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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

We’re Hiring Community Behavioral Health Faculty Members!


hiring community behavioral health faculty ihpr phs ut health san antonio

The Department of Population Health Sciences at UT Health San Antonio — home to the Salud America! program in the Institute for Health Promotion Research — is seeking two applicants for open-rank faculty positions in community behavioral health and biostatistics. The two positions will also serve in the Population Science and Prevention research program at the Mays Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center at UT Health San Antonio. Go here to apply or learn more about the community behavioral health position. Go here to apply or learn more about the biostatistician position. "Our goal is to recruit two faculty members who will establish meaningful community-based and community-engaged research in our diverse and medically underserved 38-county ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 2/1: Changing the System for Nutrition Security, Healthier Hearts


nutrition security grocery store food fruit veggies latina shopper mask covid

Many Latino families struggle to get enough food to feed their families. Even if they do get enough food, what they have access to is often unhealthy and nutritionally vacant. This contributes to a variety of disparities in diabetes, heart disease, and other health conditions. We need nutrition security. This means having consistent access to and availability and affordability of foods and drinks that promote well-being, while preventing — and, if needed, treating — disease. In honor of American Heart Month in February and National Nutrition Month in March, let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022, to discuss emerging strategies to change environments, systems, and policies to encourage nutrition security and healthier hearts for Latinos and all people! WHAT: ...

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


latina woman outdoors rollerblading amid trees with face mask 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 1/20/22: New U.S., state, and city data! COVID-19 Case Rates for Latinos The U.S. population recently rose to 18.5% Latino. Coronavirus is disproportionately sickening Latinos. Variants like Delta and Omicron are rising. Latinos currently comprise 24.5% of COVID-19 cases in the United States, second only to Whites (55.4%), according to CDC data on health equity and cases on Jan. 19, 2022. 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 experiencing ...

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9 Holiday Actions for Health Equity


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Volunteering for Christmas and New Year’s helps other people. It gives the volunteer a nice emotional boost, too. So why not volunteer your "voice" or "actions"? We at Salud America! invite you to take these nine actions to promote health equity for Latino and all families this holiday season! 1. Share Stories of Latinos Who Changed Their Hearts and Got the COVID-19 Vaccine! To help move Latinos from vaccine hesitancy to vaccine confidence, Salud America! is uplifting the stories of real Latinos who overcame misinformation, got the vaccine, reconnected with family, and are helping end the pandemic. Share these “change of heart” heroes in English or Spanish! Rosa Herrera read on Facebook that the vaccine would inject her with a microchip. She learned that was a myth. ...

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Volunteer for a Clinical Trial for Your Familia!


Volunteer for a Clinical Trial for your familia

Cancer and Alzheimer’s hurt many of our abuelos, moms, dads, and others we love. Clinical trials help us fight for our familia. Clinical trials are studies that help researchers learn more to help slow, manage, and treat Alzheimer’s and cancer for current and future family members. But without Latino volunteers for clinical trials, the benefits may miss this group. Visit our clinical trials page to find a clinical trial, read about hero volunteers, and more! “Latinos in clinical trials are not only helping themselves, but they’re also building a future with better treatments that can help their families in the future,” said Dr. Amelie Ramirez, director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research and Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio. FIND A CLINICAL ...

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Exploring the Severe Burden of Stomach Cancer among Latinos


stomach cancer abdominal pain gastric cancer latino latina

Stomach cancer, also called gastric cancer, disproportionately impacts Latinos. In fact, U.S. Latino men and women are twice as likely as their White peers to develop invasive gastric cancer, according to a 2021 report. But little is known about regional differences. That is why Dr. Dorothy Long Parma of UT Health San Antonio and her colleagues conducted a study to analyze gastric cancer rates for Latinos in South Texas, Texas, and the United States. "We found that overall stomach cancer incidence rates in Texas and South Texas were higher in Latinos than in non-Latino Whites, despite lower frequencies in the state and South Texas region compared to the United States," said Long Parma, assistant professor/research at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) in the ...

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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 income, health care, food, housing, and discrimination? You're invited to a new 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. Six webinars are set for the next year: 12/14/21: How to Encourage Latinos to Participate in Clinical Trials 2/10/22: Targeting Social Needs in Efforts to Prevent and Reduce Cancer 4/25/22: Overcoming Implicit Bias in the Doctor’s Office and Research Studies 6/16/22: ...

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Get Help Quitting Smoking for the Great American Smokeout on Nov. 18!


quitxt for youtube great american smokeout quit smoking

You don’t have to stop smoking in one day. Start with Day 1. On Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, you can join thousands of people who will begin their smoke-free journey with the Great American Smokeout. This annual event from the American Cancer Society encourages smokers to make a plan to stop smoking. Need help? Enroll in Quitxt, a free English or Spanish text-message service that turns your phone into a personal “quit smoking” coach from UT Health San Antonio. To join Quitxt, text “iquit” (for English) or “lodejo” (for Spanish) to 844-332-2058. “For the Great American Smokeout, we’re excited to share Quitxt to provide real-time help with motivation to quit, setting a quit date, handling stress, and much more, all on your phone,” said Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, ...

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Dr. Amelie Ramirez to Serve as Chair the Women in Cancer Research Council


Dr. Amelie Ramirez answering COVID-19 vaccine latino questions

Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio and a leading health disparities researcher, will serve as the 2021-2022 chair of the the Women in Cancer Research Council of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). The council organizes the activities of the members of the Women in Cancer Research group. This includes fostering career development, recognizing scientific achievements, and advising AACR leadership. Ramirez is currently serving a three-year term on the council through December 2022. "It is a great honor to serve as Chair of the Women in Cancer Research (WICR) Council for the 2021-2022 term. Despite the challenges we have seen during the pandemic, I am proud to say women in science are still making strides and progressing in the ...

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