Clinical trials are responsible for many of today’s life-saving procedures and treatments. But finding and enrolling in clinical trials can be difficult process, especially for Latinos who may experience language barriers or lack of information. In response to these challenges, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) recently updated their search engine to better help patients find and enroll in an NHBLI-sponsored clinical trial. Available in Spanish, interested participants can now browse for clinical trials by age group, condition, and location. The search engine also includes an overview of how clinical trials work, who can participate, and benefits, risks, and safety measures of trials. Diseases and conditions studied in NHBLI-sponsored clinical trials ...
Ever heard of donating biospecimens for research? When a person donates biospecimens—blood, fluid, or tissue samples—it gives researchers the opportunity to better understand, treat, and prevent medical conditions from cancer to Alzheimer's. Biospecimens are especially needed from Latinos, who suffer health disparities. "Latinos who donate biospecimens are heroes. Their contributions enable researchers to make medical discoveries and build new therapies to help millions of Latinos across the nation," said Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of the Salud America! Latino health equity program at the Institute for Health Promotion Research in the Department of Population Health Sciences at UT Health San Antonio.
What are Biospecimens?
Biospecimens are materials from the human ...
Cuando una persona dona muestras biológicas o biospecímenes—sangre, líquido, o muestras de tejido—le da a los investigadores la oportunidad de entender, tratar y prevenir de una mejor manera, condiciones médicas desde el cáncer hasta el Alzheimer. Se necesitan de manera especial muestras biológicas de latinos, quienes sufren disparidades de salud. “Los latinos que donan muestras biológicas son héroes. Sus contribuciones permiten a los investigadores hacer descubrimientos médicos y crear terapias nuevas para ayudar a millones de latinos en todo el país”, dijo la Dra. Amelie G. Ramirez, líder de Salud America! programa latino de equidad en salud del Institute for Health Promotion Research en el Department of Population Health Sciences, de UT Health San ...
While most people who have COVID-19 recover completely within a few weeks, some continue to experience symptoms weeks after their initial recovery. This condition is often called Long COVID. Common signs and symptoms of Long COVID include fatigue, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, cough, joint pain, chest pain, and even organ damage, according to the Mayo Clinic. But we don’t know everything about the long-term health effects of COVID-19 infection. You can help researchers learn more about Long COVID through research studies, such as RECOVER, a National Institute of Health (NIH) study to better prevent, test, and treat Long COVID-19 in the future. Find a recover testing site near you!
RECOVER Research Study
The NIH launched RECOVER to learn why some people ...
Ever heard of donating biospecimens for research? When a person donates biospecimens—blood, fluid, or tissue samples—it gives researchers the opportunity to better understand, treat, and prevent medical conditions from cancer to Alzheimer's. Biospecimens are especially needed from Latinos, who suffer health disparities. Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, July 5, 2022, to tweet about the need for biospecimen donations, how researchers use the donations, and how you can donate to improve health for all people! WHAT: #SaludTues: What Is Biospecimen Donation and Should You Donate?
TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. EST (Noon-1 p.m. CST), Tuesday, July 5, 2022
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludAmerica
CO-HOSTS: Melissa Simon, Health Equity Researcher, ...
Substance abuse in the US is a public health problem that affects many people, including Latinos. Yet, Latinos are less likely than their White peers to get treatment they need. There is a new investigational treatment for substance abuse —the use of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS), a non-invasive procedure that uses magnetic pulses to temporarily stimulate areas of the brain. Fortunately, you can make a difference by representing Latinos in the Stimulus Research Study, a clinical trial at UT Health San Antonio and other sites that will help researchers learn if the use of rTMS can help people reduce or stop their cocaine or methamphetamine use. “The rTMS clinical trial and others like it hope to develop and apply new treatments that work for Latinos ...
“The good news is, we can’t kill you trying to save you. You showed up fit to fight.” Still in shock of recent events, Loriana Hernandez-Aldama tried to process the words of world-renowned oncologist Dr. Mark Levis. In such a short period of time in January 2014, her life had completely changed. Just a few days earlier, Loriana, a married mother and TV news anchor with a successful career in Austin and Dallas, Texas, was excitedly working with her fertility doctor to have another baby. But a precautionary blood test before a traditional embryo transfer revealed a disheartening diagnosis of AML Leukemia, an aggressive blood cancer. At the advice of her doctor and healthcare connections, she kissed her then 2-year-old son, Gabriel, goodbye, and boarded a plane to Johns ...
Latinos represent less than 10% of volunteers in cancer clinical trials. The lack of Latinos in clinical trials makes it harder for researchers to find treatments tailored for this group — which makes up 18.5% of the U.S. population and a diversity of heritages. This is why Drs. Amelie G. Ramirez and Patricia Chalela of UT Health San Antonio identified barriers and strategies to boost Latino representation in clinical trials in a new commentary in JCO Oncology Practice. It will take more than simply raising awareness of clinical trials to everyone. "To achieve equitable participation of Latinos and other underrepresented groups in clinical research, we need comprehensive approaches that address social and contextual barriers to participation," said Ramirez, leader of the ...
Los latinos representan menos del 10% de los voluntarios en los estudios clínicos de cáncer (enlace en inglés). La falta de latinos en los estudios clínicos hace que sea más difícil para los investigadores encontrar tratamientos desarrollados específicamente para este grupo – que representa el 18.5% de la población de los Estados Unidos y una diversidad de culturas. Las doctoras Amelie G. Ramírez y Patricia Chalela de UT Health San Antonio identificaron barreras y estrategias para promover la representación latina en los estudios clínicos en un nuevo comentario (enlace en inglés) publicado en JCO Oncology Practice. Se necesitará más que simplemente aumentar el conocimiento sobre los estudios clínicos. "Para lograr la participación equitativa de los latinos y ...
