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 ...
Born in Los Angeles to a Guatemalan mother and Mexican father, Josue Diaz-Melendez grew up in a vibrant Latino neighborhood, shaped by heritage and community. From a young age, Diaz-Melendez had a clear mission—to help his people and all people. That drive led him to pursue dentistry, where he could help people achieve healthier smiles. But he soon saw a chance to transform lives beyond the dentist’s chair.
Making a Switch
Diaz-Melendez worked hard to earn his bachelor’s in biology at the University of Southern California (USC) and later his doctorate in dental surgery at Columbia University. He moved to Philadelphia and began working as a dentist at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, fulfilling his goal of helping people. However, as Diaz-Melendez ...
Community can play a large role shaping who a person can become. For William Manriquez, who was born and raised in the bustling and vibrant borough of Manhattan in New York, he was deeply inspired by his community. In Manhattan, there is far more than just the fast-paced hum of people from backgrounds from around the world. You’ll find people walking their dogs, bicycling through Central Park, shopping in the corner bodegas, and sharing conversations with neighbors. “I was fortunate enough to grow up in a neighborhood where there was a sense of community,” Manriquez said. Now, as a second-year medical student at the CUNY School of Medicine at The City College of New York, Manriquez hopes he can one day provide well-rounded health care and infection prevention and control ...
Just like fingerprints are tailored to the individual they belong to, no two cancer survivor stories are the same. Yet, every single one is important. “Every story is unique, and every story is worth understanding and learning from,” said Dr. Derek Rodriguez. Dr. Rodriguez is the research scientist helping lead the Avanzando Caminos Hispanic/Latino Cancer Survivorship study team at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio. Everyone’s cancer journey is different and paved with unique challenges and obstacles that define treatment, quality of life, and long-lasting health impacts, he explained. And that’s exactly what the dedicated Avanzando Caminos team is trying to get to the bottom of by collecting the stories of survivors. Let’s ...
A lot can change in the wake of a cancer diagnosis, especially for a daughter. “When a person gets sick, the whole family gets sick, especially in the Hispanic and Latino community ... It is really a family effort when it comes to going through cancer treatment and a cancer diagnosis,” Britney Ortiz said. Being a research assistant in the Avanzando Caminos Hispanic/Latino Cancer Survivorship research study at UT Health San Antonio, Britney Ortiz thought she knew a lot about cancer. But her father's unexpected cancer diagnosis gave her a true understanding of the disease. In a short period of time, Britney went from interviewing survivors about their cancer journey to being a caregiver for a loved one.
A Shocking Cancer Diagnosis
Britney said her father’s ...
Cancer can be many things. Some describe cancer as a journey, a struggle, or a fight. For Brittney Millard, a breast cancer diagnosis was a life-changing event that gave her the passion to help other cancer survivors. “It's really what's in your heart. You can [help] people you know in your daily life, just spreading awareness and taking initiative,” Millard said. Millard, 32, an intern at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, still faced many hardships with her cancer experience. But now she aims to help others avoid pitfalls she went through. Let’s learn more about her inspiring story and her goals for helping others.
A Major Life Change
A native of San Antonio, Millard described her childhood as difficult. Growing up, ...
Dr. Francisco G. Cigarroa, UT Health San Antonio’s Malú and Carlos Alvarez Center for Transplantation, Hepatobiliary Surgery and Innovation Director, still remembers the greatest gift he’s ever received. It didn’t come in the form of an award, a plaque, certificate, or even a baked good. It came from a 6-year-old patient. Cigarroa was astonished when the girl he had operated on a few months prior opened her mouth to sing a song meant especially for him. He cried. “To this day it’s still the most beautiful gift I’ve ever gotten, and she had the voice of an angel,” Cigarroa recalled. “Sometimes the greatest gifts come in the most unexpected ways.” Cigarroa has held many titles over the course of his illustrious career, including being ...
Whether with paint on canvas or a friendly chat in person, San Antonio artist Mary Louise Lopez always spread love and showcased the beauty of the human spirit. Mary Louise was a gifted artist in drawing, painting, sculpting, and batiking. The subjects of many of her paintings are native communities of Texas, Mexico, Central America, and South America, where she often travelled and befriended many locals. Mary Louise, who passed away in November of 2022of pancreatic cancer, portrayed the pride and strength of native Latinos with great affection and care, said Irene Peche, a close family-friend. “She sought to capture their dignity and the work ethic by which they lived. There is an honesty in the depictions of her subjects that captures reality, beauty, and hardship without ...
