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Catherine Stewart

Catherine Stewart is a digital content curator for Salud America! and its home base, the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio. She is a graduate of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland College Park, and hopes to utilize her skills to help people find their voices and inspire change in their communities.

Articles by Catherine Stewart

Nuts and Bolts Program Gives Researchers Tools for Success


Woman watching online video course, training conference inside office at workplace. Office worker in headphones using laptop for remote meeting, writing data in notebook

From recruiting study participants to seeking approval from a university’s Institutional Review Board (IRB), there are so many facets of clinical research.   When considering how to navigate it, look no further than the University of Texas at Austin’s Dell Medical School's  Nuts and Bolts of Executing a Clinical or Population Research Study virtual series.  This series aims to help researchers achieve research success by giving them the tools they need to make a positive impact in healthcare.  About the ‘Nuts and Bolts’ Program   The series consists of one-hour discussion forums spanning several topics aligned with running a clinical or population research study.    Previous topics include recruitment and retention, navigating IRBs, HIPAA ...

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Webinar: Difference in Density: Why it Matters for Your Breast Health



Do you have dense breasts?  Half of US women have dense breasts, but many don’t even know it or know how it impacts their breast health.  Watch UT Health San Antonio’s webinar on breast density, mammography, “Difference in Density: Why it Matters for Your Breast Health,” at 12 p.m. Central on Wednesday, January 28, 2026.  This webinar featured experts from the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio, a breast cancer survivor with firsthand experience with dense breasts, and a representative from the Susan G. Komen foundation.   Together, they discussed how to talk to your doctor about dense breasts and the steps you should take to monitor your breast health following a dense breast diagnosis.  With this knowledge, patients can feel empowered to talk to ...

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Top 10 Stories Driving the Health of Latinos and All People in 2025


Top 10 Stories Driving Latino Health in 2025

2025 was filled with plenty of ups and downs in the world of health for Latinos and all people.   However, there were some significant highs that drove health in 2025.  For instance, 2025 gave us two campaigns that put readers in the driver’s seat of country-wide change and Salud America! received several opportunities to help make a difference in the lives of all people.  But most of all this year gave us hope in the form of stories of survivorship and perseverance.   Here were the top 10 stories driving Latino Health in 2025.   1. Linda Mota Shares Her Breast Cancer Survivorship Story Breast cancer was the last thing on Linda Mota’s mind.  She was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer — a disease that greatly affected her ...

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March of Dimes Report Card: US Scores Low on Preterm Birth Rates for Fourth Year


New mother in hospital gown breastfeeding newborn baby while holding closely. Both mother and baby are sharing a tender bonding moment

Last year, the US earned a D+ for preterm birth on the March of Dimes Report Card.   The March of Dimes Report Card is an annual report that signifies where states and the rest of the country are in terms of infant and maternal mortality and morbidity.   This year, the US is following up its last poor rating with another D+, making it the fourth consecutive year the country has earned the substandard score.   Of the births that occurred in the US in 2024, nearly 380,000 babies were born preterm, accounting for every 1 in 10 births, according to the report.   Let’s take a closer look at the March of Dimes Report Card and what it means for infant and maternal health in the US.   Preterm Births in the US  March of Dimes, which pushes for better maternal and infant ...

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Spanish-Language Lactation Resource Aims to Help Mothers Breastfeed Their Babies


A smiling woman doctor pediatrician cuddles a cute baby girl on her cheek while her mother holding her.

Breastfeeding has many health benefits for both mothers and babies.   For mothers, breastfeeding can help speed up the recovery process after birth, reduce long-term health risks, including breast and ovarian cancers, and help with postpartum weight loss due to the extra calories being burned.   For infants, breastfeeding contains optimal nutrition for immune protection from illnesses helps with brain development, and reduces risks of chronic health conditions like obesity.   Unfortunately, without access to Spanish-language lactation resources, too many Latinas give up breastfeeding too soon.  That’s where the Mama Sana Program comes into play.  The program offers mothers Spanish-language support to help them navigate the difficult journey that is ...

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8 Things You Need to Know about Breast Density and Cancer


Breast Density

Breast cancer is a common cancer affecting US women, including Latinas.  While breast cancer is very treatable, many Latinas get diagnosed at later stages when the cancer has already spread, resulting in a higher risk of death.   The best way to detect breast cancer early is by getting your annual mammogram.  However, many women, including Latinas, have dense breast tissue, making it harder to conduct a mammogram and detect cancer.   Here are eight things you need to know about breast density and cancer.  1. Dense Breasts Occur When There is Less Fat than Tissue The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) defines dense breasts as a measure of how two types of breast tissue found in the breast compared to the amount of fat tissue.   Dense breasts are categorized ...

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UT San Antonio Alzheimer’s and Aging Center Teams Up with Salud America! to Deliver Latino Health Resources


Adult Son Comforting Father Suffering With Dementia

UT San Antonio is shining a light on Alzheimer’s disease with a new research center to study an aging Latino population, the university announced in UT San Antonio Today.  Funding for the center, called the San Antonio Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) Population Aging and Social Studies (CAPAS), was made available through a grant program from the National Institute on Aging.   CAPAS seeks to bridge the gap in Alzheimer’s research by aligning experts in demography, neuropsychology, biology, economics and public health across UT San Antonio’s campuses, including its Health Science Center.  UT San Antonio experts will be working alongside experts from other institutes, such as the Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative ...

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Podcast: Building a Community of Survivors with Avanzando Caminos and Debbie’s Dream Foundation


Debbie's Dream Foundation From the Gut Podcast

Now comprising 20% of the US population, Latinos are among the fastest-growing populations in the country.   They are also afflicted with some of the highest rates of cancer, especially cancers with lower survival rates like stomach cancer.   In honor of Stomach Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! and a cancer health researcher at the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio, and Dr. Derek Rodriguez, a research scientist at UT Health San Antonio, appeared on the Debbie’s Dream Foundation From the Gut podcast.  In the podcast’s fourth episode, the pair of cancer researchers focused on the Avanzando Caminos Hispanic/Latino Cancer Survivorship Cohort Study and the importance of creating a community of ...

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Liver Cancer Innovation Advances Early Detection


Blood test sample for Tumor markers test for diagnosis cancer

Liver cancer, one of the fastest growing causes of cancer-related deaths in the US, affects many people in the South Texas area with its large Latino population.  That is why researchers are working hard to improve early detection of liver cancer.  Exact Sciences, the company responsible for Cologuard, a popular brand of colorectal at-home testing kits, announced new findings on its new blood test that aims to detect early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is a common form of liver cancer, according to a company news release.  Let’s explore the new findings can benefit the health of Latinos and all people.   Early Liver Cancer Detection  Exact Sciences’ liver cancer blood test, Oncoguard, has been in clinical testing.  The new test results show that the product ...

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