Articles by Cliff Despres

Three-Time Cancer Survivor Brings Message of Hope, Prevention to Latinos

August 21, 2014

Alma Daneshi cried as she sat in her San Diego-area oncologist’s office, traumatized by past-and-present health battles that continued to endanger her life. She had been through a brain aneurism and open-brain surgery. Then breast cancer. Then breast cancer again, followed by cervical cancer. She had lost her job managing a TGI Fridays restaurant while recovering from the aneurism and taking time off for cancer treatment. She got evicted and worried how she would care for herself and her then 12-year-old daughter. Then she learned she contracted viral meningitis during treatment. Daneshi, sitting beside her oncologist, broke down and wept. But then she got some life-changing advice. “My oncologist let me cry for a bit before she said, ‘Instead of crying, put your anger and ...

As Skin Cancer Surges among Hispanics, New Spanish-Language Resources Arise

August 14, 2014

Group Of Teenage Friends Dancing Outdoors Against Sun

Studies show a 20% increase in skin cancer rates in Hispanics, many of who are misinformed about their risk and believe they are immune to the damaging effects of sun rays, the Latin Times reports. The Skin Cancer Foundation has launched a new public education campaign to inform Hispanics about sun protection. The campaign includes a Spanish-language website with various resources, information, and potentially life-saving tips to prevent skin cancer (melanoma), advise on warning signs, and promote early detection. The campaign also is bringing Spanish-language printed and other materials to Hispanic-serving clinics, community groups, and media. "There is a misconception in the Hispanic population that they are immune to skin cancer because of their skin, and thus, they are not ...

Local Researcher Wins ‘Making a Different World’ Award

July 23, 2014

Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, has received the first-ever “Making a Different World” award from Latinas Contra Cancer for her dedication to improving health outcomes around Latino cancer. Ramirez, an internationally recognized expert in health disparities research, has spent 30 years developing unique health communication models and interventions that have helped reduce cancer rates and increase cancer screening among Latinos. She also directs the National Cancer Institute-funded Redes En Acción program, a national research network that has made big strides in research, training, and education to reduce Latino cancer. Redes is a partner of Latinas Contra Cancer, ...

San Antonio Researcher to Create New Tool to Persuade Latino Men to Get Screened for Colorectal Cancer

July 14, 2014

Colorectal Colon cancer awareness ribbon for men's health care concept with blue bow color in person's hand

Latinos are less likely than non-Latino whites to get screened for colorectal cancer, and are more likely to be diagnosed at harder-to-treat stages. Latino men, specifically, have a 17% lower screening rate than non-Latino men. That’s why Dr. Cynthia Mojica, a researcher at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, is creating a cultural- and language-relevant print-based tool to persuade Latino men to get colorectal cancer screening. Mojica’s efforts are fueled by a new grant from the Health Science Center’s Mentored Research Career Development (KL2) Program in Clinical and Translational Science. “The grant award will give me training, mentorship and research support to help me bring the community into the research ...

Aspiring Latina Doctor Works to Improve the Health of Latinas

July 10, 2014

Laredo native Jennifer Garcia-Davalos grew up on the Texas-Mexico border, where the mostly Latino population suffers high rates of obesity, diabetes, and certain cancers. She has always wanted to help reduce those disparities. That’s why Garcia-Davalos, an aspiring physician and a master’s-degree student in public health at The UT School of Public Health, interned at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. Over the past year, she helped the IHPR conduct research, mobilize community outreach, and inform, educate, and empower health in Latino communities. “My internship at the IHPR gave me tools needed to succeed in my graduate studies and my future plans in the health and medical fields,” Garcia-Davalos said. “As a ...

Study: South Texas Latinos Have Nation’s Highest Rate of Liver Cancer

July 8, 2014

Latinos in South Texas have the highest rate of liver cancer in the nation—a rate that continues to rise higher, according to a study from the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. For the study, published in the scientific journal PLoS ONE, researchers compared the newest state and federal data to pinpoint current liver cancer rates and trends. They found that Texas Latino male and female incidence rates were 3.1 and 4 times higher than their non-Latino White counterparts, and South Texas Latinos had even higher rates. In addition, liver cancer incidence rates are rising across all groups. “This clearly shows that liver cancer is not only already higher among Latinos in South Texas, but it’s rising, too. We need ...

Webinar 7/15/14: Why Cultural Competency is Vital to Population Health

July 7, 2014

You're invited to a webinar to explore cultural competency and population health. The webinar, set for 10 a.m. CST on Tuesday, July 15, 2014, is conducted by Redes En Acción, a national Latino cancer research network funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and led by the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday. Dr. J. Emilio Carrillo, leader of Redes' northeast region and a researcher at the New York Weill Cornell Medical Center and the New York-Presbyterian Community Health Plan, will explore why cultural competency is a vital to the success of population health efforts. This patient-based, cross-cultural approach helps bridge cultural barriers in the care of individual patients by recognizing ...

Webinar 7/10/14: How to Help Latinas Avoid Potentially Deadly Delays in Breast Cancer Care

June 25, 2014

Imagine that a woman's mammogram turns up an abnormality that is classified as "probably benign." Even though the chance of breast cancer is only 2-4%, a doctor typically would ask the woman to return for another screening within six months, just to be sure. If that woman was a Latina, however, delays and anxiety occur, appointments are missed and Latinas may skip subsequent screenings altogether, potentially setting the stage for confirmatory diagnoses at more advanced stages of cancer with lower survival probability. How can that be avoided? You're invited to a webinar that explores how patient navigators—trained healthcare workers who support women and help them overcome barriers related to transportation, child care, insurance coverage, language, etc.—were able to reduce those ...

Webinar 6/10/14: What Works and What Doesn’t to Reduce Health Disparities

June 10, 2014

You're invited to a webinar to explore best practices for projects to reduce cancer health disparities. The webinar, set for 11 a.m. CST on Tuesday, June 10, 2014, is conducted by Redes En Acción, a national Latino cancer research network funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and led by the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday. The webinar will feature Dr. Eliseo Perez-Stable, leader of Redes' northwest region and chief of chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center. Perez-Stable will discuss the latest evidence-based methods for developing, implementing, and evaluating interventions on health ...

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Cliff Despres

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