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 Antonio Garcia, PhD, MSW, is an Associate Professor at the University of Kentucky College of Social Work, and a Faculty Associate at the Center on Trauma and Children. His research is informed by his experiences as a former Child Protective Services Worker and Supervisor in Washington State and his interdisciplinary training in Psychology, Social Work, and Services Research. As a community-engaged child welfare scholar, he has published over 65 peer-reviewed articles or book chapters and disseminated his findings in local, national, and international contexts. Collectively, his body of work centers on developing, disseminating, and implementing strategies to (1) mitigate racial inequities in service provision across child and family systems of care, and (2) in turn, promote positive psychosocial and developmental outcomes among diverse populations.

Dr. Garcia has relied on mixed methodological approaches to identify gaps or limitations in service provision for families and children of color and strategies to mitigate them to achieve these goals. With external funding from the William T. Grant Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, he has examined their perceptions of system involvement and the experiences of clinicians, teachers, agency providers, and administrators who represent these systems. He recently received funding from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIH R03) to examine the role of social supports in mitigating the effects of adverse childhood experiences on adolescent psychopathology. Going forward, he will dedicate his efforts to relying upon emerging findings to inform or tailor dissemination and implementation strategies to mitigate poor child developmental outcomes. Dr. Garcia capitalizes on his research and practice experience to educate the next generation of social workers and advocates dedicated to promoting child safety, permanency, and well-being.