Stanford University
Stanford, California, United States
Dr. Maxine Umeh Garcia, PhD, MS is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Neurosurgery (and by courtesy, Biomedical Data Science) at Stanford School of Medicine. Dr. Umeh Garcia is currently completing an instructorship appointment with the support of NCI Early K99/R00 funding. Dr. Umeh Garcia’s research is conducted under the joint supervision of physician-scientist and brain tumor neurosurgeon Dr. Melanie Hayden Gephart (Department of Neurosurgery), and Dr. Sylvia Plevritis, Professor and Chair of the Department of Biomedical Data Science. In her role, Dr. Umeh Garcia is at the forefront of systems-level investigations into the tumor microenvironment (TME) associated with breast cancer brain metastases.
Her academic journey includes earning a B.S. in Developmental Biology (minor in Psychology) in 2010 and an M.S. in Quantitative and Systems Biology in 2013, both from the University of California, Merced. Subsequently, she obtained her Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, with a specialized focus on Translational Science, from the University of California, Davis in 2019. Dr. Umeh Garcia possesses extensive training in cancer biology, spanning diverse fields such as biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, systems biology, immunology, and neuroscience. Her doctoral work was dedicated to elucidating molecular mechanisms of growth and migration in triple-negative breast cancer, a disease that disproportionately impacts African-American women. Beyond her research, Dr. Umeh Garcia has a strong commitment to scientific collaboration, mentoring, and working alongside, a diverse range of faculty, trainees, and students. She has a remarkable track record of engaging in diversity-promoting activities and intends to further champion justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion (JEDI) as she advances in her academic career. Outside of her professional pursuits, Dr. Umeh Garcia finds enjoyment in spending quality time with her family and friends, participating in indoor volleyball, and playing the piano.
