In 13 minutes, audiences caught a glimpse into the vibrant colors, unique island sounds, and iconic cultural symbols synonymous with Puerto Rico. Viewers traveled through the towering sugar cane fields to la casita for a party de marquesina then to Castillo San Felipe del Morro for a wedding followed by a trip to Toñitas in New York for drinks and fixing downed power lines. For many, the 2026 Super Bowl Half Time Show was a performance, but for others it was a love letter to Puerto Rico on center stage at the biggest musical event of the year. And Bad Bunny was the conductor. As the show came to a close, Bad Bunny wielded a football at the screen that bared the words, “Together we are America,” and uttered the phrase, “Seguimos aquí.” We’re still ...
A lot goes into the decision to get pregnant with a baby. More than being a physical, mental, and emotional decision, it’s also become a larger financial decision that parents must weigh before starting or adding to their families. And the costs don’t stop after you bring the baby home from the hospital. Many parents are burdened by the rising costs of childcare. What’s more, the decision is also heavily influenced by access to prenatal care, postpartum support, affordable healthcare, childcare, and other community resources. A new report by WalletHub ranked the states by how expensive having a child is and health care outcomes based on access to care. Let’s break down the report’s findings, what they mean for child and maternal ...
The Rural Health Information Hub (RHI Hub) and the NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis have created the Rural Mobile Healthcare Toolkit to help organizations start mobile healthcare programs in rural areas. The toolkit highlights model programs and contains resources for program development, implementation, evaluation, and more. Let’s take a closer look at the toolkit and why support for rural healthcare is important. Get the toolkit!
RHI Hub’s Rural Mobile Healthcare Toolkit
The Rural Mobile Healthcare Toolkit includes considerations and challenges that organizations may face when developing, implementing, evaluating, and sustaining mobile healthcare programs in rural communities. Additionally, the toolkit shares benefits and barriers of mobile healthcare, ...
This content is from UT Health San Antonio’s book, “Advancing Cancer Research for Latinos and All Populations: 2026 Conference Proceedings,” which highlights results of the same-named conference in February 2026. Dr. Robert A. Winn, MD, is the former Director and Lipman Chair in Oncology at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Science for a purpose Dr. Winn began by praising recent scientific and medical advances, but also by emphasizing that those advances need to make a difference for everyday people in everyday communities. About 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women are diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. Much of the information about risk, and information about advances in medicine, have failed to reach more rural populations, and even some of their primary care ...
This content is from UT Health San Antonio’s book, “Advancing Cancer Research for Latinos and All Populations: 2026 Conference Proceedings,” which highlights results of the same-named conference in February 2026.
Tumor Progression and Pancreatic Cancer
Dr. Jose Trevino is Chair of the Division of Surgical Oncology at the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine, and Surgeon-in-Chief at VCU Massey Cancer Center. Improved mortality among Latino pancreatic cancer patients Dr. Trevino began the presentation by underscoring the severity of pancreatic cancer, which is projected to be the number 2 cause of cancer deaths by 2030. In Puerto Rico, however, although incidence of pancreatic cancer has been rising over the past decade, mortality has remained ...
This content is from UT Health San Antonio’s book, “Advancing Cancer Research for Latinos and All Populations: 2026 Conference Proceedings,” which highlights results of the same-named conference in February 2026.
Conclusion
To address cancer issues in all populations, Advancing Cancer Research for Latinos and all Populations brought together researchers, scientists, physicians, healthcare professionals, patient advocates, and students from across the US and Latin America. These presenters shared research advancements, identified gaps, developed actionable goals, updated clinical best practices, described effective interventions, and detailed professional training programs aimed at addressing variability in cancer outcomes. In the process, many of the speakers made ...
This content is from UT Health San Antonio’s book, “Advancing Cancer Research for Latinos and All Populations: 2026 Conference Proceedings,” which highlights results of the same-named conference in February 2026.
Advancing the Prevention of HPV and Cervical Cancer
Dr. Ana Patricia Ortiz is lead investigator and interim director of the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, and associate director of the Office of Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination at the University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center. HPV and cervical cancer Dr. Ortiz began the presentation by explaining that human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection worldwide, and persistent infection with certain types of HPV is established as a ...
This content is from UT Health San Antonio’s book, “Advancing Cancer Research for Latinos and All Populations: 2026 Conference Proceedings,” which highlights results of the same-named conference in February 2026.
Tobacco Use and Lung Cancer in Latinos in the U.S.
Dr. Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable is Professor Emeritus at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine (UCSF) and Former Director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). Tobacco use in the US Dr. Pérez-Stable began by providing some background information on tobacco use in the US. Tobacco smoke is the main cause of lung cancer in the US with an attributable risk of 0.85. However, smoking rates have decreased in most populations over the past 35 years, and ...
This content is from UT Health San Antonio’s book, “Advancing Cancer Research for Latinos and All Populations: 2026 Conference Proceedings,” which highlights results of the same-named conference in February 2026.
Effects of the Affordable Care Act on Cancer Care and Outcomes
Dr. Xuesong Han is Scientific Director of Health Services Research at the American Cancer Society. History of the Affordable Care Act Dr. Han’s research focuses on how health policies like the Affordable Care Act (ACA) affect access to care and cancer outcomes. The ACA was signed into law in March of 2010 and is the largest healthcare system change in the US since the establishment of the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Its goals are to improve health insurance coverage, quality of care, and ...
