News of a cancer diagnosis is the last thing anyone wants to hear. It can be especially devastating for a teenager with no family history of cancer. That was reality for Amber Lopez. Lopez, a San Antonio resident who began experiencing symptoms around age 14, was eventually diagnosed with cervical cancer a few years later at 18. “When you hear that word cancer, you’re kind of like, 'Oh, my God. OK. So, does that mean like, I’m going to pass away? How does this work?'” Lopez said. Since her diagnosis, Lopez has overcome many challenges in her cancer journey. Now she’s sharing her story through the Avanzando Caminos study at UT Health San Antonio to give hope to other Latino cancer survivors.
Navigating Her Cancer Diagnosis
Latinas ...
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, joined The Washington Post's live show to share how cancer screening can help patients get diagnosed and treated earlier. The show, "Chasing Cancer: The Path Forward," sponsored by AstraZeneca, took place Nov. 8, 2023. In the first part of of the show, Renee Wegrzyn, director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), and Eric Topol, executive vice president of Scripps Research, discussed how technological advancements and AI are changing how cancer is diagnosed and treated. In the second part of the show, Ramirez teamed with Dr. Gladys I. Rodriguez, a medical oncologist with the START Center for Cancer Care, to discuss innovative initiatives make it easier to access early screenings for ...
Researchers need your help as they seek to better understand how lung cancer impacts people differently and how to improve treatment and quality of life. That’s why the GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer started its Lung Cancer Registry. The international Lung Cancer Registry, available to join now, aims to double the 5-year survival rate of lung cancer patients from 20% to 40% by 2025. “By sharing your lung cancer story, contributing your experiences as a person with lung cancer or a caregiver of someone with lung cancer, you are helping the research community develop new treatments,” according to GO2. Let’s dive into more about the registry, how you can join, and how it can help Latinos.
Joining the Lung Cancer Registry
Participants interested in ...
“It was kind of a fluke.” That’s how Angelina Vazquez Felsing describes the events that led to her diagnosis of lung cancer. Like many, Vazquez Felsing maintained a healthy lifestyle. She didn’t smoke. She ate healthy, ran regularly, and had no family history of cancer. Vazquez Felsing, who immigrated from Mazatlán, Mexico, in 1972, grew up in the Floresville area and has lived in San Antonio for many years. It all started when Vazquez Felsing went to her yearly checkup through the wellness program at her job, where she has worked as a systems analyst for 17 years. “They found something that was a little bit odd. They said, ‘Well come back in a year, and we'll do another CT scan,’” she said. “And when I went back, they found that whatever ...
Did you know 1 in 5 people with liver cancer in the United States are Latino? The rise of liver cancer in Latinos is happening for many reasons. Some of the big reasons include excess body weight, alcohol use, smoking, and metabolic disorders. Latinos are often diagnosed at more advanced stages of liver cancer. With this in mind, let’s explore helpful resources for Latinos and all people on liver cancer.
Liver Cancer Connect
With liver cancer impacting so many Latinos, it’s crucial that they have educational tools and resources to help navigate through their diagnosis. Liver Cancer Connect is a program by the Hepatitis B Foundation that provides liver cancer patients and their families with information and support. “Although this is a serious ...
We know that Latinos are impacted by Alzheimer’s, dementia, and other health conditions like Parkinson’s disease. That is why it’s important to have support and resources for those who are impacted, as well as their families and caregivers. Let’s explore various support groups from the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio!
Support for Those with Lewy Body Dementia
The Biggs Institute hosts an in-person support group, Living Together with Lewy: Support group for Individuals Living with Lewy Body Dementia and their Care Partners. Lewy Body Dementia is the second-most common form of dementia, behind Alzheimer’s. It results in irreversible cognitive decline and movement problems like Parkinson's ...
A big challenge for cancer survivors is a disruption in "cognitive functioning." Stress can contribute to lapses in attention, memory, and other mental abilities that can limit a survivor's daily activities and ability to work. To help, researchers from UT Health San Antonio and UT San Antonio will test a 6-month therapeutic Yoga program — along with supportive text messages and dietary guidance — to improve cognitive functioning in 35 Latina and 35 non-Latina breast cancer survivors. The pilot project, "Surviving is Not Enough: Enhancing Cognitive Function in Cancer Survivors through Movement and Introspection," is led by Dr. Daniel Carlos Hughes, a researcher at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, and Dr. Joseph Houpt, professor of ...
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, explores milestones and remaining challenges in health promotion for Latino and all people in a new commentary in the journal Health Promotion Practice. The commentary covers patient navigation, social media communication, clinical trial participation, and more. "We need to listen to and understand our ... communities so that we can create more effective strategies for building public trust and communicating science," Ramirez writes in the new commentary. "Reaching [people] where they are, via social media and smartphones, is a key component of this mission." Ramirez also explores these topics in a related episode of the HPP Podcast: Dr. Ramirez & Her Health Promotion Research
Ramirez is an ...
Are you passionate about public health? The Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at UT Health San Antonio — home to the Salud America! program — is seeking a qualified senior research scientist with expertise in public health research. The position will focus on two IHPR projects: Avanzando Caminos (Leading Pathways): The Hispanic/Latino Cancer Survivorship Study
Avanzando Equidad de Salud Apply here for the senior research scientist position. “Our goal is to find a passionate research scientist who can help us plan, coordinate, analyze, and produce scientific content for clinical and regulatory documents on these two important research projects,” said Dr. Amelie Ramirez, director of the IHPR and chair of the Department of Population Health Sciences ...
