Dr. Mary L. Garcia-Cazarin is the Deputy Director of Extramural Research at NIAMS, a role that she has held since June 2023. As the Deputy Director, she participates in the management, planning, coordination, and communication of scientific programs. This includes participation in program development; implementation and identification of emerging opportunities and challenges in areas of the NIAMS mission; oversight of the program analyst team; representing NIAMS at NIH-wide meetings; and coordinating with other NIAMS senior leadership team members. Dr. Garcia-Cazarin has extensive experience working across and within Federal agencies and has led initiatives to stimulate and implement research and programs related to disease prevention, regulatory science, and public health.

Dr. Garcia-Cazarin has committed her career to public service and is passionate about training and mentoring. She first joined NIH in 2012 as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Fellow in the Office of Dietary Supplements. In 2014, Dr. Garcia-Cazarin joined the NIH Office of Disease Prevention as a Scientific Advisor, where she supported the NIH and FDA partnership and helped develop national scientific programming related to tobacco regulatory science and disease prevention.

Outside of work, Dr. Garcia-Cazarin volunteers her time and expertise to advocate and mentor in outreach programs working to increase the participation of underrepresented groups in science-related fields. In recognition of these efforts, she won the NIH’s prestigious 2020 Ruth L. Kirschstein Mentoring Award. She has also volunteered for in the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) since 2008, and served as an elected board member from 2015-2017.

Dr. Garcia-Cazarin holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Universidad Veracruzana, Mexico; a master’s degree in Biology from James Madison University; and a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Kentucky.