Sonia Garcia Laumbach, MD

Education: Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Biology, Rutgers College, with Highest Honors, 199
Doctor of Medicine (MD), Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 1999

Residency: Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Family Medicine Residency in New Brunswick, NJ

Fellowships: National Hispanic Medical Association Health Policy Fellow; Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Health Policy Fellow with the NJ state Assembly, Health and Human Services Committee

Current positions: Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine; Assistant Dean for Student Affairs; Director, Rutgers-Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School BAMD Program

Dr. Sonia Garcia Laumbach completed her undergraduate education at Rutgers-The State University where she graduated as an inductee into Phi Beta Kappa in 1996. She graduated from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in 1999 where she was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha and then completed her family medicine residency training at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She also completed a three-year health policy fellowship with the NJ state Assembly, Health and Human Services Committee where she contributed to the analysis, creation, and passage of health policy bills into law in NJ. She was born in Cuba and immigrated to the US in 1981. She is a first-generation college graduate and is bilingual.

Dr. Garcia Laumbach has been a faculty member within the RWJMS Department of Family Medicine since 2005 and joined the RWJMS Office for Student Affairs as Assistant Dean in 2008. As a student affairs dean she has created and directs several programs that enrich student life and success at RWJMS, such as the Peer Mentor Program, College Advisory Program, and the Student Affairs THRIVE curriculum for career advising and wellbeing.

Dr Garcia Laumbach’s professional interests are in education, public health, cultural humility, diversifying the physician workforce, and the provision of care to groups experiencing disadvantages. In addition to the programs she has developed, her participation on the RWJMS curriculum and admissions committees, directorship of the Medical Spanish elective, contributions as chapter advisor to the school’s Latino Medical Student Association, and mentorship of family medicine residents and medical students across many specialties reflects her varied interests.

Dr. Garcia Laumbach has also been active on a national level, in her previous roles as regional vice-lead for the AAMC Professional Development Initiative and Chair of the AAMC Northeast Group on Student Affairs.

Key Publications
 

• Laumbach SG. Domestic violence: your doctor may be able to help. The Female Patient. 2005 S54: 5-6,12.
• Laumbach SG. Detecting domestic violence: to screen or not to screen? The Female Patient. 2004; 29(4):47-58.
• Hsu HC, Garcia S, Thomas T, Seibold JR, Thomas TJ. Role of cell cycle regulatory proteins in T -cell maturation in lupus-prone mice. Abstract in Arthritis and Rheumatism Suppl. 1994; 37(9): S386.
• Hsu HC, Garcia S, Siebold JR, Thomas TJ. Upregulation of FAS gene expression in MRL-LPR thymocytes by and inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC). Abstract in Arthritis and Rheumatism Suppl. 1994; 37(9): S162.
• Thomas T, Garcia S, Kulkarni G, Milman T, Thomas TJ. Circular dichroism (CD), helix-coil transition, and protein-DNA binding studies on the role of DNA conformation in estrogen receptor (ER) recognition of estrogen response elements (ERE). Abstract in Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting. 1995; 36:264.

Honors, Awards, Community Service
 

• New Jersey General Assembly Resolution in recognition of outstanding service and dedication to the New Jersey General Assembly’s Health and Human Services Committee.
• National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) Resident Leadership Program, Mead Johnson Award for Graduate Education in Family Practice.
• Lippincott/Williams and Wilkins Resident Scholarship, Alpha Omega Alpha, NJ National Health Service Corps Fellowship of Primary Care Health Professional, Phi Beta Kappa.