Colon cancer screening doesn’t have to be dramatic. That’s the message that Abbott is promoting in their new Spanish-language campaign for Cologuard Plus®. Gabriela Spanic, award-winning actress, model, writer, and singer, stars in the campaign that uses telenovelas and culturally relevant storytelling to make a difficult conversation about colon cancer screening more approachable and less dramatic. “The need is urgent. When colon cancer is found early, 90% of patients survive five years or more after diagnosis,” according to the press release from Abbott.
About the Campaign on Colon Cancer Screening
While the campaign has a humorous, telenovela style, Spanic also delivers an important message: “Although life can be dramatic, getting screened doesn’t have to ...
The U.S. is home to many Latinos and other people with different backgrounds, but many suffer unfair health challenges and heavy burdens of cancer and dementia. More research needs to be done to understand the impact, vulnerabilities, and risks these communities face.
To accurately study the health consistencies in these groups, more of them need to participate in clinical research and clinical trials, which are studies with volunteers that test ways to find, prevent, and treat cancer and other diseases.
As of 2023, only 6% of trials being conducted to get FDA drug approval reflected the variety in the U.S. population, according to a new study published in Communications Medicine.
Let’s dive into the study and how to improve clinical trial enrollment. Study Findings on Clinical ...
Latinos and other overlooked populations have a high burden of cancer, fueled by struggles with non-medical drivers of health like transportation and insurance. Researchers are studying these factors to improve cancer outcomes for these groups. Yet too few Latinos and others are engaged in research. For example, as of 2023, only 6% of FDA trials reflect the U.S. population. To improve research participation and ensure innovations work for all populations, Genentech, a top pharmaceutical company and member of the Roche Group, decided to take a more hands-on approach and launched the AIR Site Alliance in 2021. Since its inception, Genentech’s AIR Site alliance oncology sites have helped enroll 63% more people from overlooked ...
Are you up for a challenge? If you’re a translational science student or community member working on research in San Antonio, you are invited to the 2026 Virtual T1-T4 in 3 (Minutes) Challenge. The challenge — hosted by the Institute for Integration of Medicine & Science (IIMS) and the Office of Research Education & Mentoring, and Community Engagement at UT Health San Antonio — invites presenters to share their research in 3 minutes and 1 slide to a live audience of community members, students, and faculty. This free online event is from 9-10:30 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. Challenge participants can be students/trainees in any translational science program at UT Health San Antonio. Community members who are part of a community-academic partnership who have ...
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, a cancer researcher at the Institute for Health Promotion Research and the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio, is receiving a 2-year, $400,000 leadership grant to study cancer survivorship from Susan G. Komen, the world’s leading breast cancer organization. Ramirez aims to enhance recovery for cancer survivors. In a group of Latina breast cancer survivors in South Texas, Ramirez will compare two rehabilitation approaches — standard physical therapy and therapeutic yoga — to see how they impact health-related quality of life, fatigue, and physical function over 16 weeks. Therapeutic yoga involves controlled movement, breath regulation, and meditative practices. "By focusing on the whole person and listening to survivor experiences, we hope ...
The US is on the verge of a complete health care overhaul. These changes include Medicaid eligibility, cuts to funding, and changes making accessibility and renewal more difficult. According to a new UnidosUS report, this overhaul is projected to cut the health care of nearly 14 million Americans with the mass majority being Latino over the next 10 years. Unless action is taken to intervene and counteract these changes, millions are anticipated to lose health insurance, leading to unaffordable treatment and care costs and worse health outcomes. Let’s break down the report and how these coverage changes impact the health of Latinos and all families.
Significant Health Care Coverage Changes
The report highlights two significant acts ...
Just north of the Mexico-California border, the San Ysidro community is where nearly 1 in 5 people enter the U.S. by land to work, shop, learn, and see family. The result is a dynamic cultural exchange and a vibrant binational economic hub. Yet amid the hustle and bustle, environmental change has crept into this predominantly Latino community, adding pollution from heavy traffic, sewage contamination, and more. That is why community members came together to protect and educate their neighbors, leading to accomplishments in environmental justice that are chronicled in English and Spanish “story maps” by Community Voices for Action, a storytelling project from the AAMC Center for Health Justice. Let’s explore how community power led to a big change.
What Is Environmental ...
The US has an aging population, as the number of US adults aged 65 and older is set to increase from 58 million to 82 million by 2050, according to the Census Bureau. With aging comes many challenges, including cognitive decline. For example, as you age, your mind may take longer to recall names or words. Sometimes certain parts of the brain shrink, affecting memory and overall function. That’s one of the reasons that the Demography & Economics of Aging Coordinating Center (DECC) was created by the National Institute on Aging (NIA). The DECC is headquarters for 18 centers, including the San Antonio CAPAS Program at UT Health San Antonio, to help advance research on aging and Alzheimer’s disease. Let’s meet the centers and how they are working ...
Hey San Antonio, ready to quit smoking?! Join the Quitxt Study in English or Spanish to take a powerful step toward quitting smoking. The study features Quitxt, a free bilingual text messaging program that helps Latino young adults in South Texas to quit smoking. Quitting smoking can help you save money and help with more independence, better fitness, better breath, and better health. "No matter where you are on your quitting journey, our Quitxt Study is here to help you every step of the way," said Dr. Patricia Chalela, study leader and tobacco researcher at UT Health San Antonio. QUIT SMOKING WITH QUITXT!
What Is the Quitxt Study?
The Quitxt Study aims to understand the impact of Quitxt, UT Health San Antonio's bilingual, evidence-based text messaging smoking ...
