Good health is important for all people! With this in mind, Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America!, is sharing an important comment to focus on many aspects of health for Latinos and all people as part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2027-2031. Endorse Dr. Ramirez’s comment here. Comments must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. May 2026 UPDATE: 97 Salud America! members submitted comments in support of Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez’s comment to prioritize many aspects of health and research for Latinos and all people. Endorese the Comment
Endorse Dr. Ramirez’s Comment on the NIH-Wide Strategic Plan
Dear NIH leaders, As the leader of Salud America!, an organization that promotes health improvement ...
There are now 631 colleges and universities registered as Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) across 29 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. This is an increase over the 602 reported last year, according to a new report from ¡Excelencia in Education!. HSIs are defined as “accredited, degree-granting public or private not-for-profit institutions of higher education with 25% or more total undergraduate Hispanic full-time equivalent student (FTE) enrollment.” Let’s explore what this means and how it impacts students.
By the Numbers: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs)
HSIs represent 21% of all colleges and universities but enroll 65% of Latino and 32% of all undergraduates, according to ¡Excelencia in Education!. The graduation rate for HSIs include 67% of ...
Wherever you live, learn, work, and grow in San Antonio, the non-medical drivers of health (NMDOH) can ultimately shape your health outcomes. NMDoH issues include access to affordable housing, healthy food, reliable transportation, education, healthcare, income level, and more. If we can identify and address NMDoH, we can create a healthier future for all. Download the Salud America! Action Pack, “Help People Solve Their NMDoH Problems in San Antonio,” to connect people with the right community resources for help with housing, food, transportation, and healthcare. The action pack, developed by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez at UT Health San Antonio, helps you identify local NMDoH issues and offers a San Antonio-focused community resource guide with Spanish-language support and ...
April is National Parkinson’s Awareness Month, a great time to share helpful resources that can spread awareness about Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s affects more than 1.1 million people in the U.S. and is the second-most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's disease. With this in mind, let’s learn more about Parkinson’s, how it impacts patients and families, and resources to share during Parkinson’s Awareness Month.
What Is Parkinson’s Disease?
Parkinson’s disease is defined as a “type of neurologic movement disorder, affecting the brain and causing difficulty with movements, or motor symptoms.” While Parkinson’s can be characterized by its most common motor symptoms like tremors, stiffness or rigidity of the muscles, and slowness of ...
Starting April 1, 2026, Texas recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will have new food purchase restrictions, including no candy and sugary drinks. These changes were made to comply with Senate Bull 379, which passed in June 2025 and is one of three bills under Texas’ “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, prohibiting the use of SNAP benefits to purchase less healthy foods and encouraging the purchase of more nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables. “In August 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service approved a healthy foods waiver that was submitted by Texas and allows the state to implement the SNAP limitations,” according to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. With this in mind, let’s dive ...
The Institute for Integration of Medicine & Science (IIMS) and the College for Health, Community, and Policy (HCaP) at UT San Antonio wants to fund a new batch of one-year Community Engagement Small Project Grants. The grants aim to help promote, develop, and expand community- academic research partnerships for the translation of science from basic discovery to clinical practice, to that benefit public health, according to the 2026 funding announcement. Last year’s grants enabled seven teams of researchers to translate scientific findings to benefit public health in San Antonio. These projects covered topics such as gun violence prevention, neurofeedback and childhood creativity, environmental lead hazards, and more. Now your team could be the next ones to ...
Commuting is a part of everyday life for many. In fact, almost 140 million people in the United States routinely commuted to work in 2022, according to the United States Census Bureau. Many Latino parents with low incomes who commute to work are commuting a long way, with 1 in 10 traveling 60 minutes or more to work, according to a new report by the National Research Center on Hispanic Children and Families (NRCHCF). Let’s look deeper into data on commutes and how it impacts families and communities.
Commuting by the Numbers
According to the NRCHCF research, people who commute to work outside of the home take an average of 27.8 minutes to travel to work. For Latino parents with low incomes, the distance increases. “One in 10 (10%) Hispanic parents with low ...
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 received 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 ...
97 People Endorsed Dr. Amelie Ramirez’s Comment on NIH Strategic Plan
Good health is important for all people! With this in mind, Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America!, is sharing an important comment to focus on many aspects of health for Latinos and all people as part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2027-2031. Endorse Dr. Ramirez’s comment here. Comments must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. May 2026 UPDATE: 97 Salud America! members submitted comments in support of Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez’s comment to prioritize many aspects of health and research for Latinos and all people. Endorese the Comment Endorse Dr. Ramirez’s Comment on the NIH-Wide Strategic Plan Dear NIH leaders, As the leader of Salud America!, an organization that promotes health improvement ...
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