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Editor’s Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2013 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply by March 7, 2014, for the 2014 Èxito! program.
Margarita Chavez
Albuquerque, N.M.
With a mother and father who are both martial artists who actually first met at a tournament, it isn’t surprising that Margarita Chavez is an accomplished martial artist herself and has trained more than 400 adults and children at her family’s martial arts studio in Albuquerque, N.M.
But earning a 6th-degree black belt in karate and becoming a skilled teacher takes years of intense training and dedication—something that Chavez is now applying to the arena of public health.
She has spent time as a patient navigator and earned a bachelor’s degree in health education and a master’s degree in health education from The University of New Mexico.
Chavez’ aim to thrive in graduate school encouraged her to apply to apply to Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program, which offers a five-day summer institute and internships to encourage master’s-level students and health professionals to pursue a doctoral degree and a cancer research career.
After attending, she said she now has more confidence in her ability to obtain a doctoral degree and an increased interest in Latino cancer health disparities research.
Éxito!, a program funded by the National Cancer Institute and directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, will select 20 master’s-level students and health professionals from across the nation to attend a five-day summer institute June 2-6, 2014, in San Antonio, offering research information, tools, tips, role models and motivation to encourage participants to pursue a doctoral degree and a career studying how cancer affects Latinos differently. Participants also are eligible to apply for one of five $3,250 internships. Apply here.
By The Numbers
25.1
percent
of Latinos remain without health insurance coverage
