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.
Dolores Huerta taught us sí se puede—yes we can. This was Huerta's rallying cry as she inspired Latino farm workers to demand fair wages and better working conditions in the 1970s. In the decades after she co-founded the United Farm Worker's Union with César E. Chávez and made many gains for workers, she has continued to serve as a powerful voice to develop leaders and advocate for the Latino working poor, women, and children. Huerta, now 94, "travels across the country engaging in campaigns and influencing legislation that supports equality" and "speaks to students and organizations about issues of social justice and public policy," according to the Dolores Huerta Foundation. "A lot of people don’t realize that they actually can make a difference. That’s what we ...
Today, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) designated UT Health San Antonio and UT Texas Rio Grande Valley as an Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center to boost research and reduce the Alzheimer's burden among Latinos, who suffer disparities in dementia. The new center is the first in South Texas. It joins 32 other centers nationwide that are accelerating research on effective Alzheimer’s and dementia prevention, diagnostics, and treatments, and improving support for families and caregivers. Salud America! is a center partner to promote its research and clinical trials. "This federal designation by NIA will be transformational as we seek cures and provide the best possible care, based on the most up-to-date knowledge and technology, ...
Sadly, Latinos are 1.5 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than whites. Across the board, Latinos are underrepresented in clinical research. Without Latino representation in Alzheimer's clinical trials, researchers cannot find treatments that work best for this population. Researchers also must understand and address the differential role of Alzheimer's among Latinos, and the impact of alcohol, sleep deprivation, diabetes, and more. Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021, to tweet about the latest research and beneficial strategies and clinical trials to reduce Alzheimer's disease and promote better brain health among Latinos and all people! WHAT: #SaludTues: Importance of Latino Participation in Clinical Trials in Alzheimer’s Disease
TIME/DATE: ...
Combat COVID is a federal education initiative to share bilingual information and tips about vaccines, potential treatments, and clinical trials for COVID-19. A clinical trial is a research study to find a new treatment or achieve a better understand a disease. In the case of COVID-19, which has overly burdened Latinos and Blacks, clinical trials need more participants of color to ensure that COVID-19 treatments are effective for everyone. "Clinical trials are at the heart of many medical discoveries," according to the team at Combat COVID, run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "[Trials] are the key to protecting our communities now and in the future." Let's take a look at the work Combat COVID is doing.
Promoting Clinical Trails for COVID-19
Combat COVID ...
Breast cancer is the leading cause of death in Latinas. Systemic health inequities contribute to lower rates of breast cancer screening among Latinos, which leads to cancer diagnoses at later disease stages. This is why we're sharing Susan G. Komen’s 2021 ongoing webinar series on metastatic breast cancer (MBC)! The next two webinars, "MBC in the Hispanic/Latino Community," are set for 6 p.m. CT Sept. 23, 2021, in English and 6 p.m. CT Sept. 30, 2021, in Spanish. Panelists are: Dr. Filipa Lynce, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Director, Inflammatory Breast Center, Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Jose Pablo Leone, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Director, Program for Breast Cancer in Men, Harvard Medical School Panelists will foster a safe, collaborative space to discuss ...
Obesity is linked to serious health consequences. The 47% of U.S. Latinos who have obesity are at higher risk for high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and certain cancers. Now we're learning that obesity and heart factors combine to cause cognitive decline in Latinos, according to a recent study in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine. Researchers studied cognitive exams at two time points — seven years apart —from over 6,000 participants in the Study of Latinos-Investigation of Neurocognitive Aging (SOL-INCA). They also tested participants for obesity cardiometabolic abnormality, which is two or more of high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high triglycerides, and low “good” cholesterol. They found ...
Latinos are the nation's largest minority, making up 18.5% of the population. This dynamic population is also helping fuel the red-hot housing market, even amid COVID-19. "The number of Hispanic-homeowner households rose by more than 700,000 to nearly 9 million in 2020, according to Census Bureau data compiled by the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, an industry group. Those gains marked the biggest one-year increase in data on Hispanic homeownership going back two decades," the Wall Street Journal reported in April 2021. Let's explore the this surge in the Latino housing market, challenges, and the future of housing.
What's Causing the Surge in the Latino Housing Market?
The Latino homeownership rate has "increased more during the past several years ...
Latinos spend $7,167 a year caring for aging loved ones, says an AARP survey. While this is actually less than what Whites caregivers spend out of pocket a year ($7,300), the financial strain is greater because it represents almost half the income of Latino caregivers, according to the report. Currently, over 48 million Americans provide unpaid care to an adult family member or friend who has a physical health condition or a mental health issue like Alzheimer's and dementia. Most caregivers say they use their own money to look after their loved ones, like rent or mortgage payments, home modifications like wheelchair ramps, and medical costs. "About half of caregivers say they have experienced financial setbacks. This may mean they have had to curtail their spending, dip into ...
We know Latinos are 1.5 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and dementia than whites. Now a new study shows that Latinos experience slightly different signs and symptoms of dementia, with more depression and anxiety and a faster rate of functional decline than Blacks or non-Hispanic Whites, AARP reports. Anxiety and depression are risk factors for dementia. Studies have suggested anxiety and depression can cause early manifestations of abnormal protein accumulations in the brain — amyloid and tau — which lead to dementia. In the new study of 5,000 people, researchers found more anxiety among Latinos (25.6 %) than Blacks (16.3 %) or Whites (11.3 %). "We need to do a better job of making mental health services accessible for these groups, with culturally ...
