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 ...
As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, Salud America! is spotlighting some amazing Latinos. Dr. Helen Rodríguez-Trías blazed a trail for Latinos in public health. Rodríguez-Trías helped children as a pediatrician, advocated for rights for women and the underserved, and became the first Latina president of the American Public Health Association. Let’s explore her career, accomplishments, and how her legacy continues to inspire Latinos in health and medicine today! Dr. Helen Rodríguez-Trías: Early Life and Stepping Stones Helen Rodríguez-Trías was born in 1929 in New York but spent much of her early childhood in Puerto Rico. At the age of 10, Rodríguez-Trías returned to New York with her family. Rodríguez-Trías would learn English quickly and did well in ...
This article originally appeared on preventcancer.org. During Hispanic Heritage Month, we reflect on the love and pride we have for our cultura. As we enjoy this month of history, celebration, and unity with our friends and familia, it’s also a great time to raise awareness on important health topics like cancer prevention. It’s no secret that cancer is major concern for the Latino community. Cancer is the leading cause of death in Latinos. Additionally, about 1 in 3 Latino men and women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. Latino families must prioritize early detection and getting routine cancer screenings. According to the Prevent Cancer Foundation’s 2024 Early Detection Survey, “When cancer is detected early, it can lead to less extensive ...
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 ...
Ahead of the 2024 Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos Conference, 15 Latina women from across the country came together, unified by a common thread — to become a research patient advocate.
This gathering, on Feb. 20, 2024, marked the first in-person meeting of the Latino Cancer Patient Advocate Training Program, a new initiative to teach cancer survivors to become research patient advocates, who help others navigate the healthcare system and raise the Latino voice in research.
Patient advocates are critical to the goal of reducing Latino cancer disparities, said Dr. Barbara Segarra-Vázquez of the University of Puerto Rico, co-leader of the new program.
“You really have to have passion to become a patient advocate,” said Segarra-Vazquez. “It’s that desire to help ...
A team of researchers at UT Health San Antonio, including Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, is among four teams from across the United States that have been selected to launch community engagement centers on heart health thanks to a generous contribution from the American Heart Association and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. A total gift of $20 million from the American Heart Association and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will support the four teams of scientists and community leaders to engage in historically underrepresented groups and research efforts aimed at reducing health inequities and improving community health. Led by UT Health San Antonio’s Vasan Ramachandran, MD, FACC, FAHA, and Amelie G. Ramirez, DrPH, MPH, the COmmuNity eNgagEment for building Capacity, Trust, and Ownership ...
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for healthcare workers to have easy-to-use, informative, bilingual tools on infection control practices in the healthcare setting. With this in mind, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched Project Firstline, a training and education collaborative designed to ensure all healthcare workers, no matter their role or educational background, have the infection control knowledge and understanding they need and deserve to protect themselves, patients, and coworkers. As part of Project Firstline, Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio and the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) is bringing you a Salud Talks Podcast series, “Behind the Mask,” to explore infection control in healthcare. In this special ...
High blood pressure is a silent killer (el asesino silencioso in Spanish) that can spur heart disease and stroke among Latinos. We addressed heart health at UT Health San Antonio’s webinar, “How to Fight El Asesino Silencioso,” at 11 a.m. Central on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in advance of Hispanic Heritage Month. This webinar featured experts from UT Health San Antonio, the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA), and Genentech to share resources and culturally relevant tools that Latino families and healthcare workers can use to help prevent, treat, and manage high blood pressure, also called hypertension. This is a part of a webinar series, “Let’s Address Health Equity Together.” The series is a collaboration of the Salud America! program at the Institute for ...
