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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

Angelika Gutierrez: Helping Solve Puerto Rican Health Disparities


Angelika Gutierrez

When she needed more money to support her own private-school education, Angelika Gutierrez became the youngest teller at a New Jersey bank at age 16. That’s how hard Gutierrez will work to achieve her goals. Now, buoyed by her resilient upbringing by her abuelita (grandma), the Ecuadorian-Puerto Rican went on to become a first-generation college graduate and now is a master-degree public health student at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health. Gutierrez has a passion for studying the U.S.-Puerto Rico relationship’s effect on Puerto Rican health disparities, and strengthening the health systems in Latin America. That’s why she applied for the Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program, which recruits 25 master’s-level students and professionals ...

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For Latino Smokers, Quitting is about Family, Culture


Quitxt Quit Smoking

Beatrice, a Latina mom of two, quit smoking in her late 30s. Her sons were her inspiration. “When my son was 11, he wrote me a letter and in it he asked me to quit smoking,” said Beatrice, who started smoking at age 7, in a video segment on why she quit. “And when I was going through the process of quitting, that letter was very motivating for me. I want to be here for my family.” Beatrice, who tells her story in the CDC’s Tips From Former Smokers video series, is an example of how campaigns can encourage Latinos to quit smoking by focusing on cultural differences, language, and the importance of family, experts say, according to a report by American Heart Association News. Smoking rates vary among Latino ethnic groups. Although smoking rates are lower among U.S. ...

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One Surefire Way to Increase Latino Participation in Solving Cancer


The 2014 Éxito! program graduates

Jose Ramos never gives up. He learned how to persevere from his mother, who survived breast cancer. So, after becoming the first in his family to graduate high school and college, Ramos is aiming high for an MD/PhD. He is currently studying global disease as a master’s student at Columbia University. He has an internship with the Brazilian Health Association to work on community-based cancer and disease research. Last year, he took another big step—he applied for Éxito!. Today Ramos is among two-dozen 2016 grads of the Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program, which annually recruits 25 master’s-level students and professionals for a five-day summer institute and internship opportunities to encourage pursuit of doctoral degrees and careers studying ...

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Rosie Salazar: Making People Smile (and Improving Their Health)


Rosie Salazar

Rosie Salazar has a keepsake L.A. Dodgers apron that reminds her of her mother’s love for family and cooking—and her fight against breast cancer. Even undergoing treatment for cancer, her mom tried hard to cook, clean, and remain strong. Salazar took that lesson of strength and turned it into a positive life outlook and tries to always make people laugh and smile. Now she’s aiming to apply her attitude to solving health and obesity issues. Salazar, who earned a bachelor’s degree in health science at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) in 2006, worked in the emergency medical field for five years. Treating patients with chronic diseases inspired her to create health promotion programs, and she obtained her master’s degree in public health, too. Salazar ...

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27,054 Say: Mark the Way to Fruits & Veggies!


food at grocery store latino kids

Families want healthy food choices where they shop. In fact, more than 27,000 people signed our Salud America! letter campaign to ask grocery stores to use labels, floor arrows, and other marketing strategies to promote fruit and veggie options for Latino families. “As a shopper, I know the marketing ploys used by groceries to entice me,” Myrna Mendez, resident of Bloomfield, Mich., wrote in her letter to grocers. “All we're asking for is to use those same marketing skills to promote fruits and vegetables for a healthier nation." We’ve delivered all 27,000 letters to the leadership of these grocery store associations: Alabama Grocers Association Arkansas Grocers and Retail Merchants Association Arizona Food Marketing Alliance California Grocers Association ...

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Jacklyn Samano: Persistence Pays Off


Jacklyn Samano

Growing up, Jacklyn Samano’s mother insisted that she practice her Spanish and made her write things over and over until she got it right. That lesson of persistence is paying off for Samano. Samano, who dreams of one day leading her own public health research center and discovering ways to incorporate a better quality of care to help Latino families lead healthier lives, already has made great strides toward her goal. The Los Angeles native earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2013. She spent her undergraduate years working with teams like Chicanos for Community Medicine, UCLA Pediatric Neurology, and Senior Smiles. Now, as a master’s student in public health at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 2/7: Our Heart Loves Physical Activity


latina girls jump play

Physical activity = positive heart health. Physical inactivity = negative heart health. These things are scientifically true, regardless of your weight status. So, to reduce heart disease among Latinos, we need to redefine the role of physical activity for lifelong health. Let's use #SaludTues on Feb. 7, 2017, to tweet about how daily physical activity—walking, dancing, biking, gardening, swimming, doing yoga—can benefit our hearts: WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Our Heart Loves Physical Activity” TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017 WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludToday CO-HOSTS: @AHA_Vida (Vida Saludable); @Voices4HK (Voices for Healthy Kids); and @americawalks (America Walks) OPTIONAL HASHTAGS: ...

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How to Help Latinos with Parkinson’s Disease


definition of Parkinson's disease

An amazing program is reaching out to help Arizona Latinos who are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, which affects Latinos at twice the rate as other minorities. The program is part of the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center in Phoenix. They center has Spanish-speaking promotores visit Parkinson's patients in their homes to provide education and support across 13 visits. They also offer fitness classes, support and choir groups, painting workshops, and caregiver training classes, Cronkite News reports. Why are these services so important? Many Latinos lack proper access to health care and information about Parkinson's disease—a neurological condition that affects movement or balance—and lack resources to begin treatment and improve living conditions, Claudia Martinez of the ...

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Noemi Fernandez: Seeking Social Justice for Minorities


Noemi Fernandez

Why do social injustices occur? Noemi Fernandez, who is interested in tackling the reasons for social justice issues, desires to improve health and empower the Latino community. Fernandez is a first-generation Mexican-American bilingual student. She grew up in a predominantly low-income Latino community. With the guidance and support of her older sister and parents who taught her pride in their Latino culture, she gained experience in social work and started working on mental health issues, particularly sexual trauma, among minority groups. She earned her MSW, too. Fernandez also applied for the Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program, which recruits 25 master’s-level students and professionals for a five-day Summer Institute to promote doctoral degrees ...

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