Patricia J. García is Professor and former Dean of the School of Public Health at Cayetano Heredia University (UPCH) in Lima-Peru, and former Chief of the Peruvian National Institute of Health (INS). She was the Minister of Health in Peru from 2016-2017. As Minister of Health, Dr. Garcia introduced emergency contraception and contraception for adolescents through the public sector. She implemented new guidelines for cervical cancer screening including molecular testing, HPV vaccination, labelling of processed food (towards prevention of non- communicable diseases), and introduction of electronic medical records.  

She is a recognized leader in Global Health, was a member of the Commission for the Education of Health Professionals of the New Century, and now is the Chair of the Panamerican Health Organization (PAHO)  Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Disease Elimination (STAG-DE)  Dr. García graduated from medical school in Peru, and trained in internal medicine, infectious diseases, and public health at the University of Washington. She has been a member of the Senior Technical Advisory Group of the Reproductive Health Department at the WHO, Chair of the WHO HPV Expert Advisory Group, and the Latin America Regional of the International Union Against STI. She is affiliate Professor of the Department of Global Health, at University of Washington and of the School of Public Health at Tulane University. She is actively involved in research and training on STI/HIV, Global health, HPV, medical informatics and health systems strengthening. She is a member of the United States National Academy of Medicine, becoming the first Peruvian professional with such a distinction.