Joxel García (born 1962) is a Puerto Rican physician and a former four-star

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet ...

in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. He served as the fourteenth

Assistant Secretary for Health The assistant secretary for health (ASH) is a senior U.S. government official within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The position is a statutory office () and the holder of the office serves as the United State ...

(ASH),

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is " ...

from March 13, 2008, to January 20, 2009. He served as the Director of Health in the District of Columbia. He served as the Executive Director of the MD Anderson Cancer Control and Prevention Platform and Member of the Leadership Team of the MD Anderson Moon Shots program until May 2017 before joining American Express as Vice President and Chief Medical Officer.

Early years and medical preparation

Dr. García was born in

Arecibo, Puerto Rico Arecibo (; ) is a city and municipality on the northern coast of Puerto Rico, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, located north of Utuado and Ciales; east of Hatillo; and west of Barceloneta and Florida. It is about west of San Juan, the ca ...

, and raised in

Hatillo, Puerto Rico Hatillo () is a town and municipality located in Puerto Rico's north coast, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, Lares and Utuado to the south, Camuy to the west, and Arecibo to the east. According to the 2000 US Census Hatillo is spre ...

. His father was a prominent dairy farmer and his mother a teacher.Global Pulse
He was the oldest boy of five children. He completed his pre-medical studies at the

University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez The University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus (UPRM) or Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez (RUM) in Spanish (also referred to as Colegio and CAAM in allusion to its former name), is a public land-grant university in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. UPRM ...

. He graduated from the

Ponce School of Medicine The Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU), formerly Ponce School of Medicine & Health Sciences, is a private, for-profit university in Ponce, Puerto Rico and St. Louis, Missouri. It awards graduate degrees in Medicine (MD), Clinical Psycholog ...

in 1988. He received a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

degree from the

University of Hartford The University of Hartford (UHart) is a private university in West Hartford, Connecticut. Its main campus extends into neighboring Hartford and Bloomfield. The university attracts students from 48 states and 43 countries. The university and ...

. He did his residency in

obstetrics Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a sur ...

and

gynecology Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences, spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with ...

at Mount Sinai Hospital in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...

, after being trained as an obstetrician and gynecologist at the Ponce School of Medicine.

Private practice

When he completed his residency, García opened his private practice at St. Francis Hospital & Medical Center in Hartford. Since then, García served in several appointed positions at Mt. Sinai, St. Francis, and the University of Connecticut Health Center.Puerto Rico Herald
After obtaining his M.D. degree, García served as the Assistant Director of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at the Saint Francis Hospital & Medical Center in Hartford.

Connecticut's Commissioner of Public Health

From 1999 to 2003, García was Commissioner of Public Health for the state of

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

. During that time, he instituted a

bioterrorism Bioterrorism is terrorism involving the intentional release or dissemination of biological agents. These agents are bacteria, viruses, insects, fungi, and/or toxins, and may be in a naturally occurring or a human-modified form, in much the same ...

preparedness program, launched the national smallpox preparation and vaccination plans, and led Connecticut's response to the

anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Bacillus anthracis''. It can occur in four forms: skin, lungs, intestinal, and injection. Symptom onset occurs between one day and more than two months after the infection is contracted. The s ...

attack as a model for the United States. He also created health initiatives for disease prevention, and managed improvements in health literacy and economic conditions.

Global public health exposure

From 2003 to 2006, García served as Deputy Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/Regional Office Western Hemisphere for the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level o ...

. As Deputy Director, García was responsible for setting the general direction and strategy of the organization alongside the director and for providing leadership and advice on all policy decisions. He was also responsible for maintaining effective relations between the organization and the governments of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

and

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

. When appointed to the PAHO position, Secretary of Health Thomas G. Thompson said, "As a leader in his home state of Connecticut and a proud son of Puerto Rico, Dr. Garcia embodies the multilingual, multiethnic face of our hemisphere." The news media reported that "Joxel Garcia, the Puerto Rican physician who won plaudits for his handling of an anthrax scare while serving as state health commissioner in Connecticut, will later this month become deputy director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)."

Corporate experience

Prior to becoming Assistant Secretary of Health, García served as the Senior Vice President and Senior Medical Advisor at MAXIMUS Federal Services Inc. There, García oversaw the work of the MAXIMUS' Center for Global Health and was the principal architect of the strategic partnership plan for the

Western Hemisphere The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the te ...

. García led several programs at MAXIMUS including emergency preparedness and disaster relief. Dr. Garcia is a founding member of Aegis Health Analytics and serves as a member of the Board of Directors. Dr. Garcia currently serves as Founder and CEO of Ambitna involved in therapies and cures. Dr. Garcia is a partner with NL Capital Ventures involved in management and acquisitions of home health care agencies, medical staffing, & assisted living facilities.

U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health

García was nominated for appointment by President George W. Bush for the position of Assistant Secretary for Health with the rank of admiral in the

Public Health Service Commissioned Corps The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC), also referred to as the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service, is the federal uniformed service of the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) and one of the e ...

in late 2007. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 14, 2008, becoming the first Puerto Rican to serve as Assistant Secretary for Health. As the Assistant Secretary for Health, García was the primary advisor to the

Secretary of Health and Human Services The United States secretary of health and human services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all health matters. The secretary is ...

on matters involving the nation's public health system and health science. He also oversaw the U.S. Public Health Service and its Commissioned Corps for the Secretary of Health. In his position, García's responsibilities included disease prevention, health promotion, public health preparedness, women's and minority health, reduction of health disparities, fight against

HIV/AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...

pandemic influenza An influenza pandemic is an epidemic of an influenza virus that spreads across a large region (either multiple continents or worldwide) and infects a large proportion of the population. There have been six major influenza epidemics in the las ...

planning, and vaccine preventable diseases. García's experience in public health encompassed health care delivery, bioterrorism preparedness, health policy, and international health affairs.

President and Dean of Ponce School of Medicine

On April 1, 2009, García was named President and Dean of the

. On his inaugural speech he said, "All the things I have mentioned here are not dreams but things that I am already working on, things that are happening, and will continue to evolve".'' He feels that Puerto Rico could be a regional medical training center.

Washington, D.C. Department of Health Director and Chief Medical Officer

On August 1, 2012, Garcia was named Washington, D.C. Department of Health Director and Chief Medical Officer. During his tenure, he led the District's efforts to respond to the Ebola outbreak in coordination with the CDC for the region. Under the Executive Office of the Mayor, Garcia led the launch of a Clinton Global Initiative commitment to action in collaboration with Aegis Health Security and 40 commitment members to prevent preventable infant deaths and health disparities.

University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Executive Director of the Cancer Control and Prevention Platform

On August 31, 2015, Garcia was named Executive Director of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Cancer Control and Prevention Platform. Dr. Garcia worked with the University of Texas MD Anderson leadership to create a global platform for research, prevention and treatment to establish centers of excellence.

Extracurricular

Dr. García has served on a number of national boards, including the Prevent Cancer Foundation, National Advisory Committee on

Violence against Women Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), are violent acts primarily or exclusively committed against women or girls, usually by men or boys. Such violence is often c ...

, National Dialogue on Cancer, the

United States Preventive Services Task Force The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is "an independent panel of experts in primary care and prevention that systematically reviews the evidence of effectiveness and develops recommendations for clinical preventive services". ...

, the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, Trinity Health Of New England and as the president-elect of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. Dr. García is said to have seen his role as Assistant Secretary for Health as an opportunity to enhance the Secretary's efforts to further the mission of

Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...

and the health of the nation by building, strengthening and leveraging relationships across the public health community and the US Public Health Service while also improving healthcare for all Americans.

Awards and Badges

Public Health Service Distinguished Service Medal The Public Health Service Distinguished Service Medal is an honor award presented to members of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and to members of any Uniformed Services of the United States whose accomplishments or achie ...

Public Health Service Regular Corps Ribbon * Office of HHS ID Badge

Badge of the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services * USPHSCC Officer-in-Charge Badge

Officer-in-Charge Badge

Personal

García resides in Washington, D.C. and formerly resided in New York City, Houston, TX and

Avon, Connecticut Avon ( ) is a town in the Farmington Valley region of Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 18,932. History Avon was settled in 1645 and was originally a part of neighboring Farmington. ...

. He has three children.

References

External links

Admiral Joxel García's HHS Bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia, Joxel 1962 births Connecticut Republicans Educators from Ponce Living people People from Arecibo, Puerto Rico People from Avon, Connecticut Puerto Rican academics Puerto Rican public health doctors Puerto Rican scientists Recipients of the Public Health Service Distinguished Service Medal Republican Party (Puerto Rico) politicians State cabinet secretaries of Connecticut United States Department of Health and Human Services officials United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps admirals United States Public Health Service personnel University of Hartford alumni University of Puerto Rico alumni