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Arely Perez

Perez received her Master’s degree in Health and Kinesiology at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Currently, she is project coordinator for the Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at UT San Antonio, the team behind the Salud America! program. Éxito! aims to increase the number of Latinos who pursue doctoral degrees and cancer research. Since joining the IHPR in 2012, her research focus has been on cancer survivorship and cancer health disparities.

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Articles by Arely Perez

Sonia Fragoso: Giving Back and Helping Latinos


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Sonia Fragoso developed a passion to help other people thanks to her parents, who gave up their own desires and worked hard to give her and her siblings a better life. Now Fragoso gives back and helps out every chance she gets. For example, she spent her high school and college careers tutoring and mentoring underprivileged students, as well as the homeless. This also sparked her interest in STEM and pursuing public health as a career. Fragoso now works as a research assistant in analytical research and pathogen laboratories at UT Health San Antonio. She aims to bridge gaps in personalized medicine, and tailor medications to benefit the Latino population. To further her training and education, Fragoso applied for the Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. ...

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Iris Guzman: Caring Nature Drives a Desire to Boost Public Health


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What’s better than waking up to an encouraging text message? Iris Guzman, thanks in part to supportive texts each morning from her father and her experiences as a first-generation Mexican-American, has developed a similar caring nature for the health and welfare of Latinos. Guzman, who is from Nayarit, Mexico, is currently a second-year master’s-degree student in public health at UCLA’s Department of Community Health Sciences. She has a consistent desire to research the social, cultural, and environmental determinants of health. Particularly, she wants to study these determinants in order to reduce and eliminate health inequities in the Latino population. To further her training and education, Guzman applied for the Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training ...

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Claudia Sanchez Lucas: Curiosity to Improve Latino Minds


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Claudia Sanchez Lucas is described by many as humble, a trait learned from her mom and dad. Lucas is also strong and resilient, with a passion for helping people. Lucas has powerful curiosity that can one day help her push science in brave new directions. She’s growing her passion and curiosity as a master’s degree student in public health epidemiology at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, where she also earned a bachelor’s degree in health studies. She is excited to learn more about cancer epidemiology and neuroepidemiology, perhaps envisioning new interventions to stimulate brain health to help talented people maximize their mental capabilities even further. To further her training and education, Lucas applied for the Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership ...

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Paulina Monteon-Garcia: Teaching Health for a Better Life


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As a mother to her beautiful son, Paulina Monteon-Garcia realizes how far her parents went to help her have a better life. She wants to do the same for her son. Monteon-Garcia is well on her way, because she has a giving spirit and a desire to promote health for her family and the local population, through her work as outreach coordinator for the COACH for Kids and Their Families program in Los Angeles. The program uses mobile units to provide free medical services to underserved children and families across the city. Growing up in Riverside, Calif., Monteon-Garcia saw the need for culturally appropriate programs, and better health education and resources for low-income communities. That’s why she is a part of the COACH for Kids program, and why she has also worked with ...

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Cynthia Ortiz: Taking a Closer Look at the Causes of Disease


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Like the focus and dedication her grandmother put into delicately crafting her beautiful hand stitched napkin, Cynthia Ortiz has what it takes to excel as a researcher. Ortiz, a Dallas native, is a population science research assistant at UT Southwestern Medical Center and an MPH candidate in the Department of Epidemiology at the UT Health Science Center School of Public Health in Dallas. Having worked as a laboratory researcher and a high school biology teacher, this future epidemiologist is determined to find answers to the underlying causes of chronic disease. Ortiz has seen firsthand the effects that working night shifts can have on one’s health and hopes to study the relationship that this has to chronic disease. To further her training and education, Ortiz applied for the ...

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Filiberto Leon: Helping Latinos toward Healthier Lifestyles


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Following in the footsteps of his selfless parents, Filiberto Leon is always there with advice or help whenever you need him. He wants to help so badly, in fact, he’s seeking a master’s degree is to help more people. Leon, originally born in Mexico, came to the United States when he was 1 year old. He worked hard and became not only the first in his family to attend college, but also the first to get a degree when he earned his bachelor’s degree in health at UT San Antonio (UTSA) in Health May 2016. He then applied to the graduate school at UTSA, got accepted, and started in fall 2017. Leon, who loves playing basketball, soccer, tennis, and anything outdoors, wants to create an environment where physical activity is part of the Latino culture. He wants to reduce the Latino ...

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Geraldine Massuh: An Emerging Leader for Latino Health


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A great leader must have tremendous understanding, and a keen ability to see from other people’s perspectives. Geraldine Massuh is such a leader. Massuh, spurred to reduce public health disparities by her experiences as a first-generation bilingual daughter growing up in Queens, New York, has taken big leadership roles in improving healthcare quality for Latinos and all people by promoting cultural competence, workforce diversity, and mentoring. Massuh, who earned her master’s degree in public health in health policy and management from Columbia University in 2016, is currently a healthcare management and diversity strategist, currently consulting on nationwide projects for CulturaLink on linguistic and cultural competence and diversity and inclusion in the workforce in ...

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Sheila Mota: Transforming Healthcare Delivery for the Underserved


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Sheila Mota is the embodiment of resiliency. The Utah native has overcome a debilitating illness and the loss of her father to cancer, and is now committed to improving the delivery of healthcare and increasing the quality of life of those who “grew up on the wrong side of the train tracks.” She is a master’s-degree student in public health and healthcare administration at the University of Utah. She also is a health educator at the Health Advocate and Interactive Health, Inc., and is a certified medical assistant at Granger Medical Clinic in West Valley, Utah. She already has experience in front-line patient care and the design and implementation of programs to address health promotion and wellness, especially among the underserved. To further her training and ...

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Araceli Guzman: Making a Difference for Latino Health


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Araceli Guzman wants to make a difference for the Latino community. The California native is off to a good start. Guzman recently became her family’s first college graduate after earning a bachelor’s degree in public health promotion at California State University of Northridge. Now she is working on a master’s degree in public health, and gaining valuable research experience helping Latinos with disaster preparedness and working with Latinos in a reproductive health clinic. To further her training and education, Guzman applied for the Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. The program, led by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez at UT Health San Antonio with support from the National Cancer Institute, recruits 25 master’s-level students and professionals each ...

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