Anthony (Tony) Garcia-Prats, MD, MSc, PhD

Education

BA, St. Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri
MD, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
Residency, Baylor College of Medicine Affiliated Hospitals, Houston, Texas
Chief Residency, Baylor College of Medicine Affiliated Hospitals, Houston, Texas
MSc, Clinical Epidemiology, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
PhD, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa

Professional Activities

Dr. Anthony (Tony) Garcia-Prats is a tenured associate professor in the Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. He is a general pediatrician with expertise in global child health developed over his 13 years of working full-time in Africa before joining the Department of Pediatrics in 2019. As the associate director of the global health track, he assists in the activity planning, attends resident conferences, and helps plan for third-year electives by coordinating with overseas partners. Garcia-Prats is committed to doing high-quality, high-impact clinical and translational research that improves the prevention and treatment of TB and MDR-TB in children, especially those in resource-limited settings. He also strives to develop the knowledge and skills of other scientists and clinicians with similar aspirations.

Clinical Interests

Garcia-Prats’ interests are strongly concentrated around the development of pediatric drugs and improvement of access to better medicines for children globally. He believes that having formulations that are child-friendly – acceptable, palatable, and with easy and accurate dosing across children of all ages – is critical for equitable treatment of children with TB and other diseases. He aims to perform high-quality clinical and translational research that positively affects the care of vulnerable children with TB, HIV, and other illnesses in underserved areas globally. Garcia-Prat’s guiding commitment is to excellence, innovation, pragmatism, and partnership in a spirit of service and humility.

Research Interests

Garcia-Prats’ primary research areas of interest are MDR-TB, the pharmacokinetics and safety of anti-TB drugs; TB treatment and prevention strategies; and pediatric drug development and access to child-friendly formulations. He is leading or supporting multiple pediatric trials of new and existing TB drugs. He is also the principal investigator of the Unitaid-funded BENEFIT Kids Project (Better Evidence and Formulations for Improved MDR-TB Treatment for Children) that aims to improve access for children to better MDR-TB treatment and prevention. With his team at University of Wisconsin and with outstanding colleagues at South Africa’s Stellenbosch University and other centers globally, Garcia-Prats works to address acute knowledge gaps in these areas. He and his colleagues then leverage that new knowledge to improve policy and practice. He works regularly with the World Health Organization on TB and MDR-TB treatment policy while striving to be a thought leader and an advocate for children affected by TB.