Do you smoke cigarettes and want to quit? On Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, you can join thousands of people who will begin their smoke-free journey with the Great American Smokeout, an annual quitting event. To get help, enroll in Quitxt, a free English or Spanish texting service that turns your phone into a personal “quit smoking” coach from UT Health San Antonio. To join Quitxt, text “iquit” (for English) or “lodejo” (for Spanish) to 844-332-2058. And, if you’re in the San Antonio area, visit the “Mega Lung,” a giant model of a human lung that shows the importance of the respiratory system’s most vital organ.
Step Inside the Mega Lung
The MEGA Lung is open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, at the Neighborhood Place cafeteria, 3014 Rivas Street, San ...
We know smokers have an increased risk of dementia. Now new research suggests that quitting smoking, even after later in life, can slow cognitive decline. Researchers from the University College of London collected data from more than 9,000 participants ages 40 and older across 12 countries. “They matched people who had quit smoking with continuing smokers according to their starting cognitive scores and other characteristics, including sex, age, education level and birth country,” according to NPR. Results showed verbal fluency declined at a rate roughly half for those who quit smoking compared to that of their smoking counterparts. For memory, the decline was reduced by 20%. Let’s dive deeper into this study and what this can mean for those who quit smoking.
Why ...
One quarter (25%) of all Latino children live in doubled-up households, according to new data from the National Research Center on Hispanic Children and Families (NRCHCF). Doubled-up households are “those in which children live in households with their parents(s) and with other adults, who can include other relatives (e.g., a grandparent) and those who are unrelated,” according to NRCHCF. Let’s dig deeper into what this means and how it impacts families. Latino Family Households by the Numbers According to NRCHCF research, doubling up with a grandparent is the most common among such arrangements, with 15% of Hispanic/Latino children live with a parent and a grandparent. Additionally, 7% of Latino children live with a parent and some other extended family member, ...
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 ...
Cancer survivors and community leaders are helping advance patient-centered research outcomes across South Texas through the Creando Conexiones Virtual Forum. This virtual forum, which occurred at 1 p.m. Central on Oct. 30, 2025, is part of the “Creando Conexiones: Cancer Health Research Agenda” project at UT Health San Antonio, which is funded by an award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Expert panelists from Mays Cancer Center, UT San Antonio, Blue Faery, Hope at Heart Foundation, cancer survivors and caregivers, and more discussed the top research priorities on cervical cancer, liver cancer, and pediatric leukemia in South Texas. Panelists also explored the significance and vision of how this research can be conducted alongside survivors and ...
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! and cancer health researcher at the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio, will receive the 2025 Sedgwick Memorial Medal for Distinguished Service in Public Health from the American Public Health Association (APHA). The award recognizes Ramirez's work in public health, which spans more than 30 years, and is a powerful testament to the legacy of the late Dr. Sedgwick. Ramirez and other APHA awards will be honored Monday, Nov. 3, 2026, during APHA’s 2025 Annual Meeting and Expo. "We celebrate the accomplishments and commitment of [Dr. Ramirez and] these outstanding public health leaders," said Dr. Georges Benjamin, APHA leader, in a statement. "Their contributions have helped strengthen the field and provide inspiration as we ...
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 ...
The month of October is Health Literacy Month, making it a great time to explore equitable health resources for Latinos and all people. Health Literacy Month was founded by Helen Osborne, M.Ed, OTR/L in 1999. Today, Helen works to helps professionals communicate health information in ways that patients and the public can understand. “By collectively working to improve health literacy, we’ll create a more equitable world where everyone can access high-quality care and achieve positive health outcomes,” according to the Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA). Let’s dig deeper into the importance of Health Literacy Month and how you can take action for health literacy.
What is Health Literacy?
Health literacy can be defined in two ways, personal and organizational ...
For seniors and other immunocompromised individuals, the best way to protect against severe effects from COVID-19 is to stay up-to-date with the CDC's vaccine recommendations and available treatments. But antivirals are underused. That's why our friends at CVEEP have resources to help protect against infectious respiratory diseases across the lifespan. CVEEP recently featured Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! and cancer health researcher at the Mays Cancer Center at the University of Texas at San Antonio Health Science Center, in a radio campaign for early treatment. The campaign, in English and Spanish, aired on 899 stations and generated 45.2 million impressions. "Please don't wait. Early treatment [of respiratory illnesses] makes a big difference," ...
