providence Hospital. Its mission is to provide leadership in order to strengthen families in the District of Columbia through education, advocacy, and service to safeguard the health and well being of mothers and their infants. The Center for Perinatal Advocacy is a catalyst for innovative maternal and infant best practices focusing on education, outreach, and improving birth outcomes with the goal of decreasing infant mortality.

Prior to Providence Hospital, Garcia was a health policy analyst at the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (the NGA Center). Her major professional interests have included public health, chronic disease prevention, disease management, mental health, maternal and children’s health. Garcia's primary work included the maternal and child health portfolio and the HRSA MCHB grant, which funded the work of the NGA Center’s work among gubernatorial offices and maternal and child health. Garcia also headed the NGA Center’s mental health portfolio.

Before working at the NGA Center, Garcia worked as a research assistant; a legislative correspondent; a staff assistant to US Senator Robert F. Bennett advising on social policy and appropriations including K-12 and higher education policies, health care, welfare, and the arts; staff for US Congressman Pat Toomey; Area Coordinator for the Office of Residential Life at Dartmouth College; and a legislative intern and researcher for the Utah State Legislature. Garcia attended Dartmouth College, graduating in 2001 with a major in American Government and International Government with a concentration in International Trade relations and a minor in Religion. Her publications include Creating Healthy States: Building Healthy Schools, The Maternal and Child Health Update: A survey of States in 2006, The Maternal and Child Health Update: A survey of States in 2007, and The Maternal and Child Health Update: A survey of States in 2008.