Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! and cancer health researcher at the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio, will receive the 2025 Sedgwick Memorial Medal for Distinguished Service in Public Health from the American Public Health Association (APHA). The award recognizes Ramirez's work in public health, which spans more than 30 years, and is a powerful testament to the legacy of the late Dr. Sedgwick. Ramirez and other APHA awards will be honored Monday, Nov. 3, 2026, during APHA’s 2025 Annual Meeting and Expo. "We celebrate the accomplishments and commitment of [Dr. Ramirez and] these outstanding public health leaders," said Dr. Georges Benjamin, APHA leader, in a statement. "Their contributions have helped strengthen the field and provide inspiration as we ...
For seniors and other immunocompromised individuals, the best way to protect against severe effects from COVID-19 is to stay up-to-date with the CDC's vaccine recommendations and available treatments. But antivirals are underused. That's why our friends at CVEEP have resources to help protect against infectious respiratory diseases across the lifespan. CVEEP recently featured Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! and cancer health researcher at the Mays Cancer Center at the University of Texas at San Antonio Health Science Center, in a radio campaign for early treatment. The campaign, in English and Spanish, aired on 899 stations and generated 45.2 million impressions. "Please don't wait. Early treatment [of respiratory illnesses] makes a big difference," ...
During Hispanic Heritage Month, Salud America! is celebrating Latino trailblazers, historical figures, and inspirational stories. This year we recognize Leonardo “Flaco” Jiménez, a conjunto and Tejano music icon. Before his recent passing in July 2025, Jiménez dazzled audiences for decades as one of the most well-known Tex-Mex musicians. Jiménez helped popularize conjunto music, a genre “developed by Texas-Mexican working-class musicians, who adopted the accordion—the main instrument in conjunto music—and the polka from nineteenth-century German settlers in northern Mexico,” according to the Texas State Historical Commission.
What Was Early Life Like for Flaco Jiménez?
Flaco Jiménez was born in San Antonio, Texas, on March 11, 1939. He came from a very ...
What do we know about cancer trends in Latino communities? Find answers in the new episode of the Cancer Health podcast from the Office of Community Outreach & Engagement at Fred Hutch Cancer Center in Seattle. The episode, "Cancer Trends in Latino Communities," features Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! and cancer health researcher at the Mays Cancer Center at the University of Texas at San Antonio Health Science Center, Ysabel Duron from The Latino Cancer Institute, and Gladys Arias from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Washington. Together, they discuss cancer trends impacting communities in Washington, California, and Texas. They cover liver, cervical, pediatric leukemia, and more. Listen online, Apple Podcasts, or other podcast ...
Cancer is not a disease that happens overnight. It often creeps up slowly, silently, and without warning — revealing itself in some of the most unlikely ways. That’s exactly what happened to U.S. Congress Rep. Joaquin Castro. Amid a car accident involving a Spanish boar in Spain, Castro received some devastating news — he had neuroendocrine cancer. While a treatable form of cancer, Castro won’t get to ring the bell signaling the end of his treatment. For Castro, treatment continues at UT Health San Antonio. "Unless something changes, I’ll have cancer for the rest of my life, but thankfully, and hopefully, cancer won’t take my life,” he said during an address to the 2024 Advancing Cancer Research for Latinos And All Populations ...
Did you know that over 65,000 U.S. physicians identify as Latino? As the number of physicians and healthcare professionals of different backgrounds continues to increase, it’s important to reflect on those who have paved the way. During Hispanic Heritage Month, we want to spotlight important figures throughout history and making a difference today. Let’s recognize Dr. José Celso Barbosa, the first Afro-Latino to obtain a medical degree in the United States.
Early Life in Puerto Rico
Dr. José Celso Barbosa Alcalá, also known as José Celso Barbosa, was born on July 27, 1857, in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, to his parents Carmen Alcalá and Hermógenes Barbosa. “Barbosa’s life traversed significant periods: Spanish colonization; Grito de Lares; slavery, abolition and ...
For over 70 years, Rita Moreno has dazzled audiences with charm, wit, and humor on the stage and big and small screens. But Rita is so much more than the characters she portrays. The only thing film gets right is that Rita is as larger-than-life as her characters. But before she was Rita Moreno, the actress sashaying on the set of the movie musical West Side Story, she was Rosa Dolores Alverío, a young Puerto Rican girl with dreams of making it into movies. “Nobody said I was going to be a star someday. Especially not in this country. I was just a Puerto Rican child. But I knew I was going to be very active in show business. I loved it,” she told TIME.
From Puerto Rico to New York City
Born in 1931, Rita had an upbringing that many immigrants could relate ...
Your liver is a key to overall health, performing hundreds of essential functions in your body. Find out the latest in liver health issues and solutions at UT Health San Antonio’s webinar, “What You Should Know about Your Amazing Liver,” which occurred at 11 a.m. Central on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. This webinar featured expert panelists from Mays Cancer Center, UT Health San Antonio, Texas Liver Institute, Genentech, and more to explore the state of liver health in South Texas. Panelists examined the oversized impact of liver disease and liver cancer and its causes among South Texas residents, who are predominantly Latino, and beyond Texas. Understanding the reasons why this is happening can reveal how to address this health issue and prevent liver cancer among Latinos and ...
Jewel Ng has always had an interest in studying medicine. However, when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, Ng started to look at a career in medicine differently. “I think seeing how her oncologist handled things, and just like the general process of dealing with something as difficult as that,” Ng said. That’s why Ng has a goal of not only treating people, but for truly taking care of them. Today, she is pursuing medicine as a second-year student at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine and served as a Robert A. Winn clinical investigator intern at UT Health San Antonio’s Institute for Health Promotion Research. “It's completely different to actually and be part of that experience of having to drive them to, like chemotherapy, having ...
