As we celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, Salud America! is having important conversations about how breast cancer trends impact communities and populations in South Texas and beyond. Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in Latinas and top cause of cancer-related death among Latinas. With this in mind, Salud America!’s Salud Talks Podcast collaborated with Dr. Marcela Mazo Canola, breast medical oncologist at the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio, and Dr. Angel Rodriguez, senior medical director of oncology for Natera, to discuss new technologies to care for people who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. This episode is hosted by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San ...
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Latinas. Despite advances in prevention and treatment, Latina breast cancer continues to be detected at advanced stages when the prognosis isn’t optimistic. There are several contributing factors to why Latinas face worse outcomes when it comes to breast cancer. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and to honor all who have been impacted by the disease, we are discussing the top eight things to know about Latina breast cancer.
1. Latina Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Latinas, impacting U.S. Latinas at a rate of 106.6 per 100,000 people, according to the American Cancer Society’s 2026 Cancer Facts & Figures report. This equates to roughly 1 out ...
When Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez founded the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at UT Health San Antonio in 2006, she envisioned it as a place to cultivate innovative health research and the next generation of population health leaders. 20 years later, past members of the IHPR’s team have gone on to achieve ground-breaking research, training, and other big accomplishments. Here are just a few folks we are so proud of!
Dr. Deborah Parra-Medina: From Cancer Researcher to Research Leader
Dr. Deborah Parra-Medina served as a professor at the IHPR at UT Health San Antonio from 2008 to 2016. At the IHPR, Parra-Medina led several theory-based, culturally competent research projects to increase uptake of the HPV vaccine to prevent cervical cancer and encourage healthy habits in ...
Flooding accounts for about 11% of all billion-dollar weather and climate disaster events in the U.S., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That makes it important to have a plan to deal with severe weather, storms, and flooding. “Prepare for floods by getting flood insurance, gathering your disaster supplies, and staying informed on potential weather alerts,” the Texas General Land Office states. Let’s look at how you can gear up when it comes to severe weather locally and protect your familia, neighbors, and communities.
1. Know Your Risk & Staying Informed amid Potential Flooding
During times of severe weather and potential flooding, it is important to stay informed and know what is happening in your area. Staying up to date with ...
As of 2025, Latinos make up 20% of the U.S. population. In some areas, like California, Latinos comprise 40% of the population and are expected to rise to 50% by 2050, according to the National Latino Physician Day website. Many of these populations encounter hurdles to healthcare, including language, access, and more, leading to worse health outcomes. One way to address this is by increasing the number of Latino physicians, who only make up 6% of the physician workforce. As the nation continues to experience a shortage of health care workers, how do we increase the number of Latino physicians? That’s something National Latino Physician Day on Oct. 1, 2026, is striving to bring awareness to every year.
How Did National Latino Physician Day ...
Over the past 20 years, the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at UT Health San Antonio has worked to improve health in South Texas and beyond. The IHPR, under the leadership of Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, built the nation’s first digital health communications program on Latino health, saved lives with culturally relevant patient navigation for women, helped people quit smoking, and more. For its 20th anniversary on Oct. 1, 2026, let’s celebrate some of our biggest milestones! Read our new booklet!
IHPR Creates the Salud America! National Digital Communications Program
Just a year into its existence, the IHPR team created the Salud America! program. The program, funded by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 2007, became the first national digital ...
Latinos face a heavy cancer burden. Driven by issues with language, finances, transportation, and more, Latinos are often diagnosed with cancer when survival chances are lower and costs higher. To address Latino cancer and inspire hope, Salud America! created the “Nuestras Voces” campaign to give Latino cancer survivors a platform to share their stories. As part of the campaign, Latino cancer survivors can write and submit their own stories to publish on our website in English or Spanish. “When Latino cancer survivors tell their stories, they can help future cancer survivors who go through what they went through,” said Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! and the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio. “Sharing can ...
Latinos are not proportionally represented in research, nursing, and doctoral fields, even though they make up 20% of the U.S. population. The Éxito! program aimed to fill that gap. Éxito!, created by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez of the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at UT Health San Antonio, recruited 226 students and health professionals over 11 years for a culturally tailored curriculum to promote pursuit of a doctoral degree and Latino cancer research career. With the 20th anniversary of the IHPR on Oct. 1, 2026, now is a good time to check in and see some Éxito! trainees have progressed!
About the Éxito! Program at the IHPR
Each year from 2011 to 2021, the IHPR’s Éxito! program hosted a five-day summer institute in San Antonio, Texas. The event ...
Become a politician? Work in a health ministry? As a young girl growing up in Colombia, Dr. Marcela Mazo Canola wasn’t sure exactly what she wanted to be — but she dreamed of making a difference for people. Today, Mazo Canola is helping others as a breast medical oncologist at Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio and contributing to research to improve cancer and health outcomes for Latinos and all populations. “Although I’m in a different career that I love very much, I guess I still ended up doing something similar to what I was dreaming of when I was a little girl,” she said. During Hispanic Heritage Month, Salud America! is highlighting heroes in healthcare and throughout the community who strive to make a difference. Let’s take closer look into Dr. ...
