About the Author

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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

6 Emerging Threats to Heart Health


A nurse in blue scrubs holds a red heart in her hands, forming a heart shape around it, symbolizing care.

Heart disease is a persistent threat for many Americans, including Latinos.  As of 2022, heart disease is the leading cause of death of people living in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).   Many behaviors contribute to an increased risk for heart-related diseases, from lifestyle choices such as smoking, excessive alcohol use, physical activity, poor diet, as well as many health conditions, such as stress, obesity, and diabetes.   And researchers are still learning more about these and other risks.   In fact, let’s explore six recent studies on the relationship between physical behaviors and the risk of heart disease that you should be aware of.  1. Viral Infections Can Increase Risk for Heart Disease Viral infections, such as ...

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10 Things to Know about Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound, and Other Weight Loss Injectables


Ozempic Insulin injection pen or insulin cartridge pen for diabetics. Medical equipment for diabetes parients.

Overweight and obesity continue to be big problems in the US, impacting over 100 million Americans or nearly 40% of the US population as of 2023, according to the CDC.   The obesity epidemic is, in turn, driving up heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.  However, within the last decade, new weight loss injectables have become available to help mitigate obesity and its related risks.   These medications – such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound – have grown in popularity for their ability to cut down on potential health risks while helping people get back to a healthier weight.   But there’s still more providers and researchers are learning about these products and their health applications.   Let’s go over 10 things you should know about weight loss ...

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Research Links COVID-19 Vaccine to Cancer Survival


Happy senior woman, nurse or plaster for injection, vaccine or protection from virus germs. Elderly patient, smile or caregiver with bandage for inoculation, wellness or healthcare in retirement home

Cancer continues to be a leading cause of death for Latinos and all people in the US.  But thanks to modern medicine, which includes cancer screenings, prevention techniques, and treatments, the number of cancer survivors is on the rise.   Researchers are constantly working on new ways to mitigate and manage cancer and symptoms.   However, some of these can come from unlikely places.  For instance, researchers have found a link between the COVID-19 vaccine and the cancer immune system, according to a new publication in the journal Nature.   Let’s go over the findings and what they mean for cancer patients.  Research Findings on COVID-19 Vaccine and Cancer  The discovery was made when researchers were developing mRNA vaccines for brain tumor patients back in ...

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Yoli Day: From Stomach Cancer Survivor to Health Leader, Clinical Trial Supporter



Yolanda “Yoli” Barrera Day wasn’t aware she had stomach cancer.  Not very many do because from a health standpoint, stomach cancer looks like any other gastrointestinal ailment.   But for Yoli, stomach cancer preyed on her advancing age.   After months of suffering from symptoms such as extreme fatigue and shortness of breath, Yoli was diagnosed with gastric adenocarcinoma.  It was a diagnosis that most may deem a death sentence, but not Yoli.   Yoli was determined to make it out the other side and help others do the same by becoming a health leader and supporter for change.   Deceptive Symptoms Hiding Stomach Cancer  It was early 2021 and Yoli was feeling more tired than usual.   While the exhaustion was draining, it wasn’t enough to raise ...

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Combat Incorrect Information with this Helpful Tool


Fake news on social media. Social media manipulation and disinformation. Man using laptop computer to post on social media.

Myth: Vaccines are linked to autism.  Truth: In 1998 there was a scientific paper that linked the MMR vaccine to autism. These claims were refuted, and the paper was retracted. There have since been several other studies examining the relationship between the vaccine and autism, but no link has been found, according to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.  It’s easy to see how incorrect information is spread, disseminated, and accepted.  These falsehoods can be dangerous and, when it comes to public health, deadly.  And with social media at the epicenter of the threat of incorrect information, it’s never been more imperative to learn how to be better prepared to recognize and correct it.   That’s why mySidewalk, an online data visualization platform, ...

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Share Your Bladder, Melanoma, Ovarian, Thyroid, Lymphoma Cancer Story with Avanzando Caminos


Avanzando Caminos Banner

For the last few years, Hispanic/Latinos living in South Texas have been sharing their cancer stories with the Avanzando Caminos Hispanic/Latino Cancer Survivorship Cohort study team at UT Health San Antonio.  But up until now those stories were limited to survivors of prostate, colorectal, lung, stomach, liver, endometrial, breast, cervical, and kidney cancers.  Now it’s time for the bladder, melanoma, ovarian, thyroid, and lymphoma cancer survivors to share their journeys, too.  The Avanzando Caminos study is now enrolling participants who have completed their primary cancer treatments for one of the designated cancer types within the last 10 years.  share your story with avanzando caminos! What is the Avanzando Caminos Study?  The Avanzando Caminos Hispanic/Latino ...

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Linda Mota: Champion for Cancer Prevention and Research



On a late October night, Linda Mota woke with a start.  While her mind should have been consumed with choosing a family Halloween costume, her thoughts were elsewhere.  “I was laying down and something inside of me told me, check your side,” she said.   What Linda felt wasn’t overwhelming, but it was clear there was a small lump there, resembling the shape of a little ball.    She initially dismissed what she found, but her intuition continued to scream at her that something was amiss.  “Something inside of me told me, ‘No. you need to get checked, you need to get checked,’” she told herself.  It turned out she had breast cancer.  Linda Mota and Her Startling Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment  Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer in the ...

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WATCH: Derek Rodriguez Turns Cancer Survivorship into a Career in Research


Dr Derek Rodriguez

For Dr. Derek Rodriguez, helping survivors is more than part of the job.   It’s a calling that began when he was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of childhood cancer, when he was 8 years old.  Now, Rodriguez is helping others share their survivorship stories through his work with the Avanzando Caminos study, which aims to improve the Latino cancer survivorship journey.  Rodriguez currently serves as the program manager for the study, which is based at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio.   He is living out his dreams of being a research scientist and helping improve the lives of other survivors in his community.   “I am now serving my community as well as those that are cancer survivors, so it’s pretty much a full ...

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Survey: 1 in 6 Parents Decline Childhood Vaccine Recommendations


Shot of a doctor using a cotton ball on a little girl's arm while administering an injection in a clinic

Since their introduction in the early 1900s, vaccines have helped eradicate diseases.   For this reason, vaccines play a pivotal role in public health, especially for children, the elderly, and the immunocompromised.   However, with the invention of the internet and social media, incorrect information is quickly spread and disseminated, sowing seeds of mistrust in vaccine recommendations. This leads to questions over vaccine research, production, and administration.  What's more, the widespread misinformation about vaccines has caused outbreaks of previously eradicated diseases such as measles, making vaccine uncertainty a serious threat to public health.   In fact, in a recent survey conducted by KFF in collaboration with the Washington Post, 1 in 6 US parents have ...

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