More than 100,000 people are waiting for a life-changing organ transplant in the US, according to the American Heart Association. The stark reality is that nearly 23% of those on the transplant candidate waiting list are Latino — that’s one out of every five people. In fact, 59% of all transplant candidates on the waiting list are Black, Latino, or Asian. These populations are disproportionately affected by chronic diseases, leading to the need for a transplant. In 2023, Latinos received 8,540 of the over 46,000 transplants performed, including 580 hearts, according to the American Heart Association. Despite the number of transplants performed and Latinos on the waiting list, organ donation remains low in the Latino community.
Latino Organ ...
Of course, no one wants to hear they have cancer. But if you or someone in your familia has a brain tumor, it is natural to wonder what life will look like. This is what we call “quality of life” (QoL), or an individual’s sense of well-being and ability to enjoy and participate in life. “For those living with a brain tumor, QoL may encompass a wide range of physical, psychosocial, and emotional concerns stemming from loss of functionality and changes in personality,” according to the National Brain Tumor Society (NBTS). From rehabilitation to mental health to return-to-work resources, let’s dive deeper into QoL and what it means for someone with a brain tumor. Access this resource in Spanish!
Facing a Brain Tumor Diagnosis
A brain tumor or other cancer ...
Por supuesto, nadie quiere escuchar que tiene cáncer. Pero si usted o alguien en su familia tiene un tumor cerebral, es normal pensar cómo será la vida con este diagnóstico. Esto es lo que llamamos “calidad de vida”, o el bienestar y capacidad para disfrutar y participar en la vida. “Para aquellos con un tumor cerebral, la calidad de vida puede incluir un rango amplio de dificultades físicas, psicológicas/sociales, y emocionales relacionadas a la pérdida de ciertas funciones y cambios de personalidad” según la Sociedad Nacional de Tumores Cerebrales (NBTS/SNTC). Desde la rehabilitación hasta la salud mental y recursos para volver al trabajo, profundicemos en la calidad de vida y qué significa para alguien con un tumor cerebral.
Enfrentando un ...
In recent years, researchers have made a larger effort to tap into previously underrepresented communities, such as communities of color, to create more inclusive research that benefits everyone. But many people still have deep-rooted mistrust of research. And not all researchers who work with these communities end up bringing the benefits of their research back to boost the health of those communities. The PATIENTS Program at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy is attempting to rewrite the narrative and give researchers, patients, caregivers, and others the tools to provide a continuous patient-centered approach to research. The PATIENTS Professors Academy is a free, virtual training course centered around improving health equity and the health outcomes ...
For the last several years, the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) All of Us Research Program has endeavored to collect the health data of over 1 million Americans to ensure healthcare works for all of us. Are they close to 1 million participants? How has it helped boost research? Let’s look at five notable milestones the program has reached in its mission to build a health data network that looks like all of us. 1. Increasing the Diversity of Research Participation With help from local community partnerships, including UT Health San Antonio, across the country, over 790,000 people nationwide have decided to join the program’s expansive and inclusive research network, the program announced in a recent news release. In addition, over 540,000 ...
Many Latino children have pressing mental health needs but are not getting adequate mental health care, studies have shown. COVID-19 didn’t help, either. The pandemic heightened social isolation, dependence on smartphones and social media, and mental health issues among young people. Meanwhile, opportunities declined for physical activity – a proven method for treating disorders such as depression and anxiety. Loss of physical activity can harm physical, emotional, social, and mental health. This is why a PhD student at Michigan State University is offering a free online program geared to increasing physical activity to improve mental health in Latino children between the ages of 7 and 11.
About the Physical Activity Program
The program is part of a ...
El soldado del Ejército Estadunidense,Tony Rentas, oriundo/originario de Puerto Rico, quien había soñado toda su vida con servir en el Ejército, sufrió una convulsión durante una misión en Kosovo. A Tony le diagnosticaron un glioma de bajo grado, un tipo raro de tumor cerebral. No tenía ni idea de lo que era un glioma de bajo grado. Así que empezó a buscar en Google. Encontró poco que le ayudará a entender este diagnóstico y lo que significaba para él y su familia, y aún menos estaba disponible en español. Por eso Tony está compartiendo su historia y participando en el Registro Internacional de Glioma de Bajo Grado, que tiene como objetivo aprender más sobre las mejores formas de tratar estos tumores en diferentes grupos de personas, incluyendo a miembros ...
U.S. Army soldier Tony Rentas, a native of Puerto Rico who dreamed of serving in the military all his life, had a seizure while on a mission in Kosovo. Tony was diagnosed with a low grade glioma, a rare type of brain tumor. He had no idea what a low grade glioma was. So, he started Googling. He found little that helped him understand this diagnosis and what it meant for him and his familia, and even less was available in Spanish. That is why Tony is sharing his story and participating in the International Low Grade Glioma Registry, which hopes to learn more about the best ways to treat these tumors across different groups of people, including members of the Hispanic/Latino community. “One of the biggest things that I wanted to do is help people as much as I can,” Tony ...
Durante su niñez en Puerto Rico, Tony Rentas soñaba con unirse al ejército de Estados Unidos. Quería servir a su país, dar un buen ejemplo a su hijo, y asegurarse que su familia tuviera el cuidado adecuado. En el 2009, se unió al Ejército de los Estados Unidos, haciendo realidad su sueño. Tony ejerció como especialista de inteligencia militar. A lo largo de una docena de años, fue desplegado dos veces, viajó alrededor del mundo, formó grandes amistades, experimentó diferentes culturas, ayudó a personas y proveyó para su familia. Luego, obtuvo una desgarradora noticia. Después de sufrir una convulsión del lóbulo temporal, Tony, -esposo y padre de dos hijos- fue diagnosticado con un glioma de bajo grado, un tipo de tumor cancerígeno en el cerebro, en junio del ...
