Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, joined a KSAT News town hall on Oct. 8, 2024, to share insights on a growing effort to address Latino cancer in South Texas. The event, “Revolutionizing Cancer Care for South Texans: A New Era of Treatment,” was hosted by KSAT anchor Stephania Jimenez and featured Ramirez, Dr. Mark Bonnen, chief medical officer at the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio, and Jeff Flowers, chief executive officer at the UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty & Research Hospital. Ramirez shared about the state of Latino cancer and the need to address health disparities. She also urged Latino cancer survivors to join the Avanzando Caminos study. The study aims to enroll 1,500 Latino cancer survivors in South ...
In 2024, an estimated 195,300 cancer cases will be diagnosed in U.S. Latinos, according to Cancer Facts & Figures for Hispanic/Latino People 2024-2026. This makes it important that cancer treatments work for Latinos. Clinical trials – studies with volunteers that explore ways to find, prevent, and treat diseases, like cancer – are a treatment option that could help people. With clinical trial participation in mind, Dr. Eneida Nemecek and her team at the Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) Knight Cancer Institute created Proyecto Mi Opción, a series of Spanish-language videos that tackle different cancer-related topics. Watch the videos!
The Lack of Latino Participation in Clinical Trial Research
Latinos face several challenges when it comes to cancer ...
Cancer continues as a top cause of death for Latinos. In 2021, cancer caused the deaths of 23,800 Latino men and 22,700 Latinas, according to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Cases of Latino cancer are expected to rise by 142% in the coming years. That is why FDA is raising cancer awareness and promoting Latino clinical trial participation by holding its first-ever National Hispanic/Latino Family Cancer Awareness Week during Hispanic Heritage Month.
What is National Hispanic/Latino Family Cancer Awareness Week?
The week of Sept. 20-26, 2024, will serve as the inaugural National Hispanic/Latino Family Cancer Awareness Week. The new observance, led by the FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence Project Community, focuses on engaging community-based ...
This article originally appeared on preventcancer.org. During Hispanic Heritage Month, we reflect on the love and pride we have for our cultura. As we enjoy this month of history, celebration, and unity with our friends and familia, it’s also a great time to raise awareness on important health topics like cancer prevention. It’s no secret that cancer is major concern for the Latino community. Cancer is the leading cause of death in Latinos. Additionally, about 1 in 3 Latino men and women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. Latino families must prioritize early detection and getting routine cancer screenings. According to the Prevent Cancer Foundation’s 2024 Early Detection Survey, “When cancer is detected early, it can lead to less extensive ...
From a young age, Dr. Derek Rodriguez had his heart set on attending medical school. Everything changed when he was diagnosed with a rare form of childhood cancer at the tender age of 8. “[Medical school] was the end-all, be-all thought back in the day,” Rodriguez said. “But when I was 8 years old, I was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma. This ultimately, I felt like, set the precedent for the path in which I would pursue cancer research.” Rodriguez’s experience with cancer would eventually lead him to a research position at UT Health San Antonio’s Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR), which is directed by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, who also leads Salud America! Now he’s putting his dream into practice as a research scientist for the IHPR’s Avanzando ...
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, will share insight on Latino cancer on a webinar from the National Cancer Institute's Center for Cancer Research and its Office of Equity and Inclusion. The webinar is set for 12 p.m. ET on Oct. 2, 2024, as part of Hispanic Heritage Month. Ramirez's presentation is titled "Reducing Latino Cancer Health Inequities Through Research, Outreach, and Training." Register here for the webinar.
Dr. Ramirez & Her Latino Cancer and Education Research
Ramirez is an internationally recognized health disparities researcher at UT Health San Antonio. Here, she is professor and chair of the Department of Population Health Sciences and director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio. ...
Ahead of the 2024 Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos Conference, 15 Latina women from across the country came together, unified by a common thread — to become a research patient advocate.
This gathering, on Feb. 20, 2024, marked the first in-person meeting of the Latino Cancer Patient Advocate Training Program, a new initiative to teach cancer survivors to become research patient advocates, who help others navigate the healthcare system and raise the Latino voice in research.
Patient advocates are critical to the goal of reducing Latino cancer disparities, said Dr. Barbara Segarra-Vázquez of the University of Puerto Rico, co-leader of the new program.
“You really have to have passion to become a patient advocate,” said Segarra-Vazquez. “It’s that desire to help ...
Cancer is one of the leading causes of deaths for Latinos. Cases of Latino cancer are expected to rise by 142% in the coming years. How can we address this? Ahead of Hispanic Heritage Month, we are bringing attention to Latino cancer care inequities. Let’s use #SaludTues on Sept. 3, 2024, to explore the racial/ethnic inequities in cancer prevention, screening, care, and treatment, as well as share ways – from clinical trial diversity to patient advocacy to survivor support – we can create better cancer outcomes for Latinos. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat “Creating Better Cancer Outcomes for Latinos” WHERE: Twitter/X WHEN: 1-2 p.m. ET (12-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024 HOST: Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio ...
Latinos with cancer face a challenging survivorship journey. Explore these cancer survivorship challenges at UT Health San Antonio’s webinar, “How to Support Latino Cancer Survivors,” which occurred at 11 a.m. Central on Monday, July 15, 2024. The webinar featured experts from the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio, Genentech, as well as cancer survivors and safety-net organizations, who will explore cancer among Latinos and how to help them on the road to recovery. Topics covered patient advocacy, support groups, clinical trials, referrals to resources through screening for social determinants of health, and more. This is a part of a webinar series, “Let’s Address Health Equity Together.” The series is a collaboration of the Salud America! program at ...
