San Antonio is a vibrant, historic, still-growing city (63% Latino). But people here still face uphill health battles. They face diabetes, obesity, and inequitable access to quality medical care, education, income, and support. The good news is that community and school advocates are making a difference! And our program, Salud America! led by Dr. Amelie Ramirez at UT Health San Antonio, spotlights these heroes and enables action to improve local health! Advocates Making a Difference for San Antonio Health Here are some San Antonio heroes on our Salud America! website: Mental Health Support for City's Youngest Kids. Fred Cardenas helped build the Early Childhood Well Being (ECWB) at Family Service Association of San Antonio. ECWB intervenes early for kids ages 0-8 who ...
Oregon state leaders recently gave its renting residents greater peace of mind when it comes to housing security. The 13.1% Latino state became the first in the nation to pass a statewide rent control policy. It also makes it harder for landlords to evict tenants without reason. “This bill is a critical tool for stabilizing the rental market throughout the state of Oregon,” said Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, according to The Oregonian. "It will provide immediate relief to renters struggling to keep up with the rising rents in a tight rental market.” Policy Specifics Landlords across the state now can raise rent no more than 7% per year, plus the annual change in the consumer price index. However, the law does exempt rental properties that are less than 15 years ...
Diana Ballesteros-Gonzalez is motivated to work to prevent chronic disease among Latinos by her family’s health history, her work in the community, and her passion for public health. In fact, with the support of her husband, Ballesteros-Gonzalez bravely packed up and moved from the West Coast of her native California to the East Coast of New York to study public health at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in the Department of Sociomedical Sciences with a certificate in Epidemiology of Chronic Disease. Ballesteros-Gonzalez’s ultimate career goal in public health is to not only become a professor, but also serve her hometown community to improve chronic disease outcomes. To further her potential to reach her goal, Ballesteros-Gonzalez applied for the ...
Thanks to her mother’s hard work, independence, and resilience, Sandra Garcia Camacho is poised to make an impact for Latino health. Garcia Camacho grew up in Yauco "The City of Coffee" in Puerto Rico. She completed her bachelor’s degree in natural sciences with a concentration in biomedicine at the University of Puerto Rico in Ponce. She then pursued her master’s degree in public health with an emphasis in biostatistics at the Medical Sciences Campus in Puerto Rico. She wants to conduct research in chronic disease, and looks forward to addressing research gaps in the study of polycystic kidney disease. To further her experience and education, Garcia Camacho applied for the Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. The Éxito! program, led by Dr. ...
Like the beautiful photo of Erika Bonilla’s tia and father that serve as a reminder of her El Salvadorean roots, Bonilla is on a mission to see Latino families thrive. Bonilla holds bachelor’s degree in Spanish and a master’s of public health degree from California State University, Long Beach. Bonilla is a Research Associate at the CSULB Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation, and Leadership Training. Her research focus includes: maternal and child health, adolescent health, women’s health, cervical cancer, HIV/AIDS prevention, childhood obesity prevention, community-based participatory research, education, and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students of multiple disciplines in health science and human services majors. Having already gained valuable ...
Folklorico. Merengue. Line. Dancing keeps Carmen Rodriguez connected to her Dominican culture and roots. Those roots also gave her a strong foundation when she moved from rural Dominican Republic to New York City, studying mathematics at Bard College. Rodriguez went on to earn her master’s degree of public health in epidemiology and biostatistics at the City University of New York’s School of Public Health and Health Policy. Now she’s hard at work as a project manager for a breast health study among immigrant Latinas. To further her experience and education, Rodriguez applied for the Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. The Éxito! program, led by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez at UT Health San Antonio with support from the National Cancer Institute, ...
With the examples of her hard-working mother and her brother who overcame leukemia as a child, Genesis Rios is a go-getter to the max. Rios dives head-first into tough challenges and new experiences. That includes: applying to programs like Americorps; teaching healthier lifestyles and disease prevention at a free clinic; and examining the health impact and educational potential of peer social networks among Latinos. Rios, born in Moca, Puerto Rico, and raised in Chicago, is currently working on her master’s degree in public health in community health sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Because of her work in underserved Latino communities, Rios became interested in reducing health disparities and barriers in access to healthcare that U.S. Latinos face. To ...
With boundless encouragement from her mother, Veronica Landa displays bold determination and curiosity to explore and follow her dreams. Landa is already turning dreams into reality in her work as a research coordinator for clinical trials and as a specialist to refine family health services programs in California. Originally from San Antonio, Landa attended Stanford University and earned an MPH from the UT School of Public Health. Her work has centered on health disparities, with particular interest in Latinos and cancer. She also was the research coordinator for a minority clinical trials project at UT School of Public Health. Landa knows the critical value of prevention when it comes to cancer health disparities. To further her experience and education, Landa applied for ...
Like Han Solo, never tell Fernando Juarez the odds. Juarez grew up playing the Loteria, but real life isn’t a game of chance for him. He’s certain he will overcome any challenge and achieve success in anything he puts his mind to. He is one who will take on any challenge, no matter how daunting, using a fantastic blend of his mother’s compassion and his father’s stubbornness. Juarez is taking on the challenge of studying for his master’s degree in health and kinesiology at the University of Texas at San Antonio. And he puts into practice what he learns. When Jaurez participates in class courses and research projects, he implements his findings to his life. As a health advocate, Juarez aims to inspire and teach people how to make lifestyle modifications to improve ...
