MPP alumnus, Dr. Dioscaris Garcia, has been honored by the Rhode Island State Senate for his efforts in guiding Pawtucket and Central Falls through the Covid-19 crisis.  Dr. Garcia also has been recognized by the Pawtucket School Department for helping them develop their Covid-19 opening standards, and he has received praise from the Central Falls City Council, the RI Black and Latino Caucus, and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for his outstanding public service during the pandemic.  Thus, in the spirit of the MPP program, Dr. Garcia's devotion to helping others complements his love of scientific research.  Dr. Garcia is a Visiting Scientist at Brown and a Senior Research Scientist at Rhode Island Hospital's Weiss Center for Orthopaedic Trauma Research, where he received the Stein-Bellet Fellowship.  He obtained his PhD from the MPP program based on his research in Dr. Wayne Bowen's lab on cancer-associated Sigma-2 receptors.  His current research is in novel cancer targets and therapeutics, as well as the development and characterization of antibiotic-independent antimicrobial surface coatings.