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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

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Salud America

2024 Poster: Enhancing Adherence to Hormone Therapy among Latina Breast Cancer Patients Impacted by Social Determinants of Health through a Bilingual, Culturally Tailored Mobile App and Patient Navigation 2024 Poster (Updated; PPT): Enhancing Adherence to Hormone Therapy among Latina Breast Cancer Patients Impacted by Social Determinants of Health through a Bilingual, Culturally Tailored Mobile App and Patient Navigation 2024 Poster (Updated; PDF): Enhancing Adherence to Hormone Therapy among Latina Breast Cancer Patients Impacted by Social Determinants of Health through a Bilingual, Culturally Tailored Mobile App and Patient Navigation 2025 Poster (PDF): Empowering Latina Breast Cancer Patients: A Phone App + Patient Navigation to Improve Hormone Therapy Adherence 2025 Poster ...

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Toolkit: How to Screen for Sugary Drink Consumption in Early Childhood


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Did you know Latino kids consume more sugary drinks—soda, sports and energy drinks, sugary fruit juices, and flavored milk—than the average child? Heavy consumption of sugary drinks puts children at greater risk of obesity and disease. This is why Healthy Eating Research created a new toolkit to help healthcare systems add a beverage screener to their electronic health record (EHR) system to ask parents questions about their child's sugary drink consumption. The goal is to identify "unhealthy beverage consumption patterns in young children and [help] families develop healthy beverage habits," according to the toolkit. How Can You Start Screening for Sugary Drinks? The new toolkit shows how health systems can start screening for sugary drinks as part of their electronic ...

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Dr. Amelie Ramirez: Address the Non-Medical Drivers of Health in Patients


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Where you live can have a big impact on your health. In fact, our health is influenced by a variety of non-medical drivers, such as the conditions in which we are born, grow, live, work, and age. These conditions are known as the non-medical drivers of health (NMDoH). Addressing NMDoH is key to improving health for Latinos and all people, said Dr. Amelie Ramirez, leader of Salud America! and the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, in a panel presentation on Dec. 5, 2023, at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. "What we’re finding is that [issues with NMDoH can] negatively impact our health," Ramirez said. Screening for Non-Medical Drivers of Health (NMDoH) Studies suggest that NMDoH accounts for between 30-55% of health outcomes. NMDoH ...

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Get Help Quitting Smoking for the Great American Smokeout on Nov. 16!


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You don’t have to stop smoking in one day. Start with Day 1. On Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023, 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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#SaludTues Tweetchat 12/5: Why Should You Try a Clinical Trial?


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Clinical trials have led to the development of better treatments, life-saving medicines, and new prevention strategies for cancer and other diseases. Still, clinical trials have lacked volunteers who are Latino. We need a variety of participants in clinical trials to ensure health and medical discoveries are fair for all populations. To promote clinical trials, let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023, to discuss reasons why Latinos and all people should consider joining a clinical trial! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: Why Should You Try a Clinical Trial? TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023 WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludAmerica CO-HOSTS: LatinaStrong Foundation (@LatinaStrongDr); Public Health Maps ...

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Watch: Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez on the Importance of Cancer Screening


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Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, joined The Washington Post's live show to share how cancer screening can help patients get diagnosed and treated earlier. The show, "Chasing Cancer: The Path Forward," sponsored by AstraZeneca, took place Nov. 8, 2023. In the first part of of the show, Renee Wegrzyn, director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), and Eric Topol, executive vice president of Scripps Research, discussed how technological advancements and AI are changing how cancer is diagnosed and treated. In the second part of the show, Ramirez teamed with Dr. Gladys I. Rodriguez, a medical oncologist with the START Center for Cancer Care, to discuss innovative initiatives make it easier to access early screenings for ...

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Food Insecurity on the Rise in America, Especially among Latinos


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The amount of Americans who are food insecure — without enough food for a healthy life for all family members — is on the rise, according to a new USDA report. 12.8% of Americans struggled with food insecurity in 2022, up from 10.2% in 2021. Latino households experienced the largest spike. “Too many of our neighbors struggle to put healthy food on the table," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "[The data] paint a picture of just how many Americans faced the heartbreaking challenge last year of struggling to meet a basic need for themselves and their children." Let's explore the report and the issue of food insecurity among Latinos. How Many Latinos Experience Food Insecurity? U.S. food insecurity had been in decline for several years. But, after the food ...

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