Do you have dense breasts? Half of US women have dense breasts, but many don’t even know it or know how it impacts their breast health. Watch UT Health San Antonio’s webinar on breast density, mammography, “Difference in Density: Why it Matters for Your Breast Health,” at 12 p.m. Central on Wednesday, January 28, 2026. This webinar featured experts from the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio, a breast cancer survivor with firsthand experience with dense breasts, and a representative from the Susan G. Komen foundation. Together, they discussed how to talk to your doctor about dense breasts and the steps you should take to monitor your breast health following a dense breast diagnosis. With this knowledge, patients can feel empowered to talk to ...
2025 was filled with plenty of ups and downs in the world of health for Latinos and all people. However, there were some significant highs that drove health in 2025. For instance, 2025 gave us two campaigns that put readers in the driver’s seat of country-wide change and Salud America! received several opportunities to help make a difference in the lives of all people. But most of all this year gave us hope in the form of stories of survivorship and perseverance. Here were the top 10 stories driving Latino Health in 2025.
1. Linda Mota Shares Her Breast Cancer Survivorship Story
Breast cancer was the last thing on Linda Mota’s mind. She was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer — a disease that greatly affected her ...
Firefighters are at higher risk of cancer than the general population. That is the reason for the new San Antonio Firefighters Cancer Prevention Program. The program aims to better understand and reduce the cancer burden among local firefighters and emergency medical services personnel. It is a partnership of the San Antonio Fire Department, UT Health San Antonio, and Sylvester’s Firefighter Cancer Initiative at the University of Miami. Now the program is featured in an article in San Antonio Medicine, a publication of the Bexar County Medical Society. The article was written by Dr. Rachelle Hamblin, a family medicine physician at Health by Design, the SAFD Retiree Police and Firefighter Clinic; Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT ...
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! and a cancer health researcher at the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio, joined a special episode of The Cancer Letter Podcast in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month to discuss cancer, policy, and communities. In the podcast episode, Dr. Ramirez joined with Dr. Ruben Mesa, executive director of the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Dr. Luis Carvajal Carmona, associate vice chancellor and professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at University of California, Davis. The trio discuss federal policy impact on cancer, including the non-medical drivers of health, research investment, and AI. It’s really been a mission of mine to really raise the flag on the importance ...
Veteran's Day is on Nov. 11, 2025. We at Salud America! are excited to honor all U.S. military personnel, including the Latinos, who have served our country.
Latinos in the Military: History
Latinos have a “proud and indeed enviable” record of military service that dates back to the Civil War, according to a U.S. Army historical website. About 20,000 Latino serviceman and women participated in Operation Desert Shield/Storm in 1990-1991, 80,000 in the Vietnam War in 1959-1973, and more than 400,000 in World War II in 1939-1945. Latinos have received more than 40 Medals of Honor, according to the Department of Defense. “Whether their heritage can be traced to Spain, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, or one of dozens of other Spanish-speaking countries or cultures, they’ve ...
Cancer survivors and community leaders are helping advance patient-centered research outcomes across South Texas through the Creando Conexiones Virtual Forum. This virtual forum, which occurred at 1 p.m. Central on Oct. 30, 2025, is part of the “Creando Conexiones: Cancer Health Research Agenda” project at UT Health San Antonio, which is funded by an award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Expert panelists from Mays Cancer Center, UT San Antonio, Blue Faery, Hope at Heart Foundation, cancer survivors and caregivers, and more discussed the top research priorities on cervical cancer, liver cancer, and pediatric leukemia in South Texas. Panelists also explored the significance and vision of how this research can be conducted alongside survivors and ...
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 ...
