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Faculty

Garcia, Maria Fernanda, PhD, LMFT

Title: Associate Professor  Office: MHC 2635 Send email Curriculum Vitae

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Dr. María Fernanda García is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral Health Science and Practice at the ºÚÁÏÀÏ˾»ú. She earned her Ph.D. in Community Psychology and M.S.Ed. in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Miami, and is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in Florida.

Dr. García’s research centers on the behavioral health and psychosocial adaptation of migrant and displaced populations, particularly Latin American families affected by climate crises and political instability. Her work integrates qualitative and mixed-methods approaches to examine cultural stress, family functioning, substance use, and mental health outcomes among migrants.

Prior to joining USF, Dr. García held research positions at Boston College and collaborated with UNICEF USA and the RAND Corporation on projects addressing disaster recovery, migration, and child well-being. She has served as Project Director and Consultant on multiple NIH-funded studies. In addition to her research, Dr. García is committed to community-engaged scholarship and policy advocacy. She has contributed policy briefs for UNICEF USA and served as a child advocate for unaccompanied immigrant youth through the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights.

Education

UNICEF USA Postdoctoral Fellow, Boston College School of Social Work, 2024

Ph.D. in Community Psychology, University of Miami, 2022

M.S.Ed. in Marriage and Family Therapy, University of Miami, 2015

B.A. in Psychology, Florida International University, 2013

Research Interest

Migration, Latino/Hispanic/Latin American Populations, Cultural stress and adaptation, Family functioning and mental health, Qualitative and mixed-methods research, Policy-relevant behavioral health, Youth and adolescent development, Community-engaged research

Recent Publications

García, M.F., Pineros-Leano, M., Mejía-Trujillo, J., Schwartz, S. J., Pérez-Gómez, A., Andrade, P., Toro, J., García, J. P., Bates, M. M., Calderón, I., Maldonado-Molina, M., and Salas-Wright, C. P. (in press) Venezuelan Parents’ Experiences of Hardship and Decision to Relocate. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research.

Duque, M., García, M. F., Antonaccio, C., Sandberg, S., Sehun, O., Bates, M. M., Rodriguez, J., Maldonado-Molina, M. M., Schwartz, S. J., & Salas-Wright, C. P. (in press). Typologies of hurricane trauma exposure: A person-centered approach. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology.

Lee, S. W., Lee, T. K., Montero-Zamora, P., García, M. F., Unger, J. B., Soto, D. W., Cobb, C. L., Alpysbekova, A., Scaramutti-Gladfelter, C., Vo, D. H., Gualdron, E., Ertanir, B., Kotocavage, L. N., Sahbaz, S., & Schwartz, S. J. (in press). Cultural stress, parent-adolescent communication, and depressive symptoms: Longitudinal dyadic study among recently immigrated Hispanic families. Journal of Family Psychology.

Salas-Wright, C. P., Schwartz, S. J., Mejia-Trujillo, J., Baidoo, C., Palacios-Pizarro, E., García, M. F., Bates, M., Calderón, I., Oh, S., Andrade, P., Rojas-Posada, V., Duque, M., Pérez-Gómez, A., & Maldonado-Molina, M. M. (in press). Hunger and repression: Pre-departure experiences and PTSD risk among Venezuelans in the U.S. and Colombia. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology.

García-Meneses, J., Salas-Wright, C. P., Vaughn, M. G., Maldonado-Molina, M.M., Osses Cárcamo, V., Bates, M. M., Mejia-Trujillo, J., Pérez-Gómez, A., Schwartz, S. J. & García, M. F. (2025). A new approach to exploring agency in migration research: The case of south-to-south migration among Venezuelan youth. Children and Youth Services Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108527

García, M. F., Pineros-Leano, M.F., Vaughn, M.G., Schwartz, S.J., Hodges, J.C., Scaramutti, C., Calderón, I., Rodríguez, J., Abiuso, T., Bates, M., Maldonado-Molina, M.M., & Salas-Wright, C.P. (2024) The Last Straw: Reasons for Leaving among Post Hurricane Maria Migrant Families. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research. https://doi.org/10.1086/729612

García, M.F., Montero-Zamora, P., Salas-Wright, C.P., Maldonado-Molina, M.M., Pineros-Leano, M., Hodges, J.C., Bates, M., Calderón, I., Brown, E.C., & Schwartz, S.J., (2024). The Impact of Cultural Stress on Family Functioning among Puerto Rican Displaced Families and the Effect on Mental Health. Family Process. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12998

Alpysbekova, A., Soares, M.H., Montero-Zamora, P., Scaramutti, C., Sahbaz, S., Duque, M., Bautista, T., García, M.F., Salas-Wright, C.P., Maldonado-Molina, M.M., Bates, M., Perez-Gomez, A., Mejia Trujillo, J., Brown, E.C., Schwartz, S.J. (2024). A Comparative Study of Venezuelan Immigrants’ Pre- and Post-Migration Concerns for their Children in the United States and Colombia. PloS one, 19(12), e0313215. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0313215

Hodges, J.C., García, M.F., Schwartz, S.J., Maldonado-Molina, M.M., Bates, M., Calderón, I., Brown, E.C, Rodríguez, J. & Salas-Wright, C.P. (2024) Social Protections and Climate Migration: Service Navigation among Puerto Ricans Displaced by Hurricane Maria. Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swae036

García, M.F., Hodges, J.C., Costas, B.M., Maldonado-Molina, M., Schwartz, S.J., Pineros-Leano, M. F., Bates, M., Brown, E., Calderon, I., Rodriguez, J., Taylor, M., and Salas-Wright, C.P. (2024). Something Lost, Something Gained: The Tradeoffs of Puerto Rican Hurricane Maria Migrants—American Journal of Orthopsychiatry. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ort0000782

García, M.F., Hodges, J.C, Pineros-Leano, M., Baidoo, C., Schwartz, S.J, Maldonado-Molina, M., Bates, M., Calderon, I., and Salas-Wright, C.P (2024). The Experience of Cultural Stress among Puerto Rican Hurricane Maria migrant families in the School System. Journal of Latinx Psychology. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/lat0000269

García, M.F., Szabó, A., Lee T. K., Montero-Zamora, P., Meca, A., Ward, C., Duque, M., Scaramutti, C., & Schwartz, S. J., (2024). Daily Fluctuations in Self-Esteem and Perceived Context of Reception among U.S. Latine University Students: The Moderating Role of Normative Identity Styles. Self and Identity 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298868.2024.2385173

García, M.F. & Birman, D. (2024). Navigating immigrant paths: A case study of unaccompanied youth in foster care. American Journal of Community Psychology, 10.1002/ajcp.12768. Advance online publication.

For a complete list of journal articles, please see: