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Cliff Despres

Cliff Despres, who has more than a decade of experience in journalism and public relations, is communications director for Salud America! and its home base, the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio.

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Articles by Cliff Despres

Webinar: The Importance of Diverse Biospecimens and How Can Latinos Donate


Biospecimen Diversity Webinar 4-5-2023

When people donate biospecimens—blood, fluid, or tissue samples—it gives researchers the opportunity to better understand, treat, and prevent conditions from cancer to Alzheimer’s. So why don't Latinos donate? Find the answers at UT Health San Antonio's Zoom webinar — “The Importance of Diverse Biospecimens and How Can Latinos Donate” — at 10 a.m. CT on April 5, 2023. The webinar features experts from UT Health San Antonio, Genentech, and leaders and participants in the All of Us Research Program discussing how to increase diverse biospecimen donation and point to donation opportunities. This is a part of a webinar of a series, “Let’s Address Health Equity Together.” The series is a collaboration of the Salud America! program at the Institute for Health ...

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Step Up for Obesity Care Week 2023!


OAC obesity cares week ocw2023

Obesity Care Week 2023 (#OCW2023) is here! From Feb. 27 to March 3, 2023, Obesity Care Week is an annual public awareness effort to end weight bias, as well as raise awareness, educate and advocate for a better world for people living with obesity. Also, World Obesity Day is March 4, 2023. Our Salud America! Latino health equity team at UT Health San Antonio is happy to serve as an OCW2023 Champion to support this awareness week. "Unlike most other diseases, obesity is one that continues to be stigmatized and those impacted struggle to receive any care in many cases, let alone adequate care," said Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio and a leading health disparities researcher. "OCW2023 aims to raise awareness, educate, and advocate for ...

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Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez to Launch $4.1 Million Latino Cancer Health Equity Research Center


Avanzando Equidad de Salud Center

Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez of UT Health San Antonio is launching the new "Avanzando Equidad de Salud: Latino Cancer Health Equity Research Center" thanks to a 4-year, $4.08-million grant from the American Cancer Society. The Avanzando Equidad de Salud Center, which will begin in February 2023, is a response to the severe cancer burden facing Latinos in South Texas. The center will unite South Texas research scholars and the community to reduce health disparities across the cancer care continuum by targeting social determinants of health that prevent Latinos from obtaining equitable care. "Our new center will conduct a unique combination of community-engaged research, training, patient assessment, and advocacy to address the social determinants of health — such as access to ...

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Can Texts Help Latino Young Adults to Quit Smoking?


quitxt quit smoking service new grant evluation text texting

Dr. Patricia Chalela of UT Health San Antonio has received a new five-year, $2 million research grant to test the impact of Quitxt, a bilingual text messaging program that helps Latino young adults in South Texas to quit smoking. The grant is among $90 million for new cancer prevention and research projects from the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). For the grant, Dr. Chalela and her team will recruit 1,200 Latino smokers ages 18-29 who agree to try to quit smoking. Half will receive Quitxt, a free texting service with culturally appropriate visual, video, and audio content fueled with evidence-based techniques to prompt and sustain smoking cessation. The other half will get abbreviated text messages and referral to the "Yes Quit" smoking cessation ...

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Watch Webinar: Busting the Myths and Cultural Barriers to Clinical Trials



Some Latinos fear becoming a guinea pig. Others worry about cost or trust. But clinical trials can provide volunteers potentially life-saving treatments and help researchers learn how to manage and treat different diseases for their family and communities. UT Health San Antonio held a Zoom webinar — “Busting the Myths and Cultural Barriers to Clinical Trials” — at 11 a.m. CT on March 9, 2023. This webinar features health experts and real Latino clinical trial volunteers to help define clinical trials, bust several common cultural, social, and logistical myths about clinical trials, and share testimonials of trial participation. Panelists will also connect audience members with culturally relevant resources and available opportunities to participate in clinical trials ...

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Webinar Series: Let’s Address Health Equity Together


Webinar Series Let’s Address Health Equity Together

Health equity is where everyone has a fair, just opportunity to be healthier. How can we reach this ideal, especially as Latinos face health disparities rooted in systemic inequities in access to clinical trials, income, health care, food, housing, and discrimination? You're invited to a webinar series, "Let’s Address Health Equity Together," a collaboration of the Salud America! program at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio, and Genentech. The newest four-webinar series for 2023 is: 3/9/23: Busting the Myths and Cultural Barriers to Clinical Trials 4/5/23: Importance of Biospecimens: Who Is Collecting and How Can You Get Latinos to Donate? June 2023: How to Care for the Latino ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 2/7/23─Three Years Later: How COVID-19 Is Impacting Latinos


Latino family covid is impacting latinos

COVID-19 is not over. For the past three years, the virus has disrupted life and health. Data continue to show that the pandemic worsened historical health and social inequities, especially for Latinos. How can we address this? Let’s use #SaludTues on Feb. 7, 2023, to explore health inequities facing the Latino population over the past three years (and long before that), and share solutions and strategies to promote health equity in the face of COVID-19! WHERE: Twitter WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat “3 Years Later: How COVID-19 Is Impacting Latinos” WHEN: 1-2 p.m. ET (12-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023 HOST: Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio (@SaludAmerica) CO-HOSTS: Latinx Voces LLC (@latinxvocesllc); LatinaStrong Foundation (@LatinaStrongDr); Public ...

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Update: Coronavirus Case Rates and Death Rates for Latinos in the United States


latino man at airport waiting face mask coronavirus covid-19

The coronavirus, COVID-19, can affect anyone. But reports show Latinos and other people of color are disproportionately affected, amid worsening historical inequities. What are the data really showing? UPDATE 1/20/23: New U.S., state, and city data! COVID-19 Case Rates for Latinos The U.S. population recently rose to 18.9% Latino. Coronavirus is disproportionately sickening Latinos. Variants like Delta and Omicron sparked case surges, too. Latinos currently comprise 24.5% of COVID-19 cases in the United States, second only to Whites (53.6%), according to CDC data on health equity and cases on Jan. 19, 2023. Race/ethnicity data is available for 65% of the nation's cases. COVID-19-associated hospitalizations also have been higher among Latinos. Several states are also ...

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