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 ...
“You just keep pushing. You just keep pushing.” That’s something Diego Cano has told himself throughout his life. When he failed a health certification test on the first try. When he struggled to balance work, study, and military service. When he wasn’t sure what direction to pursue. Today, Cano has pushed through many hardships and is following his passion of helping others as a rising second-year medical student at the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine at Texas Tech University Health Science Center El Paso and as a Robert A. Winn clinical investigator intern at UT Health San Antonio’s Institute for Health Promotion Research. While he is accomplishing a lot of great things, rarely did it come easily.
Cano’s Early Life and Finding a Passion
Cano grew up in ...
Immune checkpoint inhibitors have been a game-changer in oncology. Tumors often have proteins on them that tell your immune system not to attack. Checkpoint inhibitors, which work by blocking these proteins so your immune system continues to fight the tumor, have provided new options for many people with advanced or metastatic cancer who were left with limited options. Patricia Moreno, Ph.D., lead of Evidence-Based Survivorship Supportive Care at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, points out that these new drugs come with unique side effects that experts still need to understand better.
The National Cancer Institute has awarded Dr. Moreno, a member of Sylvester’s Cancer Control Program, and co-investigators Jose ...
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! and the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, was named to Susan G. Komen's Scientific Advisory Board. Komen's 10-member Scientific Advisory Board provides strategic guidance and direction for its research and scientific programs. It also plays a key role in guiding and prioritizing Komen’s global research investment and serves as the executive committee of the Komen Scholars. Dr. Ramirez's appointment is effective April 1, 2025. “I am honored to serve on Susan G. Komen's Scientific Advisory Board. I look forward to being a part of Komen’s extensive activities to address breast cancer and the non-medical drivers of health among people of all backgrounds," Ramirez said.
Dr. Ramirez & Her Health ...
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! and the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, joined Coastal Living TV in Corpus Christi, Texas, to share how cancer survivors can join the Avanzando Caminos study. Avanzando Caminos is a study that aims to help cancer survivors. The study aims to enroll 1,500 Latino cancer survivors in South Texas and 1,500 more in Miami to help unpack the behavioral, mental, biological, and medical influences on life after cancer. As part of the study, volunteers share their cancer journeys. "So far, the individuals who've participated have been really grateful. They said, 'I've never had a chance to tell my story about what I went through,'" Ramirez said. "It will help us take a deeper look into how we can help our ...
