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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

Brenda Garza on Breast Cancer: ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’


Brenda Garza Breast Cancer Survivor 1

By Brenda Garza Austin, Texas, Cancer Survivor I moved to Detroit, Michigan, newlywed to an engineer, in 2003. Because we moved during December we didn’t do many outdoor activities or exercise something that we used to do in Mexico all the time. Gabe and I met at a spinning class and we became boyfriend and girlfriend after few dates. We both loved the outdoors. We were very excited about new opportunity and challenge to live in a new country but we definitely weren’t ready for such long, harsh winters in North America. But once spring and summer began, we were happy doing outdoor activities like cycling. Michigan has beautiful state parks, with water, hills, hiking trails, biking trails and green vegetation, something we didn’t have in Mexico. We soon learned to ...

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These Colleges Are Best at Guiding Latino Students to Success


Education graduation excelencia in education latino student college success

Nine U.S. colleges and universities have earned the first-ever Seal of Excelencia, a voluntary certification that recognizes a school's commitment and ability to help Latino students find success. The Seal of Excelencia, created by the nonprofit Latino education group Excelencia in Education, was awarded to: Arizona State University Austin Community College (Texas) California State University Channel Islands El Paso Community College (Texas) Florida International University Grand Valley State University (Michigan) South Texas College University of Arizona University of Texas El Paso "Institutions that strive for and most particularly those that earn the Seal, have demonstrated their capacity to grow our country’s highly-skilled workforce and develop ...

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San Antonio Researchers Take Holistic Approach to Improve Life for Cancer Survivors


cancer survivor yoga exercise holistic approach

Life after cancer is not easy. Survivors face many concerns. Will my cancer come back? Have my family and work relationships changed? What do I eat and how should I get exercise? What happens if I were to die? Healthcare providers rarely focus on all these areas, together. Dr. Daniel Carlos Hughes and his research team are out to change that. Hughes, a researcher at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, the team behind Salud America!, is leading a new pilot intervention that takes a holistic approach to improve cancer survivors' quality of life, thanks to $50,000 in funding from the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio and SA Cancer Council Circle of Hope. Hughes and his team have designed a holistic intervention to optimize ...

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Kimberly Hernandez: Still Here, Living Life Fully after Breast Cancer


Kimberly Hernandez breast cancer survivor 1

By Kimberly Hernandez San Antonio Cancer Survivor One night exactly one month after my 31st birthday, I was taking off my bra getting ready for bed and felt a lump. I told my ex wife about it and told me “don’t worry, it’s probably fatty tissue”. I knew it was something more and could tell it was different. We know our bodies. The next day I called my family doctor and made an appointment. When I went in, the physician assistant felt the lump. She asked the usual questions about my age and family history. There is no family history of cancer in my family and she did not think much of it but if I wanted to pursue further testing she would set it up. We proceeded to mammograms, sonograms, x-rays, scans and biopsies within a week’s time. A lot of the time entering the ...

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Three Heroes Blazing a Path for Equitable Transportation


equitable transportation for Latino communities

Equitable transportation that is safe, affordable, and reliable can boost a person’s health and social mobility. But too often, public money pays for projects that widen historical gaps in access to transportation options for communities of color. Latinos, for example, face many transportation inequities that cut off connections to health-promoting assets─like affordable housing, green spaces, and medical care. This also makes it harder to lead healthy lives, according to a Salud America! research review, The State of Latino Housing, Transportation, and Green Space. That’s why we at Salud America! are spotlighting three Salud Heroes who are pushing forward for equitable transportation for Latinos and all people! Minerva Perez’s Free Ride Program Helps Latinos Overcome ...

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3 Big Reasons Skin Cancer is Skyrocketing among Latinos


Cáncer de Piel

Warning: This may send you running for sunscreen. The rate of melanoma—the most dangerous form of skin cancer—has risen 20% among Latinos in the past 20 years. Latino adults and kids also are more likely than their white peers to be diagnosed at an advanced stage of skin cancer. But, sadly, many Latinos don't run for sunscreen. “The belief that Hispanic people don’t have to worry about skin cancer has existed among Latinos for generations,” said Dr. Maritza Perez, a dermatologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. “They hear it from their parents and grandparents, and then they pass this belief on to their children.” Why is skin cancer rising in this darker-skinned group? What can we do about it? What Is Melanoma? Melanomas are ...

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San Antonio Researcher to Study Why Gastric Cancer Is Rising in Latinos


young man having a stomachache gastric cancer

Gastric cancer, which forms in the lining of the stomach, is more likely to afflict Latinos than whites, and in Texas is diagnosed at younger ages and less curable stages. Dorothy Long Parma wants to find out why. Long Parma, a researcher at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, the team behind Salud America!, recently received a three-year, $360,000 "Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program Career Development Award" from the U.S. Department of Defense to study the risk factors for gastric cancer in Latinos. The study will look closely at H. pylori bacterial infection, which increases risk of gastric cancer, and is common among Latinos, according to a prior study led by Long Parma. Long Parma also will examine other factors like behaviors, ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 5/28: How to Prevent Skin Cancer in Communities of Color


sunscreen apply to prevent skin cancer latino hispanic girl

Summer is here. Unfortunately, so is skin cancer risk. Too much unprotected exposure to the sun can give you more than a sun burn. Rates of melanoma—the most dangerous form of skin cancer—have skyrocketed in recent years. This rise is happening even among Latinos and other dark-skinned populations. Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, May 28, 2019, to share strategies to improve the prevention of skin cancer among Latinos and all people: WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “How to Prevent Skin Cancer in Communities of Color” TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, May 28, 2019 WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludAmerica CO-HOSTS: CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control (@CDC_Cancer); the American Academy of Dermatology ...

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