Gabriel Garcia appointed faculty director of Stanford University Haas Center for Public Service

Gabriel Garcia, professor of medicine and associate dean of admissions at the Stanford School of Medicine, has been appointed by Provost John Etchemendy to head the Haas Center for Public Service.

Garcia, who succeeds Leonard Ortolano, the UPS Foundation Professor of Civil Engineering, will begin his new position in the fall.

"We're pleased that someone with Gabe's commitment to service learning will be assuming this key position," Etchemendy said. "Len has done a superb job as director of the Haas Center, and Gabe is a terrific choice to build on his achievements. He understands the Haas Center's important mission, and his own experiences with service learning will help make this vital program even stronger."

Garcia, who will assume the title of Peter E. Haas Director of the Haas Center, has been a member of the center's faculty steering committee since 1998 and has served on its grant advisory committee. At the Medical School, he served as course director for Medicine 257 and 258, Patient Advocacy in Community Clinics, a service learning course for undergraduates interested in health care. Garcia also has taught undergraduates through his sophomore seminar, The Human Side of Medicine. He was faculty adviser to two undergraduate Alternative Spring Break trips on "Health Care for Marginalized Communities."

Garcia, who joined Stanford from Baylor College of Medicine in 1989, has been a transplant hepatologist in the Liver Transplant Unit of the Stanford Medical Center. His research focuses on hepatitis B and C. He earned his medical degree from New York University and did his postgraduate training at Stanford.

"In addition to his distinguished career in academia, Gabe Garcia brings a unique combination of administrative talent, ties to the local community and passion for the Haas Center's mission," said Goodwin Liu, chair of the Haas Center's national advisory board and a law professor at the University of California-Berkeley. "Gabe exemplifies Stanford's commitment to teaching, research and service, and I am confident he will continue the Haas Center's record of excellence in strengthening communities and preparing students for public-spirited leadership."

The Haas Center for Public Service connects academic study with public service to strengthen communities and develop effective public leaders. As faculty director, Garcia will serve half time and will focus on policymaking, fundraising and teaching.

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