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Pramod Sukumaran

Sukumaran completed a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology and an MPH in Population Health Analytics. He curates content for Salud America! on family support and health projects at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at UT Health San Antonio. His emphases is on the latest research, reports and resources related to various disease and policies, to improve Latino health.

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Articles by Pramod Sukumaran

Avocados Help Latino Families Eat Healthier, Says Study


avocados for healthy latino families

Avocados are a key part of a nutritious diet for Latino families, according to new research from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science. Researchers compared Latinos families who consumed a few avocados (three per week) and families who consumed a lot of avocados (14 per week) along with a standard nutrition intervention over six months. Latino families who ate more avocados reported consuming fewer calories, saturated fats, and sodium, which are major contributors to obesity among Latinos. They also had healthier hearts in terms of structure and function “Recent trials have focused on individuals, primarily adults, and limited to changes in cardiometabolic disease blood markers. ...

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Restrictions on Flavored Tobacco Products Can Help Youths Quit Smoking


Flavored Tobacco Products

This week is the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout. This observance emphasizes the need to stop youths from smoking or help them quit smoking. One thing that is working is flavored tobacco bans or restrictions. "Policies that restrict the sale of flavored tobacco have the potential to curb youth tobacco use in as few as 6 months," according to a recent study from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and RAND Corporation. Let's explore how leaders are addressing youth use of flavored tobacco products. What Did a Massachusetts Study Reveal about Flavored Tobacco Bans? A 2019 Massachusetts and RAND Corporation study evaluated the short-term impact of a flavored tobacco restriction policy on youth access to, and use of, flavored tobacco products in Lowell, ...

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The Latest on Alzheimer’s Disease Is Now Available in Spanish!


Alzheimers disease website dementia latinos spanish espanol

Did you know that every 65 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s disease? This number is most troubling for Latinos and women. Latinos overall are 1.5 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than their White peers. Two-thirds of Alzheimer’s patients are women. Latinas are at higher risk than non-Latinas. In response, the federal government created a website, Alzheimers.gov, for dementia information, resources, and clinical trials. Now that website is also in Spanish at Alzheimers.gov/es! Each website has: Information about Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. Knowledge and resources for caregivers and people living with dementia. Clinical trials and studies that people can join to help advance ...

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Take a Survey: Latinos, How Has COVID-19 Impacted You?



The Rutgers Community Health Justice Lab is inviting Latinos to complete this brief anonymous survey to understand the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on Latino health. The survey, which takes 45 minutes to complete, is available in Spanish and English. You can also enter a raffle for one of five $100 gift cards. "Understanding how Hispanics and Latinos have been impacted by the COVID pandemic is critical to guide efforts in reducing health inequity," according to survey creators Pamela Valera and Humberto Baquerizo and their team at Rutgers University. Why Latinos Should Participate in this COVID-19 Survey? COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted the Latino community. COVID-19 pandemic is worsening historical inequities among racial/ethnic minorities. “This is robbing ...

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Jeraldine Ortiz: Finding Life Through a Breast Cancer Clinical Trial


Jeraldine Ortiz Breast Cancer Survivor Clinical Trial featured

Jeraldine Ortiz knows that breast cancer is tough for Latinas. Breast cancer is the top cause of Latina death. This stems from cultural barriers to care, low screening rates, and low participation in clinical trials studies trying to find better treatments. This is why Ortiz, when diagnosed with breast cancer, volunteered for a clinical trial. Today, after more than 15 years as a cancer survivor, Ortiz said she strongly believes her participation in a clinical trial at UT Health San Antonio helped her get better treatment and better quality of life in her post-cancer journey. “Clinical trials give the opportunity to better treatment for all populations," Ortiz said. "We have a better future." Ortiz Chooses a Breast Cancer Clinical Trial In 2006, Ortiz was diagnosed with ...

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Alma Lopez: Better Health Through a Breast Cancer Clinical Trial


Alma Lopez-breast-cancer-clinical-trial

Breast cancer is the top cause of death for Latinas. But Alma Lopez has been a breast cancer survivor for more than 15 years. She believes participating in a clinical trial at UT Health San Antonio helped her get better treatment and better long-term health in her survivorship journey. “Clinical trials are great for finding new treatments that help people,” Lopez said. “And it helps the scientists. It gives opportunity to better medication for all populations. It builds a better future.” Lopez Chooses a Breast Cancer Clinical Trial About 15 years ago, Lopez was diagnosed with breast cancer. Lopez began weighing her treatment options. At first, she had doubts about whether to volunteer for a clinical trial. She thought it might take too much time, or cause ...

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Survey: Childcare, Logistics Hold Back Latinas from Breast Cancer Clinical Trials


Cancer Screening Latino clinical trials

Simple logistics—availability, childcare, and time—stop some Latinas and other women of color from volunteering for breast cancer clinical trials, according to a new survey. The survey, led by For The Breast of Us, an online breast cancer survivor community, and Sommer Consulting, found that the anticipated time demands of a clinical trial may appear "too intimidating." Most women of color struggle with multiple demands in their lives. The perceived or real logistics of participating in a clinical trial could make it harder. One respondent said: “You still have to worry about how am I going to run my household, especially as a woman of color, who typically a lot of times are single-family or single-parent households." "The results of this survey demonstrate how ...

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Over 2 Million U.S. Teens Use E-cigarettes, a Huge Public Health Concern


Latino teens e-cigs vaping smoking tobacco 21

Over 2 million U.S. teens say they use e-cigarettes, according to a new survey released by FDA and CDC. The study, which found that a quarter of these teens reported they vape daily, was based on data from the 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey, a cross-sectional, self-administered survey of U.S. middle- and high-school students. "The use of tobacco products by youths in any form, including e-cigarettes, is unsafe. Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, and nicotine exposure during adolescence can harm the developing brain," according to the FDA and CDC survey report, published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Key Report Findings on Youth E-cigarette Use In 2021, 11.3% of high-school (1.72 million) and 2.8% (320,000) of middle-school students reported current e-cigarette ...

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Ellen Ochoa: The First Latina Astronaut to Go into Space



In 1993, Ellen Ochoa became the first Latina person in space. She logged nearly 1,000 hours in orbit across four space missions, studying the Earth's ozone layer. She would later become the NASA Johnson Space Center’s first Latina director and only its second female director. "At the time, it was really a personal thing," Ochoa told TODAY. "It was something I was very excited to participate in, and I loved working with the team and with my crew and doing work that was important to understanding changes in the atmosphere." "I realized the mission had repercussions well beyond that. I had the opportunity to talk to a lot of student groups, I was featured in children's books, textbooks – I'm just really grateful there was this whole extra dimension to that flight beyond the ...

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