Webinar: The Importance of Diverse Biospecimens and How Can Latinos Donate


Biospecimen Diversity Webinar 4-5-2023

When people donate biospecimens—blood, fluid, or tissue samples—it gives researchers the opportunity to better understand, treat, and prevent conditions from cancer to Alzheimer’s. So why don't Latinos donate? Find the answers at UT Health San Antonio's Zoom webinar — “The Importance of Diverse Biospecimens and How Can Latinos Donate” — at 10 a.m. CT on April 5, 2023. The webinar features experts from UT Health San Antonio, Genentech, and leaders and participants in the All of Us Research Program discussing how to increase diverse biospecimen donation and point to donation opportunities. This is a part of a webinar of a series, “Let’s Address Health Equity Together.” The series is a collaboration of the Salud America! program at the Institute for Health ...

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Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez to Launch $4.1 Million Latino Cancer Health Equity Research Center


Avanzando Equidad de Salud Center

Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez of UT Health San Antonio is launching the new "Avanzando Equidad de Salud: Latino Cancer Health Equity Research Center" thanks to a 4-year, $4.08-million grant from the American Cancer Society. The Avanzando Equidad de Salud Center, which will begin in February 2023, is a response to the severe cancer burden facing Latinos in South Texas. The center will unite South Texas research scholars and the community to reduce health disparities across the cancer care continuum by targeting social determinants of health that prevent Latinos from obtaining equitable care. "Our new center will conduct a unique combination of community-engaged research, training, patient assessment, and advocacy to address the social determinants of health — such as access to ...

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Can Texts Help Latino Young Adults to Quit Smoking?


quitxt quit smoking service new grant evluation text texting

Dr. Patricia Chalela of UT Health San Antonio has received a new five-year, $2 million research grant to test the impact of Quitxt, a bilingual text messaging program that helps Latino young adults in South Texas to quit smoking. The grant is among $90 million for new cancer prevention and research projects from the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). For the grant, Dr. Chalela and her team will recruit 1,200 Latino smokers ages 18-29 who agree to try to quit smoking. Half will receive Quitxt, a free texting service with culturally appropriate visual, video, and audio content fueled with evidence-based techniques to prompt and sustain smoking cessation. The other half will get abbreviated text messages and referral to the "Yes Quit" smoking cessation ...

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Watch Webinar: Busting the Myths and Cultural Barriers to Clinical Trials



Some Latinos fear becoming a guinea pig. Others worry about cost or trust. But clinical trials can provide volunteers potentially life-saving treatments and help researchers learn how to manage and treat different diseases for their family and communities. UT Health San Antonio held a Zoom webinar — “Busting the Myths and Cultural Barriers to Clinical Trials” — at 11 a.m. CT on March 9, 2023. This webinar features health experts and real Latino clinical trial volunteers to help define clinical trials, bust several common cultural, social, and logistical myths about clinical trials, and share testimonials of trial participation. Panelists will also connect audience members with culturally relevant resources and available opportunities to participate in clinical trials ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 3/7/23: National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month



About 150,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer. For Latinos, colorectal cancer mortality rates remain stagnant due to a number of inequities including lack of access to healthy and nutritious food and less access to health insurance and healthcare. While many do experience symptoms when developing colorectal cancer, some also may not. Therefore, it is important for Latinos to take measures that can decrease the risk for the disease through making healthy choices, and create healthier environments for healthy lives! Let’s use #SaludTues on March 7, 2023, to dive into the importance of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. WHAT: #SaludTues: National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. EST (Noon-1 p.m. CST), Tuesday, March 7, 2023 ...

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Webinar Series: Let’s Address Health Equity Together


Webinar Series Let’s Address Health Equity Together

Health equity is where everyone has a fair, just opportunity to be healthier. How can we reach this ideal, especially as Latinos face health disparities rooted in systemic inequities in access to clinical trials, income, health care, food, housing, and discrimination? You're invited to a webinar series, "Let’s Address Health Equity Together," a collaboration of the Salud America! program at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio, and Genentech. The newest four-webinar series for 2023 is: 3/9/23: Busting the Myths and Cultural Barriers to Clinical Trials 4/5/23: Importance of Biospecimens: Who Is Collecting and How Can You Get Latinos to Donate? June 2023: How to Care for the Latino ...

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Building Collaboration for Action on Latino Cancer


Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos Building Collaboration for Action

U.S. Latinos face heavier burdens of stomach, liver, and cervical cancers, and worse outcomes for many cancers, than their White peers. But why? Unfortunately, many factors cause these disparities, from poverty and a lack of healthcare access to cultural barriers, acculturation, and genetic heritage. That's why it takes everyone working together to address Latino cancer. To this end, UT Health San Antonio has published a new open-access book, Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos: Building Collaboration for Action. The book is a collection of articles based on presentations at the 2nd biennial Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos conference on Feb. 26-28, 2020, in San Antonio, co-hosted by Mays Cancer Center and the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) ...

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Study: Processed Food May Increase Colorectal Cancer Risk


rejecting processed food

We’re all busy with the hustle and bustle of life. It’s tempting to grab fast food or buy ready-to-eat food to avoid cooking after a long day. But choosing those ultra-processed foods may cost you more than the money in your wallet. We already know that processed food is bad for your health, but an August 2022 study in The BMJ suggests that consuming ultra-processed food may increase risk for a serious disease – colorectal cancer. Let’s unpack these study results and what they mean for Latinos. What Are Ultra-Processed Foods? Ultra-processed foods – industrial ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat formulations made of little or no whole foods – now contribute 57% of total daily calories consumed by American adults, according to the study. These foods are usually rich ...

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‘Siento Que Me Ayudó, Porque Estoy Aquí’: Por qué Diana López Decidió Participar en un Estudio Clínico


Diana Lopez

Cuando se le preguntó sobre los logros en su vida, Diana López de San Antonio, Texas, no tuvo que pensar mucho en su respuesta. Sobrevivir al cáncer. López fue diagnosticada con cáncer de seno a los 42 años. Al igual que muchos de las personas que son diagnosticadas, fue un shock para López y sus seres queridos. "En ese momento tenía miedo porque piensas, te dicen: 'Tienes cáncer' y dices: 'Voy a morir'", dijo López. Con la ayuda de un estudio clínico – un estudio con pacientes que voluntariamente participan y que ayuda a los investigadores a aprender cómo reducir el progreso, controlar y tratar enfermedades como el cáncer – López se mantuvo fuerte y continuó luchando, sin importar el obstáculo. Un Diagnóstico de Cáncer y su Impacto López descubrió un ...

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