New Project to Offer Cancer Screening to Underserved Latinos in San Antonio



Two University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio researchers today were awarded a total of $4.7 million by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). These awards for cancer prevention, along with $2.9 million to University Health System, make San Antonio the largest recipient of funds in this CPRIT funding cycle—28% the $26.3 million awarded. Dr. Cynthia Mojica, assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics in the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center, will use a $2 million award to partner with federally qualified health center CentroMed and community organizations to offer breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening to San Antonio residents otherwise unable to afford them. “This grant allows us to ...

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Dr. Ramirez’ White House Blog: ‘Giving Latinas a Chance Against Breast Cancer’


Amelie Ramirez komen scholar cancer research

Dr. Amelie Ramirez, director of Salud America! and the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, was recently named a "Champion of Change” by the President Barack Obama's White House for her contributions to ending suffering from breast cancer. Now Dr. Ramirez has written a blog post for the White House. The inspirational post, "Giving Latinas a Chance Against Breast Cancer," highlights Latinas' cancer issues and discusses ways to overcome barriers: Prevention is the key, and timely screening, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care are critical if Latinas are to survive cancer and sustain a good quality of life. That’s why my Institute for Health Promotion Research at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San ...

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Cancer Survivors Help Test Which Exercise is Best to Reduce Recurrence



In response to rising obesity and breast cancer mortality rates, a new local study is testing how different types of exercise—like yoga—best improve cancer survivors’ fitness, quality of life and molecular indicators of future cancer risk. The project, Improving Mind and Physical ACTivity (IMPACT), is led by the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. Over the yearlong IMPACT study, 90 breast cancer survivors will be randomized to participate at least three times a week in: 1) a comprehensive exercise “prescription” featuring an individualized aerobic, strength-training and flexibility program; 2) a yoga exercise program; or 3) general exercise chosen at will. Study recruitment is underway. For eligibility, call ...

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VIDEO: Community Members, Researchers Team to Tackle Minority Health Problems



Dr. Meredith Minkler, a cancer researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, spoke about the impact of "community-based participatory research (CBPR)" on May 5, 2011, at the Cancer Therapy and Research Center (CTRC) in San Antonio as part of the SALSI/CTRC Health Disparities Lecture Series. CBPR is a technique that brings community members onto academic health research teams as equal partners in a research study or intervention. Community members help design programs that best address their specific community's health problems and needs. Watch video of Dr. Minkler's talk about CBPR here. The SALSI/CTRC Health Disparities Lecture Series, sponsored by the San Antonio Life Sciences Institute (SALSI) and the CTRC, brings some of the top U.S. health disparities experts to San ...

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Lecture on 8/11/11: “What Every Latino Man & Woman Should Know About Cancer”



Hispanics, who make up 60 percent of Bexar County’s population and almost 40 percent of Texas’, face special cancer risks. Minimizing those risks is the subject of a free public lecture to be held at 6 p.m. CST Thursday, Aug. 11, 2011, on the fourth floor of the Grossman Building at the Cancer Therapy & Research Center of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7979 Wurzbach Road. "In the Hispanic population, we tend to put off prevention because we don't think it's going to happen to us," said Dr. Amelie Ramirez, director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center. "And cancer's one of those things we don't like to talk about." For instance, Dr. Ramirez said, about 40 percent of Hispanic women do not have yearly ...

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VIDEO: ‘Are We Moving the World in Cervical Cancer Prevention?’



Dr. Isabel Scarinci, a cancer prevention expert at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, spoke about ways to improve cervical cancer prevention on March 17, 2011, at the Cancer Therapy and Research Center (CTRC) in San Antonio as part of the SALSI/CTRC Health Disparities Lecture Series. Scarinci's talk highlighted her innovative work in cervical cancer prevention among low-income, Latina and African American, and immigrant women. Watch video of her talk here. The SALSI/CTRC Health Disparities Lecture Series, sponsored by the San Antonio Life Sciences Institute (SALSI) and the CTRC, brings some of the top U.S. health disparities experts to San Antonio to offer the latest trends, tools and advancements in the fight against cancer health disparities. The series is a joint project of the ...

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Get Involved in the Fight Against Latino Cancer



Here are some ways you can get involved in the fight against cancer: Join Redes En Acción You're invited to join Redes En Acción: The National Latino Cancer Research Network and become part of a nationwide effort to fight cancer among Latinos. Redes, which is funded by the National Cancer Institute and directed by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez of SaludToday and the Institute of Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, has spent 10 years reducing Latino cancer. Redes has generated more than $200 million in funding for cancer research, trained more than 200 students and professionals and conducted more than 2,000 community education events and developed bilingual educational materials. Join a Cancer Clinical Trial The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has a ...

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