About the Author

Author Picture

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.

Connect with Cliff:
Twitter Link

Articles by Cliff Despres

Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez Featured in Webinar: Addressing Cancer Through Research, Outreach, and Training


Amelie Ramirez - UT Health San Antonio 1

Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, shared insight on cancer on a webinar from the National Cancer Institute. The webinar was set for Oct. 2, 2024. Ramirez's presentation focused on reducing US cancer for all people, including Latinos, through research, outreach, and training. Dr. Ramirez & Her Health Promotion Research Ramirez is an internationally recognized health 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. She also is associate director of cancer outreach and engagement at the Mays Cancer Center. She directs the Salud America! national multimedia health program. The ...

Read More

Dr. Amelie Ramirez Helps Lead New Project to Improve Heart Health in South Texas


Dr. Amelie Ramirez san antonio women's hall of fame

A team of researchers at UT Health San Antonio, including Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, is among four teams from across the United States that have been selected to launch community engagement centers on heart health thanks to a generous contribution from the American Heart Association and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. A total gift of $20 million from the American Heart Association and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will support the four teams of scientists and community leaders to engage the community in research to improve health. Led by UT Health San Antonio’s Vasan Ramachandran, MD, FACC, FAHA, and Amelie G. Ramirez, DrPH, MPH, the COmmuNity eNgagEment for building Capacity, Trust, and Ownership of Research (CONNECTOR) is the name of the community engagement resource center and ...

Read More

How Hispanic Heritage Month Became a Thing



At Salud America!, we're excited to discuss Latino health during Hispanic Heritage Month! This annual U.S. observance, from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, celebrates the histories, backgrounds and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. How Did Hispanic Heritage Month Start? U.S. Congressmen George E. Brown and Edward R. Roybal of Los Angeles, and Henry B. Gonzales, were among those who introduced legislation on the topic in 1968. President Lyndon Johnson implemented the observance as Hispanic Heritage Week that year. U.S. Rep. Esteban E. Torres of Pico Rivera proposed the observance be expanded to cover a 31-day period. President Ronald Reagan implemented the expansion to Hispanic Heritage Month. In ...

Read More

Webinar: How to Fight El Asesino Silencioso



High blood pressure is a silent killer (el asesino silencioso in Spanish) that can spur heart disease and stroke among Latinos. We addressed heart health at UT Health San Antonio’s webinar, “How to Fight El Asesino Silencioso,” at 11 a.m. Central on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in advance of Hispanic Heritage Month. This webinar featured experts from UT Health San Antonio, the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA), and Genentech to share resources and relevant tools that Latino families and healthcare workers can use to help prevent, treat, and manage high blood pressure, also called hypertension. This is a part of a webinar series, “Let’s Improve Health in South Texas and Beyond." The series is a collaboration of the Salud America! program at the Institute for ...

Read More

Watch Our Award-Winning Bilingual Video on Clinical Trials!



Our collaborative bilingual video that focuses on Latino participation in clinical trials was a "Silver Winner" at both the 2024 W³ Awards and the 45th Annual Telly Awards! The video, created by Genentech with help from the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, the team behind Salud America!, shows why Latino participation in clinical trials is important for the future of clinical research. Clinical trials are studies with volunteers that can help researchers learn how to slow, manage, and treat different cancer and disease. “The lack of Latinos in clinical trials makes it hard for researchers to develop new treatments for this group, which suffers a heavy burden of cancer,” said Dr. Amelie Ramirez, director of Salud America! and the Institute ...

Read More

Farmers Markets Are Essential for Local Food Systems


Michelle Greigo at the dignowity hills farmers market

Does your town have a farmers market? Farmers markets are a path to healthy food access. They are especially important amid the push for nutrition security. Fortunately, the Farmers Market Coalition is stepping up to support farmers markets. They’re supporting markets and sharing how markets increase access to healthy, fresh produce and social connections, and engage farmers in the local economy. "As hubs for connection and community resilience, farmers markets have particularly risen to the occasion this year by providing a necessary sense of unity and stability during a time of great uncertainty," according to the coalition. "Farmers markets don’t just happen. The hard work of farmers market operators should be recognized." For National Farmers Market Week ...

Read More

Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez: Empowering Latino Health on CDC Podcast


Amelie-Ramirez-of-UT-Health-San-Antonio Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez Susan G. Komen Scientific Advisory Board

Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, shares insights on health on a new episode of the CDC's Listen Up! podcast series for health communicators, by health communicators. Her episode is "Not a Monolith: Empowering Latino Health." She also shares the importance of Salud America! Salud Heroes, how to take action to improve the non-medical drivers of health, and how to build trust and wellbeing within communities. Listen to Ramirez's episode. See the full Listen Up! podcast series, hosted by Dr. Betsy Mitchell in CDC’s Office of Communications. "It's family, faith, and language that are key, important ... issues to keep in mind [when sharing health messages to empower people]," Ramirez said on her episode. Dr. Ramirez & Her Health ...

Read More

Get Help Quitting Smoking for World No Tobacco Day on May 31!


quitxt quit smoking service new grant

On May 31, you can join thousands of people who will begin their smoke-free journey on World No Tobacco Day! This annual event from the World Health Organization to "draw global attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable death and disease it causes." Need help quitting smoking? 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. “On World No Tobacco Day, 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, director of the Salud America! ...

Read More

Watch Webinar: How to Support Latino Cancer Survivors



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 support, support groups, clinical trials, referrals to resources through screening for non-medical drivers of health, and more. This is a part of a webinar series, “Let’s Improve Health in South Texas and Beyond." The series is a collaboration of the Salud America! ...

Read More