Garcia receives NINDS Landis Award for Outstanding Mentorship
August 27, 2024
Tanya Garcia, PhD, associate professor of biostatistics at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, is one of five National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Landis Awardees selected for dedication to superior mentorship and training in neuroscience research.
Dr. Tanya Garcia
Awardees receive $100,000, in the form of a supplement to an existing NINDS grant, to support their efforts to foster the career advancement of additional trainees. NINDS hopes this tangible award will impress upon the scientific community as a whole, and faculty and institutional leaders in particular, the high value NINDS places on training and mentorship. Further, NINDS hopes that it encourages institutions to reward individuals not only for outstanding research accomplishments but also for their impact on the lives of others — and the future of neuroscience — through outstanding mentorship and training.
Trained as a statistician, Garcia focuses her research on understanding the patterns within datasets which has led to scientific discoveries in neurodegenerative diseases and the gut microbiome. Her teaching combines these research activities with interactive, learner-center projects that promote critical thinking.
However, Garcia’s work goes beyond her research and teaching to include her outstanding mentorship. Garcia has a unique and systematic approach to mentorship that begins in her lab and extends across her institution and beyond. She identifies challenges trainees are facing and designs custom resources that are accessible not just to her own mentees but to all trainees and scientists in the neuroscience community.
“I am deeply honored to receive the Landis Award, as it represents not only recognition of my own work but also the success and growth of my trainees,” said Garcia. “This award is a testament to the transformative power of mentorship and the ripple effect it can have in shaping the future of neuroscience research.”
In addition to serving as an incubator in which trainees develop from students into scientists, Garcia’s lab is a place for people from disadvantaged backgrounds to find an advocate and a welcoming home. Her guidance has laid the groundwork for the leadership and mentorship strategies of her former trainees, who are now independent investigators mentoring trainees of their own.
Garcia says that “mentorship is crucial because it allows us to guide and support trainees as they grow into confident, independent researchers. Seeing their progress and knowing that the effort put into mentoring is helping to shape the future of science is incredibly fulfilling.”
For more details on the Landis Award, please visit the NINDS Landis Award website.
Contact the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health communications team at sphcomm@unc.edu.
