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 differences. 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!, joined a KSAT News town hall on Oct. 8, 2024, to share insights on a growing effort to address cancer in majority-Latino South Texas. The event, “Revolutionizing Cancer Care for South Texans: A New Era of Treatment,” was hosted by KSAT anchor Stephania Jimenez. It 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 cancer and the need to address the non-medical drivers of health in South Texas. She also urged 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, shared insight on cancer on a webinar from the National Cancer Institute. The webinar was set for Oct. 2, 2024. Ramirez's presentation focused on reducing US cancer for all people, including Latinos, through research, outreach, and training.
Dr. Ramirez & Her Health Promotion Research
Ramirez is an internationally recognized health 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. She also is associate director of cancer outreach and engagement at the Mays Cancer Center. She directs the Salud America! national multimedia health program. The ...
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 that focuses on Latino participation in clinical trials 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. “The lack 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 Institute ...
As a doctor’s son, Daniel Ruben Flores grew up in his family’s pediatric clinic. He and his siblings hammered away at their math and reading homework after school at the clinic, while their parents helped the sick. Flores often paused to admire the handwritten letters – and drawings of his father with a stethoscope – on the wall from patients thanking the pediatrician for caring for them. “Wow, all these other kids really appreciate my dad and all the work he’s doing,” Flores recalled fondly. “I feel like that just kind of motivates you ... to go into the field.” Witnessing his father’s work and the impact he had on his patients helped spark a fire in Flores to pursue medicine and help people, too. He’s taking big steps now – like ...
You can help create a healthier future. Volunteers for registries, research programs, and clinical trials can help researchers learn how to slow, manage, and treat cancer and other diseases. “With improved research participation, researchers have more opportunity to create better prevention and treatments that work for all people,” said Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America! at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio. Here are seven research opportunities based in San Antonio and beyond to explore this month!
1. Latina Health Reproductive Health Screenings
University of Texas at San Antonio researchers are seeking Hispanic and Latina women between ages 50 and 65 living in San Antonio to comment about their last Pap ...
In March 2024, we invited organizations, leaders, and clinicians in The Alamo City to learn about the non-medical drivers of health (NMDOH) in San Antonio and how they could leverage the All of Us Research Program to promote health equity in research.
This time, we are getting personal about your health by exploring the benefits of All of Us, including how you can get a free report about your genetic ancestry, your genetic traits (why you might love or hate cilantro), and risk for diseases.
To learn more about your health story, watch our webinar, “What Does Your Health Story Say About You? Investing in Personal Health Through All of Us."
Join us as we take a tour of the interactive All of Us Research Program portal and answer some of your burning questions about how the program can ...
