This content is from the "Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos: 2024 Conference Proceedings."
Healthcare Inequity in the Latinx Community
The Latinx population both within and outside the US has significant heterogeneity. [Velazquez-Villarreal] After all, Latin America has been a melting pot of mixed populations for 500 years, with over 20 heritage groups recognized by the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. These groups are distinct, with unique culture, language, and US influence, but are also connected by more similarities than differences. [Perez-Stable] Latinx individuals are the largest and youngest minority in the US and are projected to account for more than half of the overall growth through 2060. Compared to non-Hispanic White individuals, Latinx ...
Dr. Patricia Chalela, a researcher at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at UT Health San Antonio, has been named the IBC Foundation Endowed Professorship in Health Promotion Research. The International Bancshares Corporation (IBC) Foundation is a private foundation affiliated with IBC and its subsidiary banks. It is dedicated to supporting charities that enrich the community and improve the health and wellness of people in Texas and Oklahoma. The foundation made a $2 million donation that established four endowed professorships at UT Health San Antonio. Dr. Chalela's endowment, which is for $500,000, aims to help her advance novel research in health promotion. "I am deeply honored and sincerely grateful to be nominated as the recipient of the IBC Foundation ...
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, joined other Latino cancer experts to discuss Latino representation in clinical trials, research, and healthcare on a podcast episode for the Cancer History Project by The Cancer Letter. The episode features: Dr. Ramirez
Dr. Luis Carvajal-Carmona, University of California, Davis
Dr. Edith Perez, Mayo Clinic
Dr. Marcia Cruz-Correa, University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center
Dr. Yolanda Sanchez, University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center
Dr. Ruben Mesa, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center (moderator) The group explores cancer in Latinos, health equity, and how to support Latino cancer care clinicians, researchers, and patients. “The pipeline ...
Physical activity can have many benefits for cancer survivors, from improving their quality of life to potentially making it less likely that their disease will come back. Yet studies have shown that many cancer survivors struggle to get the recommended levels of physical activity, particularly those affected by health inequities. Now, according to the results of a new study, a program in Texas has shown it can get these cancer survivors moving more by supporting them in the communities where they live, and by getting their caregivers to become more active as well. The cancer survivors and caregivers, who were mostly Latino, were participants in a 12-week program called Active Living After Cancer. After completing the program, the percentage of survivors getting recommended ...
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, joined a KSAT News town hall on Oct. 8, 2024, to share insights on a growing effort to address Latino cancer in South Texas. The event, “Revolutionizing Cancer Care for South Texans: A New Era of Treatment,” was hosted by KSAT anchor Stephania Jimenez and featured Ramirez, Dr. Mark Bonnen, chief medical officer at the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio, and Jeff Flowers, chief executive officer at the UT Health San Antonio Multispecialty & Research Hospital. Ramirez shared about the state of Latino cancer and the need to address health disparities. She also urged Latino cancer survivors to join the Avanzando Caminos study. The study aims to enroll 1,500 Latino cancer survivors in South ...
Cancer continues as a top cause of death for Latinos. In 2021, cancer caused the deaths of 23,800 Latino men and 22,700 Latinas, according to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Cases of Latino cancer are expected to rise by 142% in the coming years. That is why FDA is raising cancer awareness and promoting Latino clinical trial participation by holding its first-ever National Hispanic/Latino Family Cancer Awareness Week during Hispanic Heritage Month.
What is National Hispanic/Latino Family Cancer Awareness Week?
The week of Sept. 20-26, 2024, will serve as the inaugural National Hispanic/Latino Family Cancer Awareness Week. The new observance, led by the FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence Project Community, focuses on engaging community-based ...
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, will share insight on Latino cancer on a webinar from the National Cancer Institute's Center for Cancer Research and its Office of Equity and Inclusion. The webinar is set for 12 p.m. ET on Oct. 2, 2024, as part of Hispanic Heritage Month. Ramirez's presentation is titled "Reducing Latino Cancer Health Inequities Through Research, Outreach, and Training." Register here for the webinar.
Dr. Ramirez & Her Latino Cancer and Education Research
Ramirez is an internationally recognized health disparities researcher at UT Health San Antonio. Here, she is professor and chair of the Department of Population Health Sciences and director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio. ...
As a child in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, Dr. Eneida Nemecek learned the effort it takes to earn an education by literally going to college with her parents as they sought their degrees. “My parents are very young. I kind of went to college with both of them in the back of the classroom,” Nemecek said. “My dad ended up going to graduate school, also when I was still a little kid. We went to law school with him, too.” Nemecek followed her parents’ footsteps and eventually got her doctoral degree. Today she’s helping improve Latino health through clinical trial participation as associate director for clinical research at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Knight Cancer Institute and professor of pediatrics and medical oncology at OHSU.
Developing a Passion for ...
Our collaborative bilingual video — Why Hispanic Representation Matters — was a "Silver Winner" at both the 2024 W³ Awards and the 45th Annual Telly Awards! The video, created by Genentech with help from the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, the team behind Salud America!, shows why Latino participation in clinical trials is important for the future of clinical research. Clinical trials are studies with volunteers that can help researchers learn how to slow, manage, and treat different cancer and disease. “This massive underrepresentation of Latinos in clinical trials makes it hard for researchers to develop new treatments for this group, which suffers a heavy burden of cancer,” said Dr. Amelie Ramirez, director of Salud America! and the ...