Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! and cancer health researcher at the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio, has been selected for the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA). The award honors individuals who have "demonstrated a significant and lasting impact on improving the lives of older adults, particularly Hispanic older adults," by promoting health and building healthy communities. Ramirez will receive the award at the 2025 NHCOA Awards Ceremony on Dec. 18, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Watch the livestream of the award ceremony. "I am truly humbled to be selected," Ramirez said. "NHCOA’s work is deeply meaningful, and to be recognized by an organization so dedicated to advancing the well-being and dignity of our ...
The Salud America! program, led by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez of UT Health San Antonio, has received the National Health Award from the National Association of Medical Spanish (NAMS) and the Medical Organization for Latino Advancement (MOLA). The award was given during the MOLA-NAMS Annual Conference in November 2025 in San Antonio. "I am truly humbled and honored to accept this recognition on behalf of our Salud America! program, and the countless storytellers, community leaders, and cancer survivors who walk with us on this journey toward better health for all people," Ramirez said. Ramirez launched Salud America! in 2007 to create data-driven news report, role model stories, and action opportunities for better health for all. "Thanks to our passionate team and network, we’ve ...
Latinos continue to be a growing population in the US. However, at 19.5% of the population, Latinos only comprise 6% of all physicians, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Fewer Latino physicians to meet the growing population can lead to worse health outcomes for Latinos, who rely on physicians that look and sound like them to build trusting patient-doctor relationships. To shine a light on this issue, National Latino Physician Day occurs every Oct. 1 during Hispanic Heritage Month to honor Latino physicians and share the need for more. Let’s go over how National Latino Physician Day came to be and why Latino physicians are integral for closing the gap on health differences for Latinos and all people.
How Did National Latino ...
The Institute for Integration of Medicine & Science (IIMS) at UT Health San Antonio and the UTSA College for Health, Community, and Policy (HCaP) wants to fund a new batch of one-year Community Engagement Small Project Grants. The grants aim to help promote, develop, and expand community and scholarly research partnerships that benefit science and clinicians, according to the 2025 funding announcement. Last year’s grants enabled five teams of researchers to translate scientific findings to benefit public health in San Antonio. These projects covered topics such as HIV/AIDS, faith’s impact on criminal rehabilitation, artistic influence on young brain development, and more. Now your team could be the next ones to improve community health by applying for a ...
Dr. Denice Cora-Bramble loves children. From an early age, she knew that she wanted to be a pediatrician. Her professional child-focused journey has culminated a long and successful career at Children’s National Hospital where she currently serves. “I’ve always been intrigued by children,” Dr. Cora-Bramble said with a contagious smile. "They're interesting little people.” Growing up in Puerto Rico, Dr. Cora-Bramble was introduced to medicine as a child. Her aunt, who she admired greatly, was an OBGYN and one of just five females in her medical school cohort. “She was also a mother of five,” Dr. Cora-Bramble said. “I admired how she managed being a mother and being a physician; she was a great inspiration for me from the time I was very young.” Dr. ...
Mariachi music is a hallmark of Latino way of life. Generations of Latinos listen to mariachis – a small Mexican musical ensemble of mostly stringed instruments – and continue to pass on this beautiful part of the Latino lifestyle to future generations. Isabel (Belle) Ortiz, who passed away in July 2023 at age 90, was one of those people dedicated to teaching and sharing mariachi music with others. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re celebrating Belle’s life work bringing mariachi music to the forefront of music education.
A Trailblazer in Mariachi Music Education
Belle, nicknamed the “Godmother of Mariachi,” grew up on the west side of San Antonio. She was musically talented and passionate about mariachi from a young age. Throughout her childhood, ...
Hispanic Heritage Month is here! This annual U.S. observance, from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, celebrates the histories and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. We at Salud America! invite you to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in these surprising ways.
1. Learn How Hispanic Heritage Month Began
U.S. Congressmen Edward R. Roybal of Los Angeles and Henry B. Gonzales were among those who introduced legislation on the topic in 1968. President Lyndon Johnson implemented the observance as Hispanic Heritage Week that year. U.S. Rep. Esteban E. Torres of Pico Rivera proposed the observance be expanded to cover its current 30-day period. President Ronald Reagan implemented the expansion to Hispanic ...
As a child in Puerto Rico, Alberto Martin dreamed of playing professional soccer. He knew that becoming a soccer pro meant lots of hard work, practice, and willpower to get better even when you’re tired and want to give up. Today, Martin is using those lessons to become a different kind of pro – a doctor. Martin is a second-year medical student at the Universidad Central del Caribe in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, and an intern at UT Health San Antonio’s Institute for Health Promotion Research. He is motivated to share his story to demonstrate how following your dream – on the soccer field or the doctor’s office – can be reality. “Stories and information you get, they just become such a powerful source of drive or inspiration. Because you want to see you, ...
Nemours Children’s Health knows healthcare is more than just medicine. The conditions in which we are born, grow, live, work, and age – known as non-medical drivers of health (NMDoH) – can greatly help or harm our health. That is why Nemours gave multiple leaders, including Kelli Thompson, director of population health management; Na-Tasha Williams, population health specialist; and Alex Koster, senior director of the value-based care data analytics and IT department; the space to begin developing a non-medical drivers of health screening program in 2018. The NMDoH screening program is now fully implemented or being piloted in multiple Nemours locations, including in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Florida. To screen patients for immediate needs, such as food and housing ...
