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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

Maegan Molnar: Breast Cancer Changes You, and That’s OK


Maegan Molnar breast cancer survivor main art

By Maegan Molnar Breast Cancer Survivor in San Antonio I was only 26 years old when I was diagnosed with stage 2 triple negative breast cancer. My world flipped upside down when I came across a lump during my very first breast exam just three weeks before my wedding. I had nine rounds of IV chemo before we realized it wasn’t working. I then had to stop treatment, have a lumpectomy, and then completely restart a different IV chemo regimen. I then had a double mastectomy with DIEP reconstruction followed up 9 rounds of an oral chemo therapy. To say I was exhausted when it was over would be a complete understatement. To say I was naive when I thought it was over would be completely accurate. This May will be 5 years since my diagnosis. I cannot imagine trying to add up the ...

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Facebook Live En Español: The Latino Cancer Survivor’s Journey


Latina Latino Cancer Survivor breast cancer strong

Cancer affects different people differently. For Latinos, the cancer survivorship journey is shaped by cultural and spiritual beliefs. Latinos also face struggles with barriers to care, screening, clinical trial participation, and patient-doctor communication. This is the focus of a new Spanish-language Facebook Live event, “Supervivencia: Viviendo a través y más allá del cáncer," set for 6-7:30 p.m. CST Monday, May 19, 2021. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) South Texas Chapter is sponsoring the event. Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio will host the event on its Facebook page. Register here for the Facebook Live event. The event will feature: Dr. José Cruz, MD, is a hematology and oncology expert with the Methodist Healthcare's Adult Blood and Marrow ...

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The Dangers of Secondhand Smoke Are Serious, Especially In Multifamily Housing


dangers of secondhand smoke in multifamily housing indoors like apartment buildings

Many people know secondhand smoke is a danger to health. However, most people, including many health professionals, don't realize just how dangerous it is, especially inside multifamily housing like apartment buildings. Why is Secondhand Smoke a Big Threat to Health? According to the American Lung Association: Secondhand smoke causes approximately 7,330 deaths from lung cancer and 33,950 deaths from heart disease each year. Between 1964 and 2014, 2.5 million people died from exposure to secondhand smoke, according to the 2014 report from the U.S. Surgeon General. The report also concluded that secondhand smoke is a definitive cause of stroke. There is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke contains hundreds of chemicals known to be toxic or ...

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Report: Huge Growth in Hispanic-Serving Institutions of Education


latina woman student with books face mask to prevent covid-19 coronavirus Hispanic-serving Institutions

The number of Latino or Hispanic-serving colleges and universities has risen 94% in the past 10 years, from 293 in 2010 to 569 in 2020, according to a new data report by Excelencia in Education. A “Hispanic-Serving Institution” (HSI) has 25% or more undergraduate full-time equivalent Latino enrollment. HSIs now constitute 18% of all colleges and universities. This is up from 17% in 2018. On top of that, Latino enrollment in higher education is expected to exceed 4.4 million students by 2025, far surpassing the growth rate of any other racial-ethnic group, according to the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. "Educating Latino students is now a necessity. More has to be done to achieve the institutional transformation that intentionally serves Latinos, who are ...

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Webinar 4/21/21: Addressing Clinical Trial Enrollment Barriers in Unique Populations


crowd with masks for clinical trial enrollment barriers

In clinical trials, researchers test life-saving treatments and find ways to prevent and manage disease. But Latinos don't often participate in research. They account for less than 10% of people in federal cancer clinical trials. This makes it hard for researchers to create treatments that work best for Latinos. This is the focus of a new webinar, “Addressing Clinical Trial Enrollment Barriers in Unique Populations,” set for 1 p.m. ET Wednesday, April 21, 2021. The event is sponsored by Fight Colorectal Cancer. Register for the webinar. Panelists are: Amelie G. Ramirez, DrPh, is Director of the Salud America! program and its new project to engage more Latinos in cancer and Alzheimer's research (supported by a grant from Genentech, a member of the Roche Group), ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 3/23─One Year Later: How COVID-19 Is Impacting Latinos


latina woman student with books face mask to prevent covid-19 coronavirus Hispanic-serving Institutions

For the past year, COVID-19 has ravaged the United States. Data continue to show that Latinos and other people of color are disproportionately affected, amid worsening historical health and social inequities. How can we address this? Let’s use #SaludTues on March 23, 2021, to explore health inequities facing the Latino population over the past year (and long before that), and share solutions and strategies to promote health equity amid pandemic! WHERE: Twitter WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat “One Year Later: How COVID-19 Is Impacting Latinos” WHEN: 1-2 p.m. ET (12-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, March 23, 2021 HOST: Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio (@SaludAmerica) CO-HOSTS: Latinx Voces en Salud Campaign (@VocesenSalud); Dr. Dulce María Ruelas (@DulceMariaMPH) ...

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School Meals Play Big Role in Health of American Children, Especially Latinos



School meals are important contributors to the healthy diets of our nation’s children. This is especially true for children in food insecure homes, almost half of whom are Latino, according to 14 papers published in a special issue​ of the journal ​Nutrients. The papers make important links between school meals and food security, obesity, and racial/ethnic disparities. "These new papers go even deeper in exploring how national policies [including the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act] have affected children and schools,” said Dr. Mary Story of Healthy Eating Research, which commissioned the new papers. “As Congressional leaders look to reauthorize the bill this year, it’s critical that these standards are kept in place.” Update 4/8/21: Jamie Bussel of the Robert Wood ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 3/9: The Surprising Role of School Meals in Advancing Health Equity for Students


school food cafeteria lunch line students

For parents who don’t have access to enough food to feed their families, school breakfast and lunch are the only meals their children get in a day. This is the situation facing many Latino and black households, who suffer high rates of food insecurity. During COVID-19, USDA made school meals free for all students. This underlines the need for school lunch and breakfast to be as nutritious as possible, to ensure the health of all children, equitably. Let’s use #SaludTues on March 9, 2021, to tweet about how school meals set a strong foundation for health equity for Latino and all students, especially for National Nutrition Month in March and in advance of International School Meals Day on March 11! WHERE: Twitter WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat “The Surprising Role of ...

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Help Stop Weight Stigma for Obesity Care Week 2021!


obesity care week bicycle rider man

Obesity Care Week 2021 (#OCW2021) is here! From Feb. 28 to March 6, 2021, our Salud America! health team is happy to be an OCW2021 Champion to support this awareness week. Obesity Care Week is an annual public awareness effort to end weight stigma, as well as raise awareness, educate and push for a better world for people living with obesity. Salud America! research shows that many people face issues with the non-medical drivers of health—from poverty to access to affordable housing and transit—that contribute to higher rates of obesity. Obesity can impact anyone, and Latino adults have high obesity rates (47%), as do Latino children (20.7%). This, in turn, leads to disparities in diabetes and other health conditions. Addressing the non-medical drivers, such as improving ...

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