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You can help create a healthier future.
Volunteers for registries, research programs, and clinical trials can help researchers learn how to slow, manage, and treat cancer and other diseases.
“With diverse research participation, researchers have more opportunity to create better prevention and treatments that work for all people,” said Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America! at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio.
Here are seven research opportunities based in San Antonio and beyond to explore this month!
1. Latina Health Reproductive Health Screenings
University of Texas at San Antonio researchers are seeking Hispanic and Latina women between ages 50 and 65 living in San Antonio to comment about their last Pap test.
They are trying to learn more about the difficulties or ease of receiving your last Pap test.
Eligible participants will take part in a one-off interview over the phone or Zoom.
Those who complete the interview will receive a $40 gift card for their participation.
For questions about participation or to sign up contact Coralia Vazquez-Otero at Coralia.vazquez-otero@utsa.edu or (210) 802-6486.
2. Help Guide Cancer Research in South Texas
This research opportunity based in San Antonio comes from the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio.
They are searching for cancer survivors, caregivers, and community members in South Texas to be a part of coalition set out to refine cancer research across the region.
The Creando Conexiones: Cancer Health Equity Research Agenda coalition will participate in discussions and planning sessions once a month to create a research agenda made by people closest to the disease to benefit those with cancer.
“We know that research has the most impact when guided by voices of cancer survivors and community members,” said Dr. Rebecca Jones, assistant director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research and part of the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio. “With their input, we can create research and programs that are truly responsive to our local cancer issues.”
Join the Creando Conexiones coalition!
3. Share Your Cancer or Caregiving Experience
Researchers at Texas Tech University are striving to learn from those who have experienced cancer or those who are family caregivers to someone with cancer.
This study consists of three different surveys, which take 30 to 40 minutes to complete, and can be done online, by mail, or over the phone with the help of a research assistant.
For every survey completed, participants are eligible to receive $25 for a total of $75 by the end of the study.
To participate, you must be 18 or older, speak English, identify as Latino or non-Hispanic White, and have been diagnosed with any form of cancer at any stage.
Participation from caregivers is limited to those 18 or older, English speaking, and identify as Latino or non-Hispanic White.
Find out if this study is a good fit for you by filling out this short screener. A member of the “Examining Racial-Ethnic Disparities and Pre-Death Grief Among Persons with Cancer and Their Family Caregivers” study team will follow up within a week.
If you have any questions before participating, please call Carol Fadalla at (806) 834-3959 or email at cfadalla@ttu.edu.
4. Explore the Role Social Determinants of Health Play After Cancer
Another research opportunity based in San Antonio is the Avanzando Caminos study at UT Health San Antonio.
The study is focused on learning about the social, cultural, behavioral, mental, biological, and medical impacts on life following cancer.
To achieve this, the research team is looking for 1,500 Latino cancer survivors in South Texas to participate in a study that consists of seven visits over five years, each with assessment interviews, and some blood draws.
Latino survivors of breast, colon, kidney, liver, lung, prostate, stomach or cervical cancer who participate in the study could be eligible to receive $50 per visit.
Find out more by visiting the study website in English or Spanish.
5. Raise Awareness of Clinical Trials as Cancer Treatment
Clinical trials can help researchers learn about diseases, such as cancer, so they can test and find medications or therapies that may assist with the treatment of the disease.
However, it may be difficult to find a clinical trial that works best for you and the type of cancer you have.
That’s why the Mays Cancer Center and Genentech are helping researchers at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio help cancer patients become more informed about clinical trial participation.
The study is looking to provide clinical trial education to boost awareness, positive attitudes, and consideration of clinical trials as a treatment option to cancer patients at the Mays Cancer Center in San Antonio.
Those who believe they qualify can reach out to the study’s patient navigators, Armida Flores at (210) 363-6493 and Sandra Sivak at (409) 420-4216.
6. Join a Research Program with Everyone’s Health in Mind
The National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program is a revolutionary research program looking to provide healthcare that works for all of us by capturing the health data of over 1 million people living in the US.
This ambitious program will store DNA samples, family history, and responses to mental health questionnaires in a secure database and used by researchers to learn how factors such as socioeconomic status and genetics may impact diseases and other adverse health conditions.
Joining the All of Us Research Program is free, and participants who submit bio samples can unlock several cost-free benefits, including an ancestry and DNA report.
To learn more about the All of Us Research Program and how it can benefit your health, watch our latest webinar.
7. Explore Clinical Trials Near You
Latinos continue to be among the most underrepresented populations in clinical research.
Dr. Amelie Ramirez, Director of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio is addressing this issue by creating new ways to encourage Latinos to volunteer for cancer and Alzheimer’s clinical trials, with support from Genentech, a member of the Roche Group.
Ramirez is showcasing open clinical trials and uplifting the stories of Latino clinical trial participants on her Salud America! website.
She’s also raising awareness through social media events and webinars.
To find clinical trial information, visit the Salud America! clinical trials page.
Those looking for opportunities based in San Antonio can search the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio’s Find a Clinical Trial database to learn more about available clinical trials and eligibility requirements.
On a national level, visit clinicaltrials.gov to find a clinical trial near you.
By The Numbers
10
Percent
of clinical trial participants are Latinos
