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San Antonio Latino Cancer Survivors, We Need You! Are you a Latino cancer survivor? Volunteer for the Avanzando Caminos study at UT Health San Antonio! Avanzando Caminos aims to enroll 1,500 Latino cancer survivors in South Texas to help unpack the social, cultural, behavioral, mental, biological, and medical influences on post-cancer life. The study, led by Dr. Amelie Ramirez of UT Health San Antonio and Mays Cancer Center, is looking for Latino survivors age 18 or older who have completed primary treatment for breast, colon, kidney, liver, lung, prostate, stomach or cervical cancer. Volunteers will participate in seven study visits over five years, each with assessment interviews, and some with blood draws. To volunteer for Avanzando Caminos or ask questions, ...
Dr. Dorothy Long Parma hasn’t had the easiest career path. She’s struggled with depression throughout her time in medical school, residency, and her current work as an assistant professor at the Institute of Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at UT Health San Antonio. Although her depression made it very difficult at times, Long Parma successfully completed her degree and is now an expert health disparities researcher focusing on risk factors for gastric cancer. “I really like working at IHPR. I've worked here as a student, and then as faculty and it's been a great supportive environment. Amelie [Ramirez, the director of IHPR] has always been very understanding about me working at the level that I can work,” Long Parma said.
From the Philippines to Texas for ...
Mothers want to protect their newborn babies from all threats. Unfortunately, 100% of U.S. breast milk samples tested positive for containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS), a dangerous chemical found in food, water, and everyday products, according to new data. “We now know that babies, along with nature’s perfect food [breast milk], are getting toxic PFAS that can affect their immune systems and metabolism,” Erika Schreder, a Toxic-Free Future science director and study co-author, said. “Moms work hard to protect their babies, but big corporations are putting these, and other toxic chemicals that can contaminate breast milk, in products when safer options are available.”
The New Research on Breast Milk and PFAS
Previous reports have confirmed that ...
Latinos with cancer face a tough survivorship journey. Many suffer advanced disease, poor quality of life, and stressful social and economic inequities. This is why a new, first-of-its-kind national cohort study will unpack the social, cultural, behavioral, psychosocial, biological, and medical influences on post-cancer life in Latino cancer survivors to fill a crucial gap in knowledge about their survivorship experience. The study, “Avanzando Caminos (Leading Pathways): The Hispanic/Latino Cancer Survivorship Study,” is funded by a 6-year, $9.8-million grant from the National Cancer Institute that will team up two of its Cancer Centers, the Mays Cancer Center, home to UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson and the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of ...
Prostate cancer has a big impact on the Latino community. One reason is that Latinos face a lack of easy-to-understand, culturally competent information — which leads to poor outcomes for those experiencing prostate cancer, according to a recent study published in BMC Public Health. “Black and Latino focus groups revealed the existence of cultural beliefs, misunderstandings and fears pertaining to [prostate cancer] which could influence health-related behaviors,” according to the researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and MD Anderson Cancer Center. “Some themes were common across groups; others suggested racial and gender predilections. Future targeted efforts focused on directly addressing prevalent misperceptions among underserved communities in urban settings ...
Latinos face some serious cancer health disparities. They are so serious that many health experts recommend cancer screening, a type of test that looks for signs of different cancers early, before the illness can cause serious harm. “Screening tests can help find cancer at an early stage, before symptoms appear,” experts at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). “Early detection is important because when abnormal tissue or cancer is found early, it may be easier to treat. By the time symptoms appear, cancer may have begun to spread and be harder to treat.”
What is Cancer Screening?
Cancer screening is a series of exams, most of the time recommended by a physician or begun at a certain age, to explore the body for any signs of cancer. According to NCI, types of screening ...
Daniel Carlos Hughes thought he wanted to be a chemical engineer. He worked at Dow Chemical for 23 years, moving up to a middle management position. But then he had a midlife crisis. Now he works as a kinesiologist focuses on sport and exercise psychology. He researches holistic interventions for cancer prevention and with an emphasis on exercise and stress in Latina breast cancer survivors as a faculty member of the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at UT Health San Antonio. While the career switch was risky and required many years of schooling, Hughes is glad to have found a calling where he can help cancer survivors live longer, fitter, better lives.
Hughes, a First Generation Mexican American in His Second Career
Hughes was born in Mexico City. His family ...
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, has been named one of the "The Cancer Health 25: Change Makers" by Cancer Health magazine. The magazine recognizes individuals who "make a difference every day." "They have each experienced cancer, either personally or through someone they love," according to the magazine. "And it has changed them, made them want to give back and given them a mission to make a difference for others living with cancer."
Dr. Ramirez & Her Healthy Equity Research
For more than 30 years, Ramirez gained experience developing research and communication models to improve Latino health locally and nationally.
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez
Her studies have increased cancer screening and survivorship. Specifically, her patient ...
Stress has become a part of most of our lives every day as the current novel coronavirus continues to spread throughout the U.S. and the world. Still, feelings of anxiety can lead to other health complications, according to Cathy Samayoa, an adjunct assistant professor at San Francisco State University's Health Equity Research Lab. Samayoa and Dr. Daniel C Hughes, with the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, join Salud Talks to discuss her research into the connections between stress and breast cancer development, and how it impacts some groups more than others. For those who are experiencing higher levels of stress and anxiety during this crisis, please listen to our previous episodes coving these topics, "Mindfulness During an Epidemic," and ...
